At one point in macOS history, if you had a Play/Pause button on your keyboard, it kept “focus” on whatever the last music app you used was. Then Apple broadened that to include anything with. Press Options - Command - R to upgrade to the latest version of macOS that's compatible with your Mac. Press Shift - Option - Command - R to install the version of macOS that came with your Mac, or the version closest to it that's still available. How to check your startup disk with Disk Utility in macOS Recovery mode. The first thing you'll. Select the “Shortcuts” tab (sometimes called “Keyboard Shortcuts” in older versions of Mac OS X) Look near the bottom of the window for a mention of “Full Keyboard Access: In windows and dialogs, press Tab to move keyboard focus between:” and click to select the radio button next to “All controls”.
Alt key on Mac is indeed exist. And it’s called Option key.
Windows vs Mac—there are so many differences. A lot of our customers have used a PC before and then decide they want to switch to Mac for better performance, nicer design, or for better security. However, they were afraid they would have a hard time getting used to the macOS keyboard. We hear questions like, “How can I close a Window? The Mac keyboard doesn’t have the Alt + F4 shortcut.” We always give them two answers:
1. With Parallels Desktop for Mac you have the choice to use the same keyboard shortcuts you had on your PC.
2. If you want to use the Mac keyboard you will experience that the alt key is very different, as we explain in this blog post.
Where is the Alt key on a Mac keyboard?
The PC-keyboard equivalent of Alt on a Mac is called the Option key, and you’ll find the Option Key on your Mac if you go two keys to the left of the spacebar. However, the option key on a Mac keyboard is used in a different way than the alt key on a Windows PC. In terms of functionality, the alt key in Windows is often more comparable with the Command key than with the Option key on a Mac. You might be also familiar with the Ctrl and Alt keys from your PC. On your Mac keyboard, you have Command (⌘ cmd), Control (ctrl), and Option (⌥ alt) keys.
How do Windows shortcuts change on a Mac?
Check out some equivalents of popular Windows alt shortcuts on a Mac, which might be especially helpful for those users who are new to Mac:
Windows | Mac | |
Closing a window | Alt-F4 | Command-W |
Restarting | Control-Alt-Delete | Control-Command-Eject |
Shutting down | Control-Alt-Delete | Control-Option-Command-Eject |
Logging out | Control-Alt-Delete | Shift-Command-Q |
Switch between open apps | Alt + Tab | Command-tab |
Go back | Alt + Left arrow | Command + Left arrow |
Go forward | Alt + Right arrow | Command + Right arrow |
Move up one screen | Alt + Page Up | Command + Page Up |
Move down one screen | Alt + Page Down | Command + Page Down |
When running Windows on a Mac with Parallels Desktop, is it possible to use Windows shortcuts on a Mac?
If you run Windows on your Mac with Parallels Desktop for Mac, you can configure your keyboard shortcuts the way you want to work, with either macOS or Windows shortcuts. Click here for more information on how to set the different shortcuts.
You can find even more useful Mac shortcuts in the infographic here.
Missing your Start Menu and familiar Windows look and feel? You can use Parallels Desktop and have Windows 10 along with your favorite Windows apps on your new Mac.
When your Mac won't load or hangs on startup, it’s not the end of the world. You still have pretty good chances of fixing it, even without a technician’s help. Before you read next, check if your Mac is plugged in. Your first guess should be your Mac has run out of battery. If it’s not the case, you are welcome to try some of the following easy tips.
Here are six simple tips to try if your MacBook doesn't turn on.
Carefully examine the cable along its full length to see if the charger is intact and all connections are in place. Also, check the AC power socket is working. To isolate the source of the problem, look into the following:
Sometimes your Macbook wouldn’t start because of a broken application that affects the startup, quite possibly, antivirus software. To solve the issue, uninstall the unwanted app with CleanMyMac X (or a similar app) while in safe mode.
The safe mode limits the macOS to its most basic functions while allowing you to recover your Mac. Sometimes it’s the single most effective solution when your Mac won’t turn on or continuously crashes.
To start up your Intel-based Mac in safe mode:
To start up your Mac computer with Apple silicon in safe mode:
Did your Mac wake up? Congrats, you’re in safe mode. At this point, you at least have some freedom of action to investigate and troubleshoot the issue. While in safe mode, you might try running a couple of maintenance utilities. I've been using CleanMyMac X for some years now because of its Maintenance tool, which can help fix performance issues on your Mac.
NVRAM is a small amount of memory on your Mac that contains certain settings, such as sound volume, display resolution, kernel panic information, and your startup disk selection. If you experience issues with booting your Mac, try resetting NVRAM.
The common issue reported on many Apple forums is Mac’s screen going black on startup. This is typically followed by a recurring “Reset Password” message. The problem appears to be somehow concerned with the battery power circuit with Mac failing to light up the screen. There is a fairly simple solution to it, though, quite an odd one — involving a flashlight or a lamp. The trick works because your login screen is still there, but you can’t see it.
Shine the flashlight through the Apple logo on the back of your screen. Bringing this extra light should help you see the login icon, and you’ll be able to put the cursor in the right spot and log in. The screen should light up normally right after that. A variant of this solution is to shine a flashlight across the screen from left to right (on the front side of the screen). Try this in a dark room for greater effect.
System Management Controller is responsible for many ground-level functions of your Mac. Among those are battery settings, display reactions, and specifically the Power button functions. Use the following technique to reset SMC if your MacBook won’t load.
Laptops with the T2 chip
To find out if your Mac has a T2 chip, go to the Apple menu > press Option key > System Information. Select either Controller or Bridge. If you see 'Apple T2 chip,' your Mac has it.
Desktop Macs with the T2 chip
Laptops with a removable battery
Laptops with a non-removable battery
Desktop computers
If the issue repeats and your Mac won’t turn on again, you can try some of these:
All these options are available via Recovery mode—not to confuse with the safe mode—and to enter it, you’ll need to press a few spell-invoking special buttons once again. Needless to say, they are of no use if your MacBook won’t load in the first place.
How to enter Recovery mode:
Give your Mac a bit of time to load, and you’ll be taken to Utilities. From there on, you’ll see several options.
Putting hardware-related issues aside, there would still be many explanations for your Mac's misbehavior. But to give you a perspective, here are a few more ideas to check:
Luckily, all these problems can be fixed using just software solutions. To get a health check for your Mac, start with a simple maintenance tool for Mac — a program of CleanMyMac X type will do. It could help you locate hidden junk files and detect various hard drive errors which prevent your Mac from booting up. Most often than not, a quick digital garbage cleanup will do the job.
CleanMyMac X is available for a free download here.
OK, that’s all there is to it. Feel free to share this article if you found it helpful.