Windows keys on a Mac keyboard

A Mac keyboard has many keys that function the same as keys on a Windows
keyboard. Here are some of them:

Windows key Mac key Description

Forward delete ⌦ Deletes the character to the right. On portable
Mac computers, press Fn-Delete.
Fn-Delete
Alt Option Enters special characters, such as é.
Control Command Performs actions or shortcuts. For example,
pressing Command-S usually saves a
Windows key
document or file.
Home and End Command-Left Arrow On the Mac, use the Command and arrow keys
and Command-Right to go to the beginning or end of the current line,
Arrow and use the Home and End keys to go to the
beginning or end of the current document.
Num lock Num lock In some apps, controls whether pressing keys
in the numeric keyboard enters numbers or
Shift-Clear
moves the cursor.
Scroll Lock Control-F14 In some apps, controls whether pressing the
arrow keys moves the cursor or scrolls in a
(You may need to
window.
press and hold the Fn
key first)
Print Screen Shift-Command-3 Takes pictures of the screen. Shift-Command-3
takes a picture of the entire screen. Shift-
Shift-Command-4
Command-4 takes a picture of the part of the
screen you select.

Pressing the Option key while viewing a menu reveals hidden menu items. For
example, in many apps, if you press the Option key while viewing the File menu,
File > Close changes to File > Close All.
 What is it called on my Mac?
If you are not sure what something is called on a Mac, here is a list of Windows and
Mac terms to help you find what you are looking for.

Windows Mac term Description

term
Alt key Option key To enter special characters, press and hold the Option
key in combination with letter keys. For example, to
enter é, press Option-E, then press the E key again.
Alt key Control-F2 To use the keyboard to open menus in the menu bar at
the top of the screen, press Control-F2, then use the
arrow keys to select a menu. Press Return to open the
selected menu, then use the arrow and Return keys
again to choose menu options.
Alt-Tab Command- To switch between open apps, press Command-Tab.
Tab Release the keys when the app you want is selected.
Alt-Tab Exposé To see all the open windows in the current app, press
and hold its icon in the Dock. Release the trackpad or
mouse when thumbnail images of the windows appear.
To see another app’s windows, press Tab.
Close button Close button
To close a window, click the red button in the top-
left corner of a window.
Control key Command To perform actions or shortcuts, use the Command key
key with keyboard combinations. For example, pressing
Command-S usually saves a document or file.
Control System To customize your Mac, choose Apple
Panel Preferences
menu > System Preferences.
You can set options to, for example, change the size
and location of the Dock, apply a light or dark
appearance, use a different desktop picture, and more.
Device System The System Information app gives you detailed
Manager Information information about your Mac hardware and software.
Choose Apple menu > About This Mac.
Disk drives Media Eject To open and close the optical drive, press the Media
eject button key Eject key ⏏ on your keyboard. To eject disks in other
types of drives (or if your keyboard doesn’t have the
Media Eject key), select the disk in the Finder, then
choose File > Eject.
Exit Quit To exit from an app, choose Quit from the app menu.
(The app menu is labeled with the app’s name; for
example, Safari or Mail.)
Windows Mac term Description
term
Flip 3D Mission To see all your open windows, press the Mission
Control Control key (or use the Control Strip) or press Control-
Up Arrow.
To temporarily move all windows so you can see the
desktop, press the Command and Mission Control keys
at the same time.
Gadgets Today view Today view in Notification Center offers widgets you can
use to do things like take notes, monitor stocks, and
show the weather.

To open Notification Center, click its icon in the

menu bar.
Microsoft Photos Use the Photos app to import photos (and videos) from
Photo Editor an iOS or iPadOS device or a camera, view and edit
your photos, share your photos, and more.
Mouse Mouse (one- If you have a one-button mouse and want to open a
button) shortcuts menu, press, and hold the Control key as you
click.
Mouse Magic If you have a Magic Mouse or other multiple-button
Mouse, mouse, you can customize the buttons by choosing
Mighty Apple menu > System Preferences, then clicking
Mouse, or Mouse.
Apple Mouse
My In the Finder, You see disks connected to your Mac, CDs and DVDs
Computer, choose Go > inserted in your optical disc drive, network volumes
This PC Computer you’re connected to, and any disk partitions you have.
My Document’s To store a document, use the Documents folder. To see
Documents, folder your Documents folder, open a Finder window, then
Document’s click Documents in the sidebar.
folder
My Pictures, Picture’s The Pictures folder is located in your home folder. In the
Picture’s folder Finder, choose Go > Home.
folder
My Recent Recent Items As you open apps and files, their names are kept in the
Documents Recent Items list in the Apple menu. You can use
Recent Items to quickly reopen apps and documents.
Many apps include an Open Recent command in the
File menu that lists documents you worked on recently.
Network Network To configure network settings, choose Apple
Connections preferences menu > System Preferences, then click Network.
For help setting up or solving network problems, click
“Assist me” in Network preferences.
Windows Mac term Description
term
On-Screen Keyboard To open the Keyboard Viewer, in the menu bar click the
Keyboard Viewer Input menu (identified by the Show Emoji & Symbols
(OSK)
icon or an input method character), then choose
Show Keyboard Viewer.
If you do not see the menu, choose Apple menu >
System Preferences, click Keyboard, click Keyboard,
then select “Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu
bar.”
Performance Activity To see how your Mac is performing and which
control Monitor processes it’s running, open the Activity Monitor app
panel (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder).
Printers & Printers & To select and set up printers, choose Apple
scanners Scanners menu > System Preferences, then click Printers &
preferences Scanners.
Print Screen Shift- To take a picture of the entire screen, press Shift-
Command- Command-3. To take a picture of part of the screen,
3 press Shift-Command-4, then drag the pointer to select
an area.
Shift-
Command-4 To open Screenshot for more options when taking
screenshots or screen recordings, press Shift-
Command-5.
Program’s Launchpad For quick access to all your apps and utilities, click the
menu
Launchpad icon in the Dock (or tap in the
Control Strip).
Properties Get Info To see information about a file, folder, disk, server, or
other item, select it in the Finder, then choose File > Get
Info. In the Info window, you can set ownership and
permissions for the item. For files, you can select the
app that you want to open the file.
Recycle Bin Trash To delete files and folders, drag them to the Trash in the
Dock. To permanently delete the files, choose
File > Empty Trash.
Search Spotlight To find files, documents, apps, email, and other items,

click the Spotlight icon in the menu bar, then enter

a word or phrase.
Many apps, such as the Finder, Mail, and Contacts,
provide a search field in the toolbar where you can
quickly search for items in the app.
 Windows Mac term Description
term
Shortcuts Alias To make an alias, select the file or app, then choose
File > Make Alias.
Snipping Screenshot Press Shift-Command-5 to display Screenshot and take
Tool screenshots or screen recordings of windows, the whole
screen, or a portion of the screen.
Standby Sleep Sleep is a low-power mode. To put your computer to
sleep, choose Apple menu > Sleep.
Start menu Dock Use the Dock to open your favorite apps, files, folders,
and Task and websites. By default, the Dock appears at the
bar bottom of the screen. To add a file or folder to the Dock,
drag it to the right of the Dock’s separator line.
Start menu Spotlight To find files, email, and other items, click the Spotlight

icon in the menu bar.

Status icons Status Status menus appear as icons in the right half of the
menus menu bar. Use status menus to connect to a wireless
network, check the battery status of your portable Mac,
and more.
Task Activity To see how your Mac is performing and which
Manager Monitor processes it’s running, open the Activity Monitor app
(located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder).
Windows Finder To organize files, folders, and apps, use the Finder. To
Explorer open a Finder window, click the desktop, then choose
File > New Finder Window.
Windows QuickTime To play movies and music, use the QuickTime Player
Media Player Player app.
Music To listen to music CDs, purchase music from the iTunes
Store, and create your personal digital music library,
use the Music app.
Windows iMovie To download video from your digital video camera and
Movie Maker create your own movies, use the iMovie app.
Cortana Siri Ask Siri to do things like open files or apps or find things
on your Mac or on the internet. You can easily keep
your Siri results handy on the desktop or in Notification
Center.

To use Siri, click the Siri icon in the menu bar (or
use the Touch Bar).
(MacOS User Guide, n.d.)

Note: On a portable Mac, you must press and hold the Fn key before pressing the other
keys of a shortcut; for example, press Fn-Control-F2.