Mac Basics: Using Modifier Keys

Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. If you're new to Mac you may be struggling with the modifier keys on the Mac keyboard. Let's take a look at them and how to use them.  

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So the modifier keys on the Mac keyboard are keys that you press in conjunction with other keys. They don't do anything by themselves. The modifier keys on the keyboard are the Command key, Option key, the Control key, the Shift key, and also the fn key. If you're new to Mac you may have already figured out that you need to use these keys with other keys, such as letters, to perform certain commands. For instance Command C performs Copy. Command V performs Paste. These are known as keyboard shortcuts. But modifier keys also work with other things. For instance the Control key is often used with mouse or trackpad clicks. The Shift key, of course, is often used while typing.   

Let's start by looking at the Command key. This is used for almost all keyboard shortcuts. You usually hold the Command key down first and then use the letter, number, or symbol key to execute a command. For instance Command S is usually Save while Command P is usually Print. Now the Option key is often used to create a second level of keyboard shortcut. For instance instead of just Command and then a letter you may need to hold Command and also Option and then a letter. The same is true for Control. Sometimes you may do Command Control and then another key. In fact sometimes you may need to do all three, Command, Option, and Control. Shift also works in this way where you may use it in conjunction with Command. Say, Command Shift and then a letter. You may notice a pattern here. Command is usually the primary modifier key. Then Option or Control or Shift are often used in addition to Command to provide another shortcut. Now the Shift key, of course, is also used while typing. It's simply used just like on an old fashioned typewriter to switch from lower case to upper case. 

Now note that if you're new to Mac and used to using Windows that Command and Control can be a bit confusing. On a Mac the primary key for keyboard shortcuts is Command. On Windows it's Control. It's confusing because there's a Control key on the Mac's keyboard. Sometimes when you look at documentation for cross platform apps or games it will say something like use control and then a letter to do something. Well, on the Mac that simply means Command and the letter. 

Now there are symbols on the top of these keys. The symbols correspond to what you'll find in the Menu Bar on your Mac. For instance here in the Finder, with the Finder window open, if I go to the View Menu you can see keyboard shortcuts to the right. So notice here the symbol next to these keyboard shortcuts is the same as the symbol found on the Command key. That's how you know that Command 2 is what triggers the shortcut for View As List. If you look down here you'll find there are two modifier keys shown. There's the symbol for the Command key but also the symbol for the Option key. So Option Command S  will trigger View, Hide Sidebar. Here you can see a symbol you won't find on your keyboard. An arrow pointing up stands for the Shift key. That's not usually printed on the keyboard. So you just have to know that that means Shift. So Shift Command P is View, Show Preview. Here you see a symbol usually found on the Control key. So Control Command zero is View, Use Groups. If you look in other menus, like the Go menu here, you'll find other combinations. So this is how you find keyboard shortcuts and know which modifier key to use with which letter or symbol to activate that shortcut to use the keyboard shortcut rather than selecting the item here from the menu. 

Now one key you may find mentioned in different places but not found on your keyboard is the Alt key. The Alt key is simply the Option key. In fact for years Apple printed both the words Alt and Option on that key. But the correct way to refer to it on the Mac is Option. If you're using a universal keyboard, one meant for Macs and Windows, usually that key shows Alt not Option. 

I mentioned before that sometimes you can use modifier keys with things other than another key on the keyboard. For instance you can hold down the Control key and then Click to bring up a Context Menu pretty much anywhere on your Mac. You do have the ability to change the modifier keys, although I don't recommend it. You go to the Apple Menu and then System Preferences. Then to Keyboard. Then under Keyboard click the Modifier Keys button and it shows each of the modifier keys. Also including the Caps Lock Key. You can change what they do. So for instance if you wanted to switch the Control key to Command you could and then Command key to Control. On a standard Mac keyboard I don't recommend doing this as it will be very confusing. But if you have a non-standard keyboard perhaps one used for Windows, then you may want to play around with these to get things to match what you find on a Mac keyboard a little bit better. Also here in System Preferences Keyboard, Keyboard you'll find a check box here that refers to the fn key. 

So the fn key is a special modifier key that has to do with the row at the top of your keyboard. Or if you have a MacBook with a Touch Bar then it's going to work with that touch bar as well. Now depending upon how you have the check box here in System Preferences set those keys will either send and F key function like F1, F2, and F3 to the app that you're using or they will refer to the functions you find on the keys themselves, like changing the Brightness of the screen, changing volume, a Play and Pause button for music. So you can see here if I turn this option on now if I want to Play or Pause music using the F8 key I have to hold down the fn key to do that. But with it off it will Play or Pause just by itself. No fn key is needed. But if I'm using an app, say like PhotoShop or Pages and I want to use the keyboard shortcut F8 now I have to hold down the fn key to activate that. Whether you have this checked or not is just a personal preference. You probably want to set it depending upon what you use those keys for for a majority of the time. For instance somebody who uses PhotoShop may want to use F1, F2, F3, etc all the time. So they may want to have this turned on and then have to use the fn key to access the special functions on those keys. Whereas if you rarely use keys like F1, F2, F3 then you may want to have this turned off and have those usually assigned to those special functions knowing you can hold the fn key down to activate something like an F8 if you need to. 

Also note that with the very latest Macs, the ones that came out at the end of 2020 and then beyond, the fn key also has a special symbol on it that lets you know that you can use it to enter special characters. Holding down that key it acts as the fn key to change what those modifier keys at the top of your keyboard do. But a quick tap will actually bring up the Keyboard and Special Character viewer just like using the keyboard shortcut Control Command Space.