How to turn on your Mac useless Caps Lock into a convenient hotkey
Tips Makradar / / December 19, 2019
Which of the keys on the keyboard of your Mac will never use? I think the answer is unequivocal - Caps Lock. If you do not spend a lot of time, commenting on YouTube videos, you are probably using the Caps Lock key is not very often. Google even replace it with a single button in their search for Chromebook. But why keep the useless key, is not it better to use it for other purposes?
I want to tell you about a simple method for the Caps Lock key remapping for Spotlight call or any other application on the Mac.
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Training
To reassign the Caps Lock, we need two utilities from the site www.pqrs.org. Both are open source projects and distributed free of charge. Go to the website and download them.
• KeyRemap4MacBook
• PCKeyboardHack
installation
Open the folder download and install KeyRemap4MacBook and PCKeyboardHack, who have just downloaded. Both applications have their own installers and installation process takes place in them. In addition, after installing each application you will need to restart your computer.
Council. Depending on your security settings, you may get a warning telling you that you can not install software from unknown developers. There are two options. You can allow the installation of a one-time - udrzhivaya ⌘, click on the right mouse button or touchpad and press Open. Or allow this action forever. To do this, go to settings — Protection and safety — main and select the item to Allow the use of software downloaded from: value any source. To make changes to the settings in this section, you will need to login by clicking on the padlock and enter your password.
Remapping keys Caps Lock
We find PCKeyboardHack installed in the Applications folder and run it. We are interested in the line ChangeCaps Lock. We put a checkbox next to it to turn itself reassignment - from this point on Caps Lock no longer just a Caps Lock. Note the «keycode» field - it is very important to us. Here, you guessed it, we will need to enter the key code, we want to emulate, using the Caps Lock'a.
By default, PCKeyboardHack changes the Caps Lock key to more Delete. So now you can delete the text of the "two hands".
Launch Spotlight
As you know, Spotlight - megapoisk is built into OS X. With it you can search files, documents, contacts, start applications. It is caused by hotkey ⌘ProbelWhich can be replaced by any other. But after installing PCKeyboardHack - even on the Caps Lock!
Directly use keyboard shortcuts CapsLock is impossible, but if you assign to it any other key it will be possible. To do this, assign to the CapsLock key F19 - it is not on the standard Mac-keyboard, but the operating system is aware of its existence and allows to work with her. Code keys F19 - 80, It we need to drive in the keycode field, instead of the previous 51.
Now we have to assign a new shortcut to launch the Spotlight:
- Run the system settings;
- Open the Keyboard;
- on the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, select Spotlight point;
- Change the keyboard shortcut for strings Show Spotlight search field;
- Instead of trying to drive ⌘Probel Caps Lock;
- We check the results of the work;
Do not be surprised that in the hotkey F19 will be displayed, because this is what we wanted. But after just such simple manipulations, we can call the Spotlight by simply pressing Caps Lock. Wonderful, is not it?
Running Alfred
A more advanced version of the Spotlight - Alfred is a third-party application. It is popular among users because it is also a launcher offering better opportunities, compared with Spotlight. Well, once popular and frequently used, why break his fingers, creating shortcuts ingenuity? Easier to use for these purposes Caps Lock.
Procedure for the appointment of hot keys for calling Alfred a little different from that in the previous paragraph, but the essence remains the same:
- Alfred open through Launchpad or menu Programs;
- Drives in the field alfred Hotkey our favorite Caps Lock (it will appear as F19);
- Check how easy it is now run by Alfred;
Before that you have to Caps Lock has been appointed Spotlight - do not forget to change or clean the hot key, otherwise nothing will happen.
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In a similar way it is possible to use Caps Lock to assign keyboard shortcuts to absolutely any application and system needs. Now it is fully within our power! By the way, here in this article I talked about how to run any application using keyboard shortcuts. When used for these purposes, Caps Lock - is just super.
Agree, this option is much better use of conventional action Caps Lock. Or do you still prefer screaming in the comments? ;)