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Command Key On Mac Keyboard



This is one of the least-known keyboard commands on a Mac, but it’s super useful. It works like this: You are working in an app, and you want to open the application’s Preferences. The Command key, ⌘, also known as the Apple key, is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. The Command key's purpose is to allow the user to enter keyboard commands in applications and in the system. Command+V which pastes items previously cut or copied; Command+O which opens the selected item; Command+W which closes the active window. Aside from being used as keyboard shortcuts for system-wide commands, modifier keys can also be used to execute application-specific commands like: Command+Option+Space which opens the “Spotlight” menu. The most important key on a Mac’s keyboard is arguably the Command Key (⌘), which is used in a tremendous number of important keyboard shortcuts, from Command-C to copy, to Command-P to print, to Command-Shift-3 to take a screenshot.

Apple pages to word. Columns in the tables: Aeon timeline 2 1 2 download free.

  • Sym: The symbol representing the key
  • Key: The common name of the key
  • CrossPlat?: Whether the symbol is cross-platform. If 'No', then the symbol is unlikely to render properly outside the Apple ecosystem.
  • Alt: An alternate symbol used in some contexts (e.g., legacy)
  • Alt CrossPlat?: Whether the alternate symbol is cross-platform

Modifiers

When a key combination is displayed, the modifiers are written in the order presented here. For example, Control + Option + Shift + Command + Q would be written as ⌃⌥⇧⌘Q.

Keyboard
SymKeyCrossPlat?AltAlt CrossPlat?
ControlYes
OptionYes
ShiftYes
CommandYesNo

The Command key was formerly represented by an Apple logo. The Apple logo is one fo the few symbols here that can be easily typed with a typical keyboard layout: ⌥⇧K

There is also a Fn modifier on modern Mac keyboards. Typically this isn't seen in keyboard shortcuts because it's only used to access keys F1 through F20. However, it can technically be combined with Control plus one other key to get a unique legacy combination. Each of these Fn + Control combinations maps to a character in Unicode's U+F700 to U+F7FF private use range. Some programs will erroneously print these characters upon receiving such a combination. With system Mac fonts, these characters lack visible glyphs, and are for internal use only. Quote from ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/CORPCHAR.TXT:

Find out operating system mac. NeXT's OpenStep reserved corporate characters in the range 0xF700 to0xF8FF for transient use as keyboard function keys. The ones actuallyassigned in NextStep are 0xF700-0xF747, as follows. These are stillused in the Mac OS X AppKit frameworks. Note that there is no glyphassociated with these, and they are not mapped or used by the Mac OSText Encoding Converter.

Normal

SymKeyCrossPlat?AltAlt CrossPlat?
EscapeYes
EjectYesNo
Delete fwdYes
DeleteYes
Caps lockYes
LeftYes
RightYes
UpYes
DownYes
ReturnYes
❘⃝PowerNo
Page upYes
Page downYes
Back tabYes
TabYes
EndYes
HomeYes
EnterYesYes
Context menuNo
ClearYes
SpaceYesNo
Num lockYes

The alternate eject symbol,  (U+F804), is from a Unicode private use region. Apple designates it for use with mapping to/from the Mac OS Keyboard encoding. Ideally, the official Unicode variant should be used instead, as it will be compatible with fonts on other platforms. Quote from ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/CORPCHAR.TXT:

The following (11) are for mapping the Mac OS Keyboard and Mac OS Koreanencodings (for Mac OS Korean also see 0xF83D, 0xF840-0xF84F).

Reference: ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/KEYBOARD.TXT

These are the official Unicode symbol mappings published by Apple.

SymUnicodeMacKey nameNotes
U+21E70x05Shift
U+23030x06Control
U+23880x8AControlISO
U+23250x07Option
U+23870x8BAlt
U+23180x11Command
U+F8FF0x14CommandOld; solid Apple logo
U+F8FF U+F87F0x6CCommandOld; outlined Apple logo
U+21E50x02Tab right (LTR)
U+21E40x03Tab left (RTL)
U+23240x04Enter
U+24230x09Space
U+21A90x0BReturn (LTR)
U+21AA0x0CReturn (RTL)
U+232B0x17Delete left (LTR)
U+23260x0ADelete right (RTL)
U+238B0x1BEscape
U+23270x1CClear
U+24230x61Blank
U+21EA0x63Caps lock
?⃝U+003F U+20DD0x67Help
U+21920x65Right
U+21900x64Left
U+21910x68Up
U+21930x6ADown
U+21960x66Home
U+21980x69End
U+21DE0x62Page up
U+21DF0x6BPage down
U+F8030x6DContext menu
❘⃝U+2758 U+20DD0x6EPower
U+23CF0x8CEject
英数U+82F1 U+65700x8DEisuJapanese
かなU+304B U+306A0x8EKanaJapanese
F1U+F860 F 10x6FF1
F2U+F860 F 20x70F2
F3U+F860 F 30x71F3
F4U+F860 F 40x72F4
F5U+F860 F 50x73F5
F6U+F860 F 60x74F6
F7U+F860 F 70x75F7
F8U+F860 F 80x76F8
F9U+F860 F 90x77F9
F10U+F861 F 1 00x78F10
F11U+F861 F 1 10x79F11
F12U+F861 F 1 20x7AF12
F13U+F861 F 1 30x87F13
F14U+F861 F 1 40x88F14
F15U+F861 F 1 50x89F15
F16U+F861 F 1 6F16
F17U+F861 F 1 7F17
F18U+F861 F 1 8F18
F19U+F861 F 1 9F19
F20U+F861 F 2 0F20
U+F8020x0F
U+27130x12
U+25C60x13
U+21E30x10
U+21E00x18
U+21E10x19
U+21E20x1A

Some entries are missing key names; these don't map to physical keys.

LTR indicates usage with left-to-right languages: that means text flows from left to right, such as in most Western languages. RTL indicates the opposite. Many keyboards have both Delete Left and Delete Right, regardless of text direction.

ISO indicates a symbol designated by an ISO standard. ISO standard symbols aren't necessarily used by Mac.

Symbols composed of multiple Unicode characters are special in that they are treated as a single character on Mac, despite appearing as multiple symbols. For most of the characters, this grouping is controlled by the first character, which is a Unicode private use character that is invisible on Mac. The others use standard Unicode combining techniques. Quote from ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/KEYBOARD.TXT:

The block of 32 characters 0xF860-0xF87F is for transcoding hints.These are used in combination with standard Unicode characters to forcethem to be treated in a special way for mapping to other encodings;they have no other effect.

These key combinations apply only to Mac computers with an Intel processor.

To use any of these key combinations, press and hold the keys immediately after pressing the power button to turn on your Mac, or after your Mac begins to restart. Keep holding until the described behavior occurs.

Command Key On Mac Keyboard
  • Command (⌘)-R: Start up from the built-in macOS Recovery system. Or use Option-Command-R or Shift-Option-Command-R to start up from macOS Recovery over the Internet. macOS Recovery installs different versions of macOS, depending on the key combination you use while starting up. If your Mac is using a firmware password, you're prompted to enter the password.
  • Option (⌥) or Alt: Start up to Startup Manager, which allows you to choose other available startup disks or volumes. If your Mac is using a firmware password, you're prompted to enter the password.
  • Option-Command-P-R:Reset NVRAM or PRAM. If your Mac is using a firmware password, it ignores this key combination or starts up from macOS Recovery.
  • Shift (⇧): Start up in safe mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
  • D: Start up to the Apple Diagnostics utility. Or use Option-Dto start up to this utility over the Internet. Disabled when using a firmware password.
  • N: Start up from a NetBoot server, if your Mac supports network startup volumes. To use the default boot image on the server, hold down Option-N instead. Disabled when using a firmware password.
  • Command-S: Start up in single-user mode. Disabled in macOS Mojave or later, or when using a firmware password.
  • T: Start up in target disk mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
  • Command-V: Start up in verbose mode. Disabled when using a firmware password.
  • Eject (⏏) or F12 or mouse button or trackpad button: Eject removable media, such as an optical disc. Disabled when using a firmware password.

Command Button On Pc Keyboard

If a key combination doesn't work

If a key combination doesn't work at startup, one of these these solutions might help:

  • Press and hold all keys in the combination together, not one at a time.
  • Shut down your Mac. Then press the power button to turn on your Mac. Then press and hold the keys as your Mac starts up.
  • Wait a few seconds before pressing the keys, to give your Mac more time to recognize the keyboard as it starts up. Some keyboards have a light that flashes briefly at startup, indicating that the keyboard is recognized and ready for use.
  • If you're using a wireless keyboard, plug it into your Mac, if possible. Or use your built-in keyboard or a wired keyboard. If you're using a keyboard made for a PC, such as a keyboard with a Windows logo, try a keyboard made for Mac.
  • If you're using Boot Camp to start up from Microsoft Windows, set Startup Disk preferences to start up from macOS instead. Then shut down or restart and try again.

Remember that some key combinations are disabled when your Mac is using a firmware password.

Where Is Command Key On Mac Keyboard

Learn more

Command Key On Keyboard

  • Learn what to do if your Mac doesn't turn on.
  • Learn about Mac keyboard shortcuts that you can use after your Mac has started up.




Command Key On Mac Keyboard
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