I recently traded in my Windows PC for a 16″ MacBook Pro. Surprisingly, the most difficult part of the transition was not transferring data or getting used to the Apple operating system.
The thing is, over the years I’ve gotten so used to looking for the Control key in the bottom left corner of my keyboard to select all (Ctrl+A,), copy (Ctrl+C), paste (Ctrl+V,) and use all the other useful keyboard shortcuts. Windows, that when I was given a MacBook keyboard, my habits were turned upside down.
What if I told you that it was possible to remap an Apple keyboard so that the Globe key, which is usually where the Control key is on a Windows keyboard, instead served as a Command key?
How to remap the Globe key to the Command key
1. Open keyboard settings
Let’s start by searching Spotlight (by clicking on the magnifying glass on the top right of the status bar) and searching Keyboard. Press Hall and keyboard settings should open, giving you a number of options.
You can also access this menu by clicking on Apple icon in the top left corner from status bar > System settings > then Keyboard.
2. Open modifier keys
In the lower right corner of the keyboard settings, you should find a button that says Modifier keys… . Here you can remap and change the action of each key to the left of the space bar.
Screenshot by Jun Wang/ZDNET
3. Reassign the globe key to a command
Make sure “Apple Internal Keyboard/Trackpad” is selected from the drop-down menu, then set the Globe Key Action to Ordered. If you still need the functionality of the Globe key, you can remap it elsewhere.
Note. The Mac keyboard has a “Control” key, but it doesn’t work the way it does on Windows. The Command key is a direct alternative.
Screenshot by Jun Wang/ZDNET
Productivity increase
From a Windows user’s perspective, being able to access my usual keyboard shortcuts — and by regular, I mean the ones I use dozens of times a day — without having to find the right keyboard shortcut increases my productivity. It’s also more natural and easier to move your little finger down to press and hold the new Command key, rather than bend your thumb under your palm to press the old key.
Source: “.com”