Is there any way to make a Windows keyboard workplace with a Mac and macOS ? The keys are different .
If you do n’t care the keyboard that number with your Mac , there ’s a fair routine of option to select from . But if you look at the number of keyboards for Windows PCs on the food market right now , there ’s no comparison . delimit a keyboard with a Mac layout cuts down your options somewhat ( even before you agent in the UK layout that many of our readers will require ) and of necessity you end up with less choice . You may have to pay more for what you desire , or omit out on niche product such as ergonomic design for bring down RSI .
And what if someone else in your mansion or office has aWindows keyboardthat you ’d like to adopt , or if you ’d just like to be able to share a keyboard between Windows and macOS political machine ? Would n’t it be nice , in other words , if you could set up a Windows keyboard to work with a Mac ?
Yet it would , and while we ’d still recommend plumping for a dedicatedMac keyboard , it ’s possible to find a good via media . In this clause we explain how to use a Windows keyboard with a Mac .
Read next : Best Mac keyboard shortcuts|Where is the Command key ?
How to use a Windows keyboard with Mac: The problem (and the short-term solution)
The job with using a Windows - layout keyboard on a Mac can be summed up with three letters : Cmd . The Command release on a Mac keyboard is used for the save and mark function in most apps , open a new pill or window in most web browsers , and discontinue apps , along with a huge range of other important function . And a Windows keyboard does not have a Cmd key . It has a Windows key alternatively .
Now , if the world was kind then everything that the Cmd button does would be done by the Windows key , but the world is not quite that kind . Instead , the nearest equivalent weight to the Mac ’s Cmd key ( in fact it ’s an almost perfect correspondence ) is the Windows PC ’s Ctrl key . This is a little confusing , because Macsalsohave Ctrl keystone , but sample not to interest too much about that .
In fact , the equivalence between the Mac Cmd key and the Windows Ctrl key is so dependable that you would be okay if the two keys were in the same place on the keyboard . But they are not , which is rifle to play merry hell with your muscle memory . Hotkeys and cutoff are all about fast - twitching response clip , and that ’s not going to work if you have to consciously think about which key to press ; even worsened , you ’ll have all the same issues when you go back the Mac keyboard .
In other words , for very short - term situations , you could use a Windows keyboard with a Mac and just press the Ctrl key instead of the Cmd keystone . But for anything more than a few minute of arc of typing , you really need to remap the keys – and the honorable tidings is that it takes about 25 second base .
How to use a Windows keyboard with Mac: Remap the keys
Open System Preferences on your Mac . Click Keyboard ( on the second quarrel of options ) , then Modifier Keys … at the bottom right of the window . ensure the correct keyboard is selected in the top dropdown menu .
Now all you take to do is cluck the Option cardinal dropdown menu and shift this to Command . Then get through the Command Key dropdown and blue-ribbon Option . Click OK .
That ’s it ! Close down System Prefs , trial it ’s working the way it should , and go on with your life .
