Macintosh Keyboard Commands

Command Key Combinations..........

Although these key combinations aren't meant to be secret, they seem to be impossible to remember--or find--when you need them most.... Try them out to see what your computer can use. For Shortcuts exclusive to the iMac and New G3 B&W computers, please check out our iMac pages

C--Forces certain Macs (Power Macs and the Macintosh 630 family) to start up from the CD-ROM drive instead of the hard drive

Command--Turns Virtual Memory off if held down while booting Mac

Command-Control-Power--This causes a Power Macintosh to reboot.

Command-Control-Option-Power--Makes your Mac quit all applications and then Shut Down.

Command-Option--Rebuilds the desktop if held down when your Mac starts up. Hold down un til question for rebuilding is ask.

Command-Option-Escape--Forces the frontmost application to quit.

Command-Option-A-V--Forces your Mac to recognize your AppleVision monitor (thanks to MacFixIt).

Command-Option-P-R--Erases the parameter RAM if held down on startup (but you gotta be quick)

Command-Option-T-V--Forces AV-capable Quadras to use a TV as the monitor.

Command-Option-X-O--Allows Mac Classics to boot using their ROM (a nifty trick; too bad other Macs aren't capable of it).

Command-Option-Shift-Delete--Forces your Mac to boot from an external drive or its CD-ROM
drive.

Command-Power--Drops your Mac into the debugger or into MacsBug (if it is installed).

Command-Y--Ejects the floppy disk without leaving the disk image behind.

Mouse button--Ejects the floppy disk if held down on startup.

Power--Brings up a sleep/Shut Down dialog box.

Shift--Turns all extensions off if held down on startup.

Space--Makes the Extension Manager (or Conflict Catcher) appear during startup so you can change your Extension set during startup.

Option Key Commands..........

In the Finder....

Holding down the Option key as you close a window, will close all windows behind it.

Holding down the Option key while double clicking on an Icon will close the window the icon is in.

Holding down the Option key while dragging a file or folder to different window, will create a copy and leave the original still sitting in the first window.

Hold down the Option key, click on a window's zoom box, and the window will grow to occupy the entire screen.

Holding down the Option key while choosing Clean up from the special menu will arrange the icons from left to right and top to bottom of the current window.

Holding down the Option key while clicking on the Special menu, the Clean Up Window command will change to Clean Up by Name.

Holding down the Option key while clicking on the Control Strip Tab will let you move it up and down or even drag it to the opposite side of your monitor..

Holding down the Option key while dragging a module left or right in the extended control strip will move the module to the position of your choice.

Holding down the Option key and Command key while booting the MAC will rebuild the desktop.

Holding down the Option key while Empting the trash will even trash locked files, without any warning dialog box.

Holding down the Option Key when in Key Caps program before selecting a key gives you a choice of characters unseen on the keybord..... Charactersàs vary with each font............. (Examples: ¢, ï, ñ, ©,#, p ø.)
The keycaps program can be found in the Apple menu.

In ClarisWorks and AppleWorks

Holding the Option key down while typing a space between the month and day makes the month and day stick together, no matter how much the font or style is changed..

Holding down the Option key when inserting the date or time results in a fixed time that will not change the next time the Document is opened.

In Word processing, use Option plus the Up Arrow key to jump to the start of a paragraph. Use the Option key and Down Arrow key to jump to the paragraph end.

Hold down the Option key and click on the menu bar clock. The clock will disappear. Option-click again, and it will reappear.

Language Symbols.

Parlez-vous Français? Use the Option key to place all those diacritics.
Type option e nothing happens, but now type just plain e,
The acute accent é will appear automatic.
Option ` then type your letter a = à or Option c, if you need ç .

¿Hable Español?
The same stuff will work here
Hold down the option type an n, now type a n.
A ñ will magically appear!


Just for the fun of it........

Hold down the Option key and select About This Macintosh (or About This Computer, depending
on your OS version). You'll be greeted with a picture of some mountains, and the names of the
folks who worked on the Finder will scroll before your eyes.