Filed under: OS, Tips and tricks, Mac 101
Mac 101: Make your own keyboard shortcut
There are two types of Mac users: the mouse-centric, the keyboard jockeys, and those who refuse to sleep with Windows users. OK, three types.This tip is for users like me whose knowledge of each application's set of keyboard shortcuts is prodigious. Even we get stumped occasionally when a shortcut doesn't work as expected or is simply missing. This is very easily remedied.
In the Keyboard & Mouse preference pane in System Preferences, you'll see a little "+". Click it, identify the application you're after and type the name of your target menu item. Next, simply pick a shortcut, click "Add" and you're done! You shortcut is in place and you can avoid another time consuming journey from your home keys to your mouse.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James Petersen said 7:33AM on 1-24-2008
Speaking of keyboard shortcuts.
I love 'em. My mouse-induced-RSI loves them too. But...
Why doesn't OS X allow you to select dialogue boxes with the keyboard?
You can hit return on a highlighted selection and some apps allow you to use the first letter of a choice, e.g. if you delete a song in iTunes, you are asked if you want to cancel, keep or move to trash. In this instance, you can hit "m" to move to trash.
Most of the rest of the OS doesn't allow this, or even moving between choices with the arrow keys as in Windows.
I find this the most inconsistent and annoying part of OS X.
There, that's off my chest now.
Reply
Jeremy Brown said 8:26AM on 1-24-2008
Actually you can do exactly that. The trick is using the Tab Key, and the Spacebar (but first you have to select Full key board access. Do this in the Keyboard and Mouse pref pane at the bottom. Select All Controls).
So in a dialog box (say the shutdown one), you can tab between the buttons, and then press space bar to select the highlighted option. Note, i'm not talking about the full highlight, but rather the lining highlight.
You can do the same in webpages. However the usefulness depends on how many tab-able items appear in the website. It can be quite useful in selecting items in drop down menus. But i'm sure you're well aware of the application, you just want to know how on a mac.
I hope that solves your problem.
Jeremy Brown said 8:38AM on 1-24-2008
Here are a few picture to make up for my possible lack of accurate description.
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/keymouse.png
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/shutdown2.png
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/shutdown4.png
imatt said 11:00AM on 1-24-2008
This has been my biggest OS X gripe as well! I hate it...and I knew about the iTunes "m" thing, b/c that's about...the ONLY one that would work.
I just followed Jeremy Brown's tip below your comment and things work wonderfully now (after a very brief test with emptying the trash). This should be a default option...I'm a switcher (almost 4 years now) and I never knew that, but missed the ability until now. PS: Thanks Jeremy!
David Jarman said 7:31AM on 1-24-2008
...let me be the first to say 'Quicksilver Triggers!'
Ta.
Reply
James Petersen said 2:08PM on 1-24-2008
Speaking of keyboard shortcuts.
I love 'em. My mouse-induced-RSI loves them too. But...
Why doesn't OS X allow you to select dialogue boxes with the keyboard?
You can hit return on a highlighted selection and some apps allow you to use the first letter of a choice, e.g. if you delete a song in iTunes, you are asked if you want to cancel, keep or move to trash. In this instance, you can hit "m" to move to trash.
Most of the rest of the OS doesn't allow this, or even moving between choices with the arrow keys as in Windows.
I find this the most inconsistent and annoying part of OS X.
There, that's off my chest now.
Reply
Daneel said 7:38AM on 1-24-2008
the problem with apple's keyboard shortcuts prefs pane is that it only accepts shortcuts with the cmd key somewhere in them. And probably my biggest niggle since switching from windows to a mac (and safari) is having to switch tabs using cmd+shift +}/{. Anyone know how to change it to the standard ctrl+tab ?
Reply
yakov chodosh said 7:56AM on 1-24-2008
use Firefox
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jackson said 9:12AM on 1-24-2008
I'm on a similar boat to Daneel. In Safari and NetNewsWire I've setup the Next Tab Previous Tab shortcuts to ctrl + ` and ctrl + shift + `. The only problem is that Firefox doesn't have a menu item for switching tabs. Does anyone know a work around for this? Or perhaps how to change Safari's shortcut to ctrl + tab?
Reply
Jeremy Brown said 8:38AM on 1-24-2008
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/webpage1.png
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/webpage2.png
http://web.mac.com/jeremydavidbrown/randompictures/webpage3.png
Reply
James Petersen said 1:53PM on 1-24-2008
Thanks Jeremy (3). I've learned something new today.
Reply
Jeremy Brown said 9:15AM on 1-24-2008
No problems. I'm glad I was able to help. I only stumbled upon the function a year or so ago. There's a bunch of features many people (especially myself) are not aware of. I also only figured out what the odd black dot in the middle of the red traffic light close window button was a year or so ago too. For ages I just thought it was a bug, but then with a little experimentation found out that it represents that there is unsaved text in a document. You're probably aware of it, although if your not, then that is another thing you've learnt today. Well, as it's 12:42 am in my part of the world, I should be off.
XIV said 2:13PM on 1-24-2008
Damn Thanks Jeremy.
It was one of my main complaints about mac, the lack of this ability to tab our way to the other choises in a dialogue box. I didn't know about the black dot either.
TjL said 9:08AM on 1-24-2008
Am I the only one who finds that his system-wide OR app-specific custom keyboards simply disappear from time to time?
Not sure why it happens, but it's hugely annoying.
Reply
Jeremy Brown said 9:15AM on 1-24-2008
Yeah, I've noticed that. It is really annoying! And it happens on Tiger and Leopard i pretty sure.
Karl-Franz Marquez said 11:12AM on 1-24-2008
FYI: There is a known bug in 10.5 that causes certain keyboard shortcuts to be disabled when you enter Time Machine. Hopefully they will fix this in 10.5.2. You can read about it here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1226231
and here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1233881
Reply
Cowicide said 9:45PM on 1-24-2008
When are you sad, sad people going to start using something like xGestures instead anyway?
Reply