PC and Mac shortcut key differences

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Revision as of 13:39, 2 November 2009 by Torley Linden (talk | contribs)
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Shortcut keys differ between PC (Windows and Linux) and Mac in not just Second Life, but across programs in general. You may have noticed that in our documentation, PC shortcuts are usually indicated. This isn't done to leave our Mac-using Residents out, because there are Linden Lab employees who love Macs too — it's just for the sake of brevity.

For your convenience, here's a table showing how modifier keys for keyboard shortcuts translate between platforms:

PC Mac
Ctrl Cmd
Alt Option
Shift Shift
Right-click Right-click (or Cmd-click if you have a single-button mouse, which is fairly uncommon nowadays)
KBtip2.png Tip: A multi-button mouse with a scroll wheel is more effective with Second Life, since many options, such as the pie and contextual menus, use right-clicking — Cmd-clicking on a Mac can get tiresome. In addition, a wheel can easily zoom the camera in and out.

Here's an example showing how the View menu's shortcuts differ between a PC on Windows (left) and a Mac:

Kbext 352292774 d16359467b.jpg Kbext 352292747 71973d2f88.jpg

Exceptions

The above shortcut key differences are generally true; however, where conflicts or overlaps exist between platforms, there are subtle differences, such as:

  • Both Ctrl-C and Cmd-C work to copy text in Second Life on a Mac.
  • To open the Advanced menu on a Mac, the shortcut is Ctrl-Option-D because Cmd-Option-D (its expected equivalent), is overridden by Apple's own shortcut to hide the Dock. (You can verify this by going to the Finder, then selecting Apple > Dock > Turn Hiding On.)

On a Mac, you can remap modifier keys.

When in doubt, look at the menus, because each shows the correct shortcuts that will help to speed up your Second Life.