Member Avatar for johndoe444

Hi,

I am a very new mac user. I was wondering how to move the cursor to the beginning and end of a text line. I tried to use home and end which apparently do not work as expected in a windows/linux system. Okay it works as expected in say word, but doesn't work the same in say firefox or acrobat. Even the command+left arrow works differently in different software. For instance, in adobe it moves to the previous page. Whereas for MS Word it works like home. Are there any command/keyboard shortcuts which works uniformly across all softwares?

Thanks.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by cardmagik

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Short version: mac apps don’t all use the same text engine, so shortcuts behave differently depending on the app. That’s why sees one key do “line” movement in some editors but page/document movement in others, and why thinks a Home/End key is missing. ’s modifier-key suggestion will work inside many native text fields, but it isn’t a universal fix because some apps implement their own handlers. (apple.stackexchange.com)

If you want a Cocoa-level, “make Home/End act like Windows” fix for most native apps, create the key-binding file in your user Library. Make a folder named KeyBindings in your home Library and save a file DefaultKeyBinding.dict with content like this:

{
  "\UF729" = "moveToBeginningOfLine:";
  "\UF72B" = "moveToEndOfLine:";
  "$\UF729" = "moveToBeginningOfLineAndModifySelection:";
  "$\UF72B" = "moveToEndOfLineAndModifySelection:";
}

Log out or restart affected apps (sometimes a full log-out is needed). This changes behavior in many Cocoa text views. (gist.github.com)

For truly system-wide behavior (so external apps, browsers or creative apps that ignore DefaultKeyBinding.dict behave the same) use a keyboard-remapping tool such as Karabiner‑Elements and enable/import a “PC-style Home/End” rule or add a small Complex Modification that maps Home/End to the line-begin/end actions you want. Note that some apps still intercept keys, so per-app rules or browser extensions may be required for perfect parity. (kosukemori.github.io)

Quick tips: on MacBook-style keyboards Fn+Left/Right emulate Home/End; Terminal apps often need their own keyboard-profile tweaks; and if an external keyboard’s software (Logitech, etc.) is active it can override behavior. If a mapping doesn’t apply in one app, try the key‑bindings file first, then Karabiner, then an app-specific solution. (macworld.com)

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Member Avatar for Spooner

Same trouble over here , there's no HOME or END key !

Member Avatar for johndoe444

Same trouble over here , there's no HOME or END key !

I don't understand what you are saying. The home and end key are painfully enough in the standard place as in a PC keyboard but the keys are just dumb.

Member Avatar for cardmagik

Hold down the control key and press left arrow for home - right arrow for the end. If you put your finger on the shift key AND control key, you can highlight left and right as well

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