End/Home keys - how to make them act like Windows?

[maclambo]

So i'm a newbie to MACs. I had an iMac given to me as a gift. Thus far it's been everything I expected it to be - all except for the End key. I'm expecting Home/End to go to the begnning/end of the current line when editing something. While I realize that the behavior of going to the beginning/end of a document is the way it's supposed to work (and that there are other workarounds), that simply won't fly in my case.. something about "can't teach an old dog new tricks.."

In all seriousness, this Mac will either be useless or painful unless I can somehow "re-bind" these keys and make them perform as they would on a PC. Any ideas? Are there commercial programs to do this? Thanks!

 

[NanoBite]

To go to the beginning / end of current line press: Command OR Control + forward/backward arrow

To go to the beginning / end of current word press: Option + forward/backward arrow

 

[torchy]

System Prefs > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard shortcuts > You can add your own shortcuts so may be worth a try.

 

[baggss]

It's a small trick to learn. The Mac is not Windows, so don't expect it to be. If something as small as this is a big problem for you, then other things may drive you nuts in the long run.

 

[remain]

This thread has a link to a page that explains a way to make Home and End act like they do on Windows.

However, I would suggest simply getting used to Cmd <-- and Cmd -->

I'm a user of both Mac OS X and Windows, but I used Windows for about 6-7 years before ever using OS X.
When I first used OS X, evidently, it was a bit hard to get used to Cmd <-- and Cmd --> instead of Home and End.

But after maybe a week, I got used to it.

I mean, it's a different OS.
You gotta expect some stuff to be different and you gotta get used to new things.
(Heck, even the main modifier key is different: Ctrl on Windows vs Cmd on OS X)

I agree with what baggss said: "If something as small as this is a big problem for you, then other things may drive you nuts in the long run."

Well, you can try that 'hack' if you want to take the easy way,
but I don't know if there are any 'side effects.'
Do it if you really want to, but it's at your peril.

 

[knightlie]

I use Windows and Mac regularly and I've found I can switch between them fairly easily, although it does take a bit of time to get used to.

 

[technologist]

In addition to the command-left and command-right, up-arrow (without the command key) takes you to the beginning of a one-line text field, and down-arrow takes you to the end of a one-line text field. Extremely useful in, for example, a browser location bar.

The logic is, "Up-arrow goes up a line, but if there isn't a line above the current one, go as close as possible, which is the beginning of this line."

 

[kgeier82]

i was looking for this a while back too. Since learning OSX, i like the way its set up better now.

apple key is second nature to me now

 

[AnthonyJK]

In all seriousness, this Mac will either be useless or painful unless I can somehow "re-bind" these keys and make them perform as they would on a PC. Any ideas? Are there commercial programs to do this? Thanks!

Get a PC.

 

[firoz]

the only problem i have is some of the safari shortcuts. i'm scouring the forum/net tonight to see how to change the tab changing commands.

command is just like alt. if it worked in windows with an alt button, try using command instead. i used apple for years 3-4 years ago, then i had to get a pc for work and now i've com back to mac and i love my mac soooo much. stability goes a long way

my only gripe is internet surfing, but thats only because i havent fine tuned my safari/camino with other software to get my up and surfing super fast again.

but yeah, if command and arrow are too much trouble, i'd go back to pc