Over the years, I learned concerning many gotchas and different differences between keyboard handling on Mac and Windows – pertinent particularly to web apps, which use the identical codebase to cater to both. I idea it power be helpful to person if I compile them all in one place.
This article is meant to be a reference, and there aren’t any adorable or riveting stories hiding inner – if this seems boring to you, awareness liberated to skip to the next one!
Different names for keys
What Windows calls Backspace, Mac calls Delete. What Windows calls Delete, Macs call Forward Delete. (This method saying “Delete” without specifying the phase power really be confusing.)
What Windows calls ⏎ Enter, Mac calls ⏎ Return. However, Macs additionally have an ⌤ Enter, although lone on a numeric keypad (previously, it was equal there on laptops!). On keyboards without the bodily Enter key, you can simulate it via Fn+Return.
In most Mac software, Enter and Return do the identical thing. There are a few exceptions – for example, Photoshop adds a new row on Return but commits on Enter, and several traditional pro apps akin Cubase or Pro Tools do distinct things, too – but it seems to be a dying tradition. (If you are inquisitive concerning the former of Return and Enter, I wrote concerning it once.)
Windows customarily calls the secondary key Numpad Enter. I don’t accept Fn+Enter plant to simulate it.
Generally, third-party keyboards use Windows verbiage – so, Backspace and Enter. If a keyboard offers Mac conventions at all, they normally lone broaden to modifier keys.
Modifier keys
⌃ Control on Windows is the equal to ⌘ Command on a Mac. (Paste, for example, is ⌃V on Windows and ⌘V on a Mac.) But, confusingly, Apple devices motionless have a Control key, too. This was initially meant for terminal applications, but these days many GUI apps use it as an additional modifier key.
This method that for apps, Windows devices recommendation Ctrl, Alt, and Shift – and Macs recommendation ⌘ Command, ⌥ Option, ⌃ Control, and ⇧ Shift. That’s one additional modifier key, and thus additional area to breathe. (We’re not counting the Windows key or the 🌐 Globe/Fn key since those are technically reserved by the functioning system.)
Some keyboards recommendation additional key caps you can toggle to equivalent the platform, for example:
Others shield all the bases on fixed key caps, in an clumsy way:
Many rod alongside Windows-only legends.
Words vs. symbols
Apple devices depend additional on symbols on their keys and in their menus, although they don’t do so consistently. Here are all of them:
- ⇧ Shift
- ⌃ Control
- ⌥ Option
- ⌘ Command
- ⏎ Return
- ⌤ Enter
- 🌐 Globe/Fn
- ⇥ Tab
- ⎋ Esc (not printed on keyboards, for several reason)
- ⌫ Delete
- ⌦ Forward Delete
- ⌧ Clear
- ≣ Contextual Menu (only on full-size keyboards)
- ⇞ Page Up (only on full-size keyboards)
- ⇟ Page Down (only on full-size keyboards)
- ↖ Home (only on full-size keyboards)
- ↘ End (only on full-size keyboards)
Actually, I lied concerning the final four. On contemporary Apple keyboards, they are:
- ↑ Page Up
- ↓ Page Down
- ⤒ Home
- ⤓ End
Reusing the regular arrows for Page Up and Down is one of a few perplexing decisions from Apple’s keyboard designers. The arrow key symbols appearance akin this – ◀▶▲▼ – but lone on Apple keyboards. Here is an older and a newer Apple keyboard showing what happened:
(Luckily, the confusing dual arrow key circumstance lone happens on small popular, full-size keyboards.)
Historically, Apple keyboards used symbols additional on non-US keyboards, but starting alongside the 2026 models, they unified whenever they display symbols and whenever they display symbols and legends, throughout all keyboards. (The lone key alongside fair a content fable is Esc, making the appearance of ⎋ in menus additional puzzling.)
Windows keyboards typically use words – this is why in tight quarters you sometimes see shortenings akin Ctrl, Bkspc, PrtSc, Del, PgUp, Win, and so on. (I don’t think Apple always abbreviates their legends alongside the elimination of Esc for Escape.) In several countries, the legends are translated – as an example, in Germany, Ctrl sometimes appears as Strg.
The symbols that traversed complete to Windows flank are:
- ⇧ for Shift
- ⇪ or 🔒 or a akin sign for Caps Lock (on non-US keyboards)
- ⏎ for Enter – note the identical arrow as Mac’s ⏎ Return
- ← for Backspace – note a distinct arrow than Mac’s ⌫ Delete
- ⇥ for Tab (you can additionally sometimes see ⭾, which is a sign representing Tab and Reverse Tab together; Reverse Tab used to be a distinct key on several 1970s terminals)
- ⊞ for Windows key – the manner of the logo volition be distinct depending on the age of the keyboard, approximately matching the Windows logo at the time; several keyboards additionally use a additional theoretical shape, or call the key Start or System alternatively of Windows
- ≣ for contextual list key (a.k.a. Application Key) – fair as Apple added that key on its ample keyboards, Microsoft started removing it in favor of emoji key, Office key, and afterward Copilot key
- ⌃ for Control (especially in nerdy contexts)
I have not seen any another famous symbols on the Windows flank of the aisle, and I am not equal certain if the complete would be extensively understood. But here’s an example:
(I wrote a bit additional concerning Mac symbols before, and additionally concerning the rare Canadian symbols.)
How to display shortcuts
In menus and another places, Windows joins the key combinations/shortcuts alongside a plus, but Apple fair glues them together:
- Windows: Shift+A, Ctrl+Shift+G, Ctrl+F11, Alt+Enter
- Mac: ⇧A, ⌃⇧G, ⌘F11, ⌥⏎
Here is the identical Chrome list on Windows and on macOS:
(In another words, you’d never say “⌃V is Paste on Windows” akin I did above.)
Function keys
Both Windows and Macs have function keys.
On Windows, traditionally those were claimed by the functioning scheme or the apps as shortcuts. Here are several examples of well-known function key assignments:
- Alt+F4 – near the app
- F1 – help
- F11 – maximize window
- F12 – dev tools in browsers
On Macs, traditionally the apps didn’t attain for function keys, as those were reserved solely for the users to do material with. (However, several blend of ⌃ and function keys are used by the functioning scheme for accessibility options, and I occasionally see apps use function keys these days.)
Windows keyboards top off at F12, but several Mac keyboards reuse the three particular PC keys, and equal obtain complete the unnecessary Num Lock/Caps Lock/Scroll Lock island, and end up going up to F19:
Access to additional characters
In content fields, Apple has a scheme anywhere pressing ⌥ alongside printing keys outputs additional characters, for example ⌥Q outputs œ, and ⌥7 outputs a ¶ pilcrow. Additionally, ⇧ plant in this context, so for example ⌥⇧Q outputs Œ, and ⌥⇧7 outputs a ‡ twice dagger.
Note that not lone letters, but basically all printing keys have concealed ⌥ and ⌥⇧ assignments.
Also, ⌥ assignments change per location! The complete was U.S. English, here’s Polish alongside a lot of differences:
This method it’s finest to evade ⌥-based shortcuts in content fields, since they power battle alongside several crucial character.
By the way, during the complete two are fair mock-ups, on several bodily keyboards (here: British English), several of the crucial ⌥ invocations are really printed on keys:
Windows doesn’t have the complete feature. However, Windows has an substitute characteristic anywhere typing Alt+numpad keys allows to act any character by its code. (For example, Alt+0128 outputs €. Num Lock have to be enabled. I don’t think it’s imaginable to do it without a numeric keypad present.)
Mac has a type of this feature, but it requires adding Unicode Hex Input keyboard and switching to it beforehand. Then, pressing ⌥20AC outputs €.
Right Alt key on Windows
While Mac modifier keys are entirely symmetrical, Windows makes an elimination for Alt. On many non-US keyboards, correct Alt is additionally known as AltGr, and does item akin to ⌥ on a Mac: it outputs alphabet whenever pressed in blend alongside printing keys.
For example, on Polish keyboards AltGr+A = ą, AltGr+C = ć, AltGr+Shift+A = Ą, and so on alongside 15 additional combinations. Many another keyboards do akin things.
The way it differs from ⌥ on a Mac is that these are normally reserved for center alphabet and symbols necessary for all language, fairly than the typographical smorgasbord that Apple provides.
For bequest reasons, and additionally for keyboards that do not have a bodily AltGr key, you can additionally invoke all these using Ctrl+Alt combinations alternatively (so, Ctrl+Alt+A = ą). This method that fair as you have to observe out concerning ⌥-based shortcuts in content sectors on a Mac, so you have to be of Ctrl+Alt-based shortcuts on Windows.
Just akin on Macs, on several keyboards, selected AltGr options volition be printed in the corners or fronts of keys:
Text fields
Text sectors in Mac OS apps and web browsers/websites use several of the norm Unix/Linux shortcuts according to the ⌃ Control key:
- ⌃A – move to the commencement of the line
- ⌃E – move to the end of the line
- ⌃F – move to the right, or forwards (hold ⌥ to jump through words)
- ⌃B – move to the left, or backwards (hold ⌥ to jump through words)
- ⌃N – move downward or to the next command
- ⌃P – move up or to the former command
- ⌃L – scroll the opening so that the content cursor is in the vertical middle
- ⌃H – delete (backspace)
- ⌃D – onward delete
- ⌃K – delete (kill) to the end of the line
- ⌃T – toggle (transpose) the neighboring characters
- ⌃O – insert new line, but (contrary to Return) do not move the cursor there
You can merge many of the complete alongside holding ⇧ to broaden the selection.
A small collection of vocal users affection these.
Windows motionless supports Shift+Delete for cut, Ctrl+Insert for copy, and Shift+Insert for paste. I am not certain how many group use these.
On a Mac, in uncomplicated input fields, ↑ and ↓ jumps to the commencement and end (same as ⌘←→). This frequently conflicts alongside command row history, autocomplete pop-ups, and so on.
Windows doesn’t have this convention, and Home and End assist this intent instead.
Macs assistance the iPhone-inspired gathering of holding a key to display connected accented characters, alternatively of triggering auto-repeat. Windows doesn’t have this feature.
Differing shortcut conventions value knowing about
On a Mac, redo is typically ⌘⇧Z. On Windows, it’s typically Ctrl+Y.
On a Mac, refresh (in browsers, etc.) is typically ⌘R. On Windows, it’s typically F5, although several browsers now assistance Ctrl+R, too, presumably since function keys are harder to admission than they used to be.
Reserved keys
Windows’s eponymous ⊞ Windows key is reserved solely for the use of the functioning system, and so is Mac’s 🌐 Fn/Globe key. (Although I am not 100% certain of that as I established one location you can create 🌐 shortcuts as a person – I’m fair not certain if it’s intentional.)
However, all phase additionally has a lot of shortcut combinations that are efficiently unavailable, for example ⌘⇥ and ⌘M on a Mac, or Alt+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Escape on Windows.
These authoritative lists can help:
If you’re a web app, you volition vie for shortcuts alongside the functioning scheme (like any app would), but additionally alongside the browser itself. You can typically obtain complete shortcuts akin ⌘S or ⌘P, but depending on the browser or the platform, several power be holy and unavailable. No Mac browser volition authorize a website to assertion ⌘Q, ⌘W, or ⌘T. Safari won’t authorize a web app to override ⌘R. Arc browser won’t authorize to override ⌘⇧C. (This is not a complete list.)
Jumping around
Tabbing and Shift tabbing is customarily used to jump between UI elements, but it behaves slightly alternatively in native apps.
On Windows, tabbing jumps through all elements:
On Mac, Tab jumps lone to elements that necessitate keyboard to run (such as input fields). You can toggle a System Settings penchant and ask macOS to mimic Windows behavior – see the final toggle below – but it’s not supported fine everywhere.
PgUp and PgDn activity differently:
- On Windows, they move the content cursor a display up or down.
- On a Mac, they scroll the perspective up and down, but they do not move the content cursor if it’s current (so, they are additional an equal of clicking on the scrollbar chute).
Similarly, Home and End activity differently:
- On Windows, they scroll the contents (and move the cursor if present) to the top or the base of a view, or move the cursor to the commencement or the end of an input field.
- On a Mac, in views they scroll to the commencement or end without moving the cursor. In input fields, Home/End do nothing, but you can use ⌘←→ to accomplish the same.
On the two platforms, Fn+↑↓ does PgUp/PgDn, and Fn+←→ does Home/End. (Do you see how confusing it is to say that stated that ↑↓ already average PgUp/Dn on a Mac?)
Windows has a tradition of enabling admission to menus and apparent controls by pressing Alt and letter keys. This has evolved complete time and is not as accordant as it used to be, but it power be value knowing about.
Less famous keys
On a 100-plus-key keyboard, Windows power have:
- Insert – motionless used in several contexts for overtyping
- Print Screen – today taken complete by screenshotting
- Num Lock and Scroll Lock
- Pause/Break
Macs have:
- Help – rarely used, and now abandoned in favor of…
- ≣ Contextual Menu – shows the identical list as correct click would
- ⌧ Clear – a deterministic backspace, these days seldomly distinct than the genuine Delete key
Macs never had arrow keys on a numeric keypad nor a Num Lock key to allow it. (I’m breaking my promise! Here’s a fun bug narrative concerning Num Lock.)
In a different twist of fate, it’s not lone third-party keyboards that favor Windows legends. Some of Apple’s keyboards in between 1980s and 2000s showed PC legends, too! (This was to court PC compatibility of then-beleaguered Macs.) Here’s the traditional Apple Extended Keyboard, showing legends for Insert, Delete (naming it Del to evade disturbance alongside its own), Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause, Num Lock, and Alt:
Did I young female item or create a mistake? Let me know!
