# Mac question: Keyboard shortcuts? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2010, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851 "2010-08-20T09:08:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/21 "2010-08-21T19:13:01Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > You can set it to show the desktop, or show all open windows, or show open windows for the active app, or many other things by assigning that function to a corner of the screen. Then when you move the cursor to that corner, it will perform that function. > > > > You can also divide the desktop into as many separate “spaces,” or virtual desktops, as you want and assign specific applications to specific spaces, so instead of having 20 windows for 15 apps opened on a single desktop, each app could be on its own uncluttered screen. > > Outstanding! Thanks! > > ETA: BTW, F11 controls the speaker volume on my machine, so that isn’t an option for me. By default, it did on mine too (I’ve disabled it in the System Prefs-\>Keyboard menu), or you can use the F keys by pressing “Function+F key” on most keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/22 "2010-08-21T19:23:52Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > By default, it did on mine too (I’ve disabled it in the System Prefs-\>Keyboard menu), or you can use the F keys by pressing “Function+F key” on most keyboards. Yes. You want to look for a key labeled “fn.” Depending on the keyboard, this may be at the very lower left corner or it may be under the F13 key (if it exists). Press the fn-key and F11 together to get the F11 window-hiding behavior we’re talking about. I normally have the function keys set the other way around (as **Todderbob** does), preferring them to behave as function keys and only access things like volume, screen brightness, etc., through the fn+function key combination. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/23 "2010-08-21T19:46:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The one I’d like, is when you get a dialog box with “OK” and “Cancel”, or the like. Sometimes one of them is highlighted, and you can just hit “enter” like you’d expect, but if you want to hit the other button, or neither one is highlighted, I haven’t found how to do it. Usually, you can just type “Command” + [the first letter of the button you want]. Also, “Command + .” always means “Cancel”. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/24 "2010-08-21T20:45:26Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > … > > Is that style of keyboard command worth learning? They’ve always seemed archaic and over-complex to me, coming from the era of of COMMAND-C or at most COMMAND-SHIFT-X (simultaneous, not sequential), but I suppose I never actually gave them a fair chance. > … Not worth learning at this point, but could be useful for people who used Unix machines back in the 80s and 90s and have the commands burned into their neural pathways. However, admins, geeks and embedded software people sometimes have no way in other than through a serial port. (I might be even geekier than that, since some stubborn part of my brain still thinks that “printf” statements are for pussies who don’t know how to use bus monitors.) ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/25 "2010-08-21T21:30:01Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] The one I’d like, is when you get a dialog box with “OK” and “Cancel”, or the like. Sometimes one of them is highlighted, and you can just hit “enter” like you’d expect, but if you want to hit the other button, or neither one is highlighted, I haven’t found how to do it. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=straight man] Usually, you can just type “Command” + [the first letter of the button you want]. Also, “Command + .” always means “Cancel”. [/QUOTE] Also, the “esc” key is usually mapped to the “Cancel” button (and is slightly easier to type). ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/26 "2010-08-21T22:25:15Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > > [@KarlGauss](#): > > > > Is there a shortcut on the Mac to ‘show desktop’? > > > > In Windows, you can bring up your desktop by right-clicking on the bottom border of the current window (but not on any icons or minimized windows). Is there anything like that for a Mac? > > > > Thanks! > > Really? Right-clicking on the border that you’d normally use to resize the window? Yes, right clicking anywhere on the bottom border (except where there’s an icon or minimized window) brings up a menu from which you can then choose (with one keystroke) to bring up the desktop. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/27 "2010-08-21T22:30:21Z")
OK, I’ll try that command+first letter next time it comes up. I usually use escape for cancel, though. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/28 "2010-08-22T00:36:11Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > > [@Reply](#): > > > > Really? Right-clicking on the border that you’d normally use to resize the window? > > Yes, right clicking anywhere on the bottom border (except where there’s an icon or minimized window) brings up a menu from which you can then choose (with one keystroke) to bring up the desktop. Oh, you mean the taskbar. I misunderstood. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/29 "2010-08-22T02:21:35Z")
What you want is there, but sort of hidden, and most Mac people don’t use it, so they don’t know about it. If you open the Keyboard System Preferences (The Macintosh name for “Control Panels”), there’s a _Keyboard Shortcu_t tab on top. This will give you two fields, one on the left and one on the right. The field in the left lists various parts of the OS and the field on the right lists the keyboard shortcuts for those. Select the _Keyboard & Text Input_ entry on the left side. On the right, you’ll see all the keyboard shortcuts for that entry. One is _Move focus to the Menu bar_, by default, it’s Cntl-F2. When you press this key, it’ll highlight the Apple menu. Use the left and right cursor keys to move it to the menu you want to highlight, or press the first letter of the menu name. If there are multiple menu names with the same letter, simply press the key multiple times to get to the right one. Press the down cursor key to open the menu and select the item from that menu. Again, you can press the first letter of the menu item to select that menu item. Again, you can press the letter multiple times. You’ll also notice an entry for _Move the Focus to the Dock_. Press this key combination (usually Cntl-F3) will highlight the first item on your dock. You can use the cursor keys, or again type the first letter of the name of the program. Warning, the name might not be what you think. For example, pressing “C” doesn’t highlight the program _Chrome_ on my dock because the program’s name is _Google Chrome_. When I had a Mac desktop, I use to use this all the time because it kept my hands on the keyboard, but now that I’ve got a MacBook, I find using the trackpad to be very convenient. I especially like the multitouch capability. The best way to open a program is to use Searchlight. The standard keyboard shortcut for Searchlight is Cmd-Spacebar. Type in the name of the program, and press _Return_. There is no built in way to “maximize” or minimize" a window like you have in Windows. However, you can get [QuickSilver](http://docs.blacktree.com/quicksilver/quicksilver) to add this functionality. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/30 "2010-08-22T03:38:28Z")
It’s Spotlight. and cmd-m minimizes windows. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/31 "2010-08-22T03:53:16Z")
Speaking of showing the desktop by hiding all windows, I assign that command to the upper right corner of the screen. Most of the time that I want to see the desktop, I need access to the icons that are in the upper right quadrant, so my mouse cursor is going in that direction anyway. I’ve built up my hand-eye-mouse coordination to do a little diagonal flick to that corner, then back off a touch, which hovers my cursor right over the hard drive icon. Since we are talking about Macs, and the OP’s questions have been answered, for the most part, I have one little rant. My boss is a Mac guy, and one of our two computers at work is an iMac. He clicks the mouse with both fingers, so we can’t set it up for a two-button mouse (confuses and infuriates him). I’ve trained my self to use control-click when needed, but now at home I find myself control-right-clicking for no reason. I wish he would learn to right click like a normal person! Damn Apple for taking so long to get on the 2-button mouse bandwagon. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/32 "2010-08-22T04:42:30Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > Damn Apple for taking so long to get on the 2-button mouse bandwagon. I don’t know when two button mice were first supported on Macs, but I’ve had them on my Macs for over a decade. Your boss is WAY behind the times! ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/33 "2010-08-22T13:02:18Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:32, topic:550851”] > [@Amblydoper](#): > > Damn Apple for taking so long to get on the 2-button mouse bandwagon. I don’t know when two button mice were first supported on Macs, but I’ve had them on my Macs for over a decade. Your boss is WAY behind the times! [/QUOTE] Yeah, same here. The Mighty Mouse, in '06, was apples first two button mouse, but other (USB) mice have supported 2-buttoning since at least '02. > [@Amblydoper](#): > > Speaking of showing the desktop by hiding all windows, I assign that command to the upper right corner of the screen. Most of the time that I want to see the desktop, I need access to the icons that are in the upper right quadrant, so my mouse cursor is going in that direction anyway. I’ve built up my hand-eye-mouse coordination to do a little diagonal flick to that corner, then back off a touch, which hovers my cursor right over the hard drive icon. > > Since we are talking about Macs, and the OP’s questions have been answered, for the most part, I have one little rant. My boss is a Mac guy, and one of our two computers at work is an iMac. He clicks the mouse with both fingers, so we can’t set it up for a two-button mouse (confuses and infuriates him). I’ve trained my self to use control-click when needed, but now at home I find myself control-right-clicking for no reason. I wish he would learn to right click like a normal person! Damn Apple for taking so long to get on the 2-button mouse bandwagon. Tell your boss to suck it up, or set up a 2nd user account for her with right click disabled? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/34 "2010-08-23T21:44:49Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > The Mighty Mouse, in '06, was apples first two button mouse, but other (USB) mice have supported 2-buttoning since at least '02. I haven’t actually used an Apple-brand mouse since sometime in the 90’s. Even the Mighty Mouse (a cool product, indeed) doesn’t work for me, because I have gotten used to being able to click left and right buttons at the same time, which you can’t do on a Mighty Mouse. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/35 "2010-08-23T21:53:10Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:34, topic:550851”] Even the Mighty Mouse (a cool product, indeed) [/QUOTE] I loathe the Mighty Mouse. It looks pretty, but that damn trackball thingy gets loaded up with gunk, and it’s an ergonomic nightmare. It _hurts_ (at least it hurts me) to use this mouse for any extended period of time. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/36 "2010-08-23T22:02:53Z")
I have that problem with most mice, because they’re “one size fits all.” I’m a big guy with big hands (most XL gloves are too small for me), and I get cramps using mice. That’s one of the reasons I like keyboard shortcuts so much! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851/37 "2010-08-23T23:07:38Z")
While we’re at it, is there any way using a keyboard and/or touchpad to simulate a middle-click (like clicking the scrollwheel on a normal mouse)? If I had that, I’d hardly ever have to use a separate mouse-- The multitouch features on the pad are just so handy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mac-question-keyboard-shortcuts/550851.md?page=1)