Tip Details Add a Related Tip
Rate as: Positive Negative

Decrypting Apple keyboard command symbols

It seems that whenever people are explaining keyboard commands for Apple computers, they make use of symbols that are as mysterious as they are uninterpretable. For some reason the folks at Apple think it's better to be stylish than clear. They can't just say 'Escape'. No. They have to use some obscure symbol that you've never seen and who's meaning you'll never be able to guess to represent the key instead. Well, be in the dark no more, for here is a sheet that you can use to interpret the mysterious Apple keyboard symbols into keys that actually live on your keyboard.

Apple keyboard command symbol decryption sheet Apple keyboard command symbol decryption sheet
Rating: 100% positive, 9 total Votes
Categories: apple mac cheat sheets keyboard
Added: on Aug 10, 2007 at 8:32 am
Added By: an anonymous user

Comments on this Tip

Add a Comment
The symbols have been around as long as the macintosh. They are not mysterious to those who have been using them since 1984.
– Added by an anonymous user on Nov 27, 2007 at 8:57 pm
They may be familiar to longtime Mac users, and half of them may be obvious, but some of them are quite cryptic to newcomers, and I don't remember ever seeing them explained in official apple documentation. They should be on a laminated wallet card shipped with every new Mac. Or better yet, printed on the keys themselves. Apple sells the Mac Mini without keyboard, to appeal to switchers on a budget, and little "insider secrets" like this would be nice to know. I like Apple and its products, but some of its longtime users are a bit too smug. (Kinda the way I feel about Jesus versus his fan club, if you get my drift.) Great tip!
– Added by an anonymous user on Jun 22, 2008 at 1:22 am
Kewl! I made it a dashboard web clip! Thanx!
– Added by an anonymous user on Jun 22, 2008 at 1:25 am
Your Comment:
(how to format)
Rate This Tip:

Verify Humanity:
Sorry, we know it's annoying, but please enter the characters shown in the image to the left so that we know you're an actual person and not an evil spammer. Thanks.
       

Related Tips

Typing the apple logo on a Mac

Categories: apple mac keyboard
100% positive, 1 comment - last added on Sep 20, 2007 at 9:19 pm
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Sep 20, 2007 at 1:46 pm

Mac's Address Book Tip

Categories: Mac apple
100% positive, 1 comment - last added on Aug 15, 2007 at 4:42 pm
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Aug 11, 2007 at 5:33 pm

toggle between applications windows quickly on the Mac

Categories: Mac keyboard shortcut
100% positive, 1 comment - last added on Feb 28, 2008 at 11:13 am
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Jan 08, 2008 at 10:40 am

Tab key to select form elements in Firefox on the Mac

Categories: mac firefox keyboard
85% positive, 1 comment - last added on Sep 21, 2007 at 7:49 am
– Tip added by Marcos84 on Sep 21, 2007 at 7:43 am

Kill the CapsLock on the Mac

Categories: Mac keyboard
100% positive, 1 comment - last added on Aug 15, 2007 at 1:46 pm
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Aug 14, 2007 at 3:28 pm

Access the Dock with the Keyboard

Categories: Mac keyboard Dock
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Jan 16, 2008 at 3:15 pm

Quick scrolling on the Mac

Categories: Mac speed keyboard
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by raver87 on Aug 21, 2007 at 7:41 am

Paste without style

100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on May 05, 2008 at 7:46 am

Taking a screengrab (print screen) on OSX

Categories: mac osx apple
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Feb 05, 2008 at 10:15 am
Link: www.toptencrazy.com

Accessing the menu bar on the Mac with your keyboard

Categories: Mac keyboard shortcut
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Oct 21, 2007 at 2:46 pm

Close multiple windows at once on the Mac

Categories: Mac keyboard shortcut
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Jun 04, 2008 at 9:47 am

Speed up Apple Mail

100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on May 07, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Link: www.versiontracker.com

Background opening of links in Apple Mail

Categories: mail Mac email apple
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on May 01, 2008 at 7:04 am

Quickly get a dashboard widget on your desktop

33% positive, 3 comments - last added on Feb 23, 2008 at 6:39 pm
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Dec 21, 2007 at 11:07 am

Quote levels in Apple mail

Categories: apple Mac email
no ratings, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Mar 03, 2008 at 8:06 pm

Address book debugging

Categories: Mac apple address book
no ratings, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user on Aug 11, 2007 at 10:02 pm

web clip widgets

100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user 5 days, 15 hours ago

Vista Snipping tool undocumented keyboard shortcut

Categories: Vista keyboard shortcut
100% positive, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user 6 days, 8 hours ago

Aperture loupe style

no ratings, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user 5 days, 18 hours ago

Avoid messaging when apps hang on a Mac

Categories: Mac crash shortcut
no ratings, 0 comments
– Tip added by an anonymous user 6 days, 9 hours ago

Related Categories