How to use a Windows keyboard with a Mac

use a Windows keyboard on Mac tutorial

If you are a Mac user, you will surely use keyboard shortcuts on more than one occasion. In my specific case, the ones I use the most are to get screenshots to be able to explain some tutorials —some more accurately than others— and to be able to explain step by step what to do. In this case, we will explain how to use a Windows keyboard with a Mac.

Surely you have a keyboard at home with a Windows computer. As you well know, the distribution of the keys that offer functions has another distribution. And with only this we can waste more time than usual in carrying out an action. However, if we do a little remapping of the keys, it is very possible that we will solve that problem. How do we do? I will explain it to you below:

The first thing you should do is connect the keyboard to the Mac — it doesn't matter if you use it with a laptop or a desktop. Also, this can be both USB and Bluetooth. Once the keyboard is connected, we must go to "System Preferences". You can find this in However, as by pressing the upper left apple logo.

How to set up Windows keyboard on Mac

Once inside you will have to look for the option that allows us to configure the keyboard. Exactly, look for the "Keyboard" icon. A new window will appear with more options. The one that will interest us is the one that you can find at the bottom that refers to «Modifier keys». Press this option and it will be within it where we will have to take action.

What interests us is invert the «Option» key and the «Command» key. As simple as in the attached boxes, let us mark that on that keyboard the «Option» key works as «Command» and vice versa. The best way to test whether the change has taken place is to try taking a screenshot.

* Note: before doing this, you should check that the Windows keyboard layout that you are going to remap only has these two keys inverted; there are models in which it is surely not possible.

Vía: OS X Daily


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  1.   Caesar said

    Hello,
    Do you know if it is possible to change the comma key on the numeric keyboard to a period. I have a Matias keyboard connected to a MacBook. I know that there is a software that allows you to do it, but I would like to know if it is possible to change it natively (I would not mind applying a command via cli if that was the solution)

    Thank you.

    1.    Ignatius Hall said

      Usually it is the application itself that changes the semicolon, as Excel can, which does it automatically. Have you looked at the keyboard settings in System Preferences?