Good news is you can switch what modifier keys do by going to Mac's Settings preferences. Read on to learn how you can configure a windows keyboard for. Sep 23, 2018 - A little hack when use windows keyboard on mac. I will show you how can hack your PC keyboard to work as mac keyboard.
A Mac’s keyboard layout just isn’t quite right for Windows. Whether you’re primarily a Windows user or primarily an OS X user, the layout doesn’t feel quite right when you run Windows in Boot Camp — but you can fix that.
There are several possible ways you might want to rearrange these keyboard shortcuts depending on what you’re used to. All it takes is a few clicks with SharpKeys and you’ll feel more at home in Boot Camp
The Problem
RELATED:How to Install Windows on a Mac With Boot Camp
Mac keyboard layouts are subtly different from PC keyboard layouts. On a typical PC keyboard, the bottom-left corner of the keyboard contains keys in this order: Ctrl, Windows, Alt. On a Mac keyboard, you’ll see the following layout: Control, Option, Command. In Boot Camp, these keys function as Control, Alt, Windows.
In other words, the Alt and Windows key are swapped from where you’d expect them to be. Worse yet, Mac users will have to use the Control key for various keyboard shortcuts that require the Command key on Mac OS X.
There has to be a way to fix this — and there is. We’ll be using SharpKeys to remap these keys in Windows. SharpKeys is an easy-to-use, open-source graphical program that creates the appropriate Windows registry entries to remap keys. You could actually do this all in the registry editor if you like — it just takes more work. This utility works on Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and even older versions of Windows.
Solution 1: If You’re Used to Mac Shortcuts
RELATED:A Windows User’s Guide to Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts
If you’re used to Mac keyboard shortcuts, you may want to make the Command key function as the Control key. You’ll then be able to use Mac keyboard shortcuts like Command+C, X, or V for Copy, Cut, and Paste in Windows. Pressing Command+L will focus the location bar in your web browser on Windows just as it does on OS X — without the remapping, that Command+L shortcut equals Windows Key+L, which will lock your Windows system.
To do this, install SharpKeys and launch it. Click the Add button and click “Type Key” under the “From key” column on the left. Press the left Command key. Next, click the “Type Key” button under the “To key” column on the right. Press the Control key.
Click OK and click “Write to Registry.” Log out and log in or reboot to activate your changes. Your left Command key will function as a second Control key, which means many Mac Command key shortcuts will just work like you’d expect them to. If you need to press the Windows key, press the Command key on the right side of your keyboard instead.
Solution 2: If You’re Used to Windows Shortcuts
RELATED:The 20 Most Important Keyboard Shortcuts For Windows PCs
If you’re used to Windows keyboard shortcuts, you’ll probably want to swap the Option/Alt Key with the Command/Windows key. This will change the order from Control, Alt, Windows to Control, Windows, Alt — the same order you’ll find on a standard Windows keyboard. The muscle memory you’ve built up for keyboard shortcuts won’t fail you.
To do this, install SharpKeys and launch it. Click the Add button. Scroll down in the left column and select “Special: Left Alt.” Next, click the “Type Key” button under “To key” on the right. Press the Command key at the right side of your keyboard and then click OK.
Next, click the Add button again. Click “Type Key” under the “From key” column on the left. Press the left Command key. Scroll down in the “To key” column on the right and select “Special: Right Alt.” Click OK and click “Write to Registry.”
Log out and log back in, or reboot your Mac. The Alt/Option key will function as a Windows key and the Command key will function as the Alt key. This means the layout at the left side of your keyboard will be Control, Windows, Alt — just like on Windows.
Solution 3: Make Mac OS X’s Keyboard Shortcuts Match Windows
RELATED:How to Disable or Reassign The Caps Lock Key on Any Operating System
You could instead adjust your keyboard shortcuts in Mac OS X so they work more like they do in Windows. For example, you could swap the Control and Command keys in Mac OS X — then you’d press Control+C, X, or V to Copy, Cut, and Paste in Mac OS X, just as you would on Windows.
To do this, boot into Mac OS X, click the Apple menu on the menu bar, and select System Preferences. Click the Keyboard icon, click the Modifier Keys button, and swap the Control and Command key functions. You can also easily disable the Caps Lock key from here.
If you decide you don’t like the keyboard remapping you chose, you can open SharpKeys up again, delete the rules you created, and click “Write to Registry.” Everything will be back to normal after you log out and log back in or reboot.
Image Credit: Faruk Ates on Flickr, abdallahh on Flickr
HomeHow ToHow to Remap Windows Keyboards to Work with Mac
There are a lot of great keyboards available, ranging from entry level membrane keyboards, to high end keyboard with mechanical switches. However, most of these keyboards are designed to be used with a Windows PC. Keyboards designed specifically for Macs are few and far in between, and mechanical keyboards for Macs are basically non-existent. So, if you want to treat yourself to an amazing keyboard, that is unfortunately only available in a Windows variant, here’s how to use a Windows keyboard on Mac:
How to Use Windows Keyboard on Mac: The Problem
The problem with using a Windows oriented keyboard with a Mac, is not that the functions are different, it’s the layout that causes issues. For example, if you connect a Windows keyboard to a Mac, the Windows key will work as the “command” key, and the “Alt” key will work as the “option” key. This is counterintuitive, because on a standard Mac keyboard, the command key is placed right next to the space bar… where the Alt key will be on a Windows keyboard. If that sounds confusing, believe me, using a keyboard in that manner is even more so.
Fortunately, there is an easy way to configure a Windows keyboard to work properly with a Mac, and you don’t even need to install a third party application to do it. Let’s see how to do that.
Note: I’m configuring a Logitech G213 keyboard to work sanely with a MacBook Air, running macOS Sierra 10.12.4 Developer Beta. The process will be exactly the same for other Windows keyboards.
Remapping Modifier Keys to Work Properly on Mac
If you have a Windows keyboard that you want to use with a Mac, you can easily remap the modifier keys (the Windows, Alt, Ctrl, Caps Lock), to behave the way they would on a Mac keyboard. Simply follow the steps below:
- Open System Preferences, and go to “Keyboard“.
- Here, click on the button on the bottom right, which reads “Modifier Keys“.
- In the window that pops up, select your Windows keyboard from the dropdown menu. In my case, I’ve selected “G213 Gaming Keyboard“.
Now, make the following changes to the list of modifier keys displayed below the keyboard you selected:
- Change the value for the “Option Key” to “Command“. Change the value for the “Command Key” to “Option“.
This will ensure that the Windows key on your Windows keyboard (which is in the position where the option key would normally be) will behave like the option key, and the Alt key on your Windows keyboard (which is in the position where the command key would normally be) will behave like the command key. Which basically means, that all our problems are remedied.
SEE ALSO: How to Modify or Create Custom Keyboard Layouts on Mac
![Windows keyboard to mac keyboard Windows keyboard to mac keyboard](/uploads/1/2/4/9/124918000/423297850.png)
Easily Use Windows Keyboard on Mac
That is basically all you need to do to be able to use a keyboard designed for Windows PCs, with your Mac. There are no other differences between a Windows keyboard, and a Mac keyboard, and once you’ve made these changes, you will be able to use your Windows keyboard easily with your Mac. So go ahead, and get that keyboard you’ve been eyeing for so long, with the happy knowledge that you can easily customize it to work properly with your Mac.
As always, we’d like to know your thoughts about the keyboards available for Macs, and those available for Windows PCs. Have you ever had to reconfigure a Windows keyboard to be able to use it with a Mac? Let us know in the comments section below.
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