How To: Survive Using Your Keyboard Only
Posted: May 20, 2008 Filed under: How To, Productivity, Tips | Tags: Apple, don't use a mouse, How To, how to's, howto, keyboard, keyboard shortcuts, list of shortcuts, Mac, mouse, Tips, tricks, use keyboard only, use your keyboard only 7 Comments »How to survive using your keyboard only; here are some shortcuts.
Users with MacBooks need to include the function (fn) key in commands involving F#-keys.
ctrl + F2
opens access to your menu bar, which is navigated with arrows, enter, or letters (for a shortcut, type the first letter of the menu item you want to access.
ctrl + F3
opens up access to your dock, which can be navigated in the same way as the menu bar.
NOTE: If those actions are not working, then press
ctrl + F1
to activate/deactivate the commands.
Don’t forget the simple shortcuts too, like
Command + Shift + A
which opens your applications folder (only works when on Finder; Safari for instance, gives you autofill preferences…)
Other shortcuts you must know are:
Empty trash: Command + Shift + Delete
Quit application: Command + Q
Close current window: Command + W
UPDATE: oli4 reminded me with his comment; to see a directory of shortcuts, go to System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts
UPDATE #2: Learned a new shortcut! When on Safari, select a word and press
ctrl + Command + D
and you will get a quick definition show up as a tool tip window.
Feel free to share your tips and shortcuts in the comments below!
I think everybody knows these:
Command () + tab = Change application
Command () + o = open (map or document)
Command () + [ = previous window
Command () + ] = next window
Command () + , = preferences of the application
Command () + x = cut
Command () + c = copy
Command () + v = paste
in safari:
Command () + L = focus on address bar
check also in systempreferences/keyboard & mouse/shortcuts for more
Command + Shift + N = New Folder
Command + Delete = Move to Trash
in Firefox:
Command + K = google-bar Search
ctrl+f1/2 don’t work for me… I have the new style layout keyboard.
My thanks to you (and the others who replied) for posting this material. I’m helping my FIL who is an intelligent, 110% computer-illiterate man who wants email. (I’ll spare you the saga but its been hysterical.) The 2-button scroll mouse was too complicated. Now the one button Apple mouse is too complicated. (Don’t ask…) So now I’m trying NO mouse. He only needs the MOST basic of keyboard shortcuts and you posted those! Just imagine of what I went through before I pitched his old Windows unit and brought him the new Mini! That should keep you laughing for hours:>)
Pressing the Option/ Alt Key 5 times turns on your keyboard mouse which allows complete mouse control by using only the keyboard.
8= navigate mouse up (7&9 to move to top corners)
u= navigate mouse left
o= navigate mouse right
i= mouse click/ highlight text
k= navigate mouse down (j&l to move to bottom corners)
* NOTE you cannot type with your keyboard mouse turned on, however simply press the Option/ Alt key again 5 times to switch back to normal keyboard.
cmd + backspace – move to trash
How about changing buttons in dialogs? for example when I press power button there Sleep, Restart, Cancel and Shutdown buttons. I can press enter or Escape, but can’t use other buttons from keyboard.
mergenchik,
In your keyboard prefs pane, there’s an option to have the Tab key move focus between “text boxes and lists only” or “all controls”. The default setting is, for whatever crazy reason (which I’ll never truly understand), the former.
Change this to “all controls”, and you’ll be able to use the Tab key in button dialogs, as well as give focus to checkboxes and radio buttons in Safari.
One thing to note is that in button dialogs (e.g. “Shut down”, etc), the focus outline will move, not the fill colour (which I believe always shows the default action, although I may well be wrong on this).
The only thing I’ve found I’m unable to do with the keyboard alone is select multiple files in Finder, when the files are not contiguous (something that is very easy to do in Windows Explorer, and is one of only a few things I miss about Windows). If anyone knows how to do this, I’d love to know!