Apple mac keyboard symbols explained windows#
Or you may like some of the more advanced Windows keyboards that offer more ergonomic choices, such as the Matias Tactile Pro, specialized keys, or unique keyboard layouts.
You may be coming to the Mac from a Windows environment and already have a favorite keyboard. Of course, there are a lot of other reasons to use a Windows keyboard. Related: Set Up Your Wireless Keypad With Instructional Video
Apple mac keyboard symbols explained pro#
I like a keyboard with a bit more key travel, thus I made the move to Windows-based keyboards I’m currently using a Microsoft Digital Media Pro model. I didn’t give up on Apple keyboards because of the missing logo it was actually because the next generation of Apple keyboards went to the low-profile key design that is still in use today. This was the last keyboard Apple made that included the Apple logo alongside the cloverleaf image on the Command key. I’ll let you in on a little secret the last Apple-made keyboard I used routinely was the Apple Keyboard (A1048). You have a wide range of keyboards to choose from, including most of the keyboards made for use with Windows. The current situation isn’t exactly user-friendly.It may not be the best kept secret, but you don’t have to use Apple-branded keyboards with your Mac. Why this isn’t more standardized, we can’t say, but it would be nice if Apple put symbols used by the operating system on their physical keyboards everywhere. Other countries use these symbols to varying extents. For example, here’s the keyboard of my coworker Harry Guinness, who lives in Ireland:Īs you can see, the “⌥” and “⇧” symbols are on the keyboard, replacing the words “Option” and “Shift” entirely. You may be wondering: why does Apple use these symbols in the operating system, and not on the physical keyboard? The answer: they used to put these symbols on keyboards everywhere, and still do in many parts of the world. What Aren’t These Stupid Symbols on my Keyboard? If you learn these symbols, you should be able to figure out basically any keyboard shortcut pointed out in the menu bar, or anywhere else online.
If you’re trying to learn Mac keyboard shortcuts, this is a problem, so here’s a quick reference. But what’s the difference between “⌃” and “⇧,” both basically up arrows? And what the heck is “⌥” supposed to be? You might know that “⌘” corresponds to the Command key, since it actually appears on the keyboard key. What the Arrow, Squiggly, and Other Symbols Mean