A common complaint among Mac users is that three dedicated keys are missing from their keyboards by comparison with Windows computers, with the absence of a Delete key the most sorely felt.
Old hands say that there are alternatives that solve the problem for Mac users, provided they are willing to learn something new. Backspace, which is normally used to remove characters to the left of the cursor, can be made to behave like the absent Delete key: Hitting CMD and Backspace at the same time will have the same effect as pressing Delete on a PC keyboard, erasing characters to the right.
Mac users face similar problems when dealing with the lack of any Home and End keys, which enable skipping to the beginning or end of a line or a document. The proposed solutions vary according to what software they use.
- The function (fn) key: Press it in conjunction with the arrow keys when using software such as the Chrome, Safari and Firefox browsers, iTunes and the Photos application.
- The CMD key: Press it in conjuction with the arrow keys in every other programme. Tapping it along with the left or right arrow key will send the cursor to the beginning or the end of a line respectively.
Users can also skip to the beginning or end of a document by hitting CMD in conjunction with the up or down arrow key.