You may wonder what those function keys running along the top of the keyboard do. These function keys are labeled F1 through F12/F19 (how many you have depends on your keyboard), along with an Escape key and an Eject key that looks like a triangle on top of a horizontal line. By default, every Mac has already assigned commands to the F8 through F12 function keys
Here’s a handy reference for what those function keys can do for you on your Apple laptop. About the Book Author Mark L. Chambers is the author of more than 30 computer books, including OS X Mavericks All-in-One For Dummies, Macs For Seniors For Dummies, 4th Edition, and previous editions of MacBook For Dummies. Aug 13, 2019 All of the Fn keys on a Mac are mapped by default to perform specific functions that can be quickly accessible by users. For example, the F1 and F2 keys, when pressed, increase and decrease your screen’s brightness respectively. While some of the Fn keys and their associated functions are used regularly, some of them, like F3 – Expose view, might not be used that much, and it will be more. How to Remap Keys on Your Mac. If you are not happy with the default functions of your Function and Modifier keys, you can easily remap the keys on your Mac to assign keyboard shortcuts according to your specific needs and preferences. To remap the Function keys and change how they work, Go to the Apple menu. Open “System Preferences,”.
- F8: Displays thumbnail images of all workspaces.
- F9: Displays thumbnail images of all windows in a single workspace.
- F10: Displays all open windows of the currently active program (the program that has one of its windows on “top” of any other windows).
- F11: Displays the Desktop.
- F12: Displays Dashboard, which are simple programs such as a calculator or calendar.
5 ways to launch Mac apps from the keyboard. Use the arrow keys to navigate the dock, or type the first letter of the app you want to launch. Press return to launch the selected app. Jan 29, 2018 If you have apps that rely heavily on function keys, you should definitely make use of this feature. With even quicker access to the function keys, your MacBook Pro Touch Bar is made even easier.
Mac Function Keys Specific To Apps Windows 10
The other keys — F1 through F7 and (possibly) F13 through F19 — don’t do much of anything in most programs. Because these function keys aren’t very useful, laptop keyboards and the latest Apple keyboards often assign hardware controls to these seldom-used function keys. For example, pressing the F1 and F2 function keys might change the brightness of the screen, whereas pressing other function keys might adjust the volume.
Mac Function Keys Specific To Apps For Windows 7
If it turns out that you have a program that actually puts one of these function keys to use — meaning you really want to press the function key as a function key rather than as a way to control hardware stuff like monitor brightness or speaker volume — you must first hold down the Fn key and then press the function key you want. Holding down the Fn key tells your Mac, “Ignore the hardware controls assigned to that function key and just behave like a normal function key.”