Is there a backspace key on the Mac?

I find I'm using the delete key all the time to get rid of mistakes, etc., but I haven't found the PC equivalent of a backspace key. Is there one?

Thanks, Noel

Noels said:

I haven't found the PC equivalent of a backspace key.

Click to expand...

Yes, you have

Noels said:

I find I'm using the delete key all the time to get rid of mistakes

Click to expand...

It'll be the one in exactly the same place as almost all other keyboards' backspace key....

My guess is that you have a notebook and are surprised to find a key marked delete in the position one would ordinarily find a Backspace key (on a Windows machine).

Note that the delete key will work like a backspace. If you want to use it as a traditional delete key, simply use it in tandem with the function key.

Thanks all, I'll work on using the function-delete combo

Noel

Yep, just use delete. cmd+delete if you want to delete an entire line of text or delete a file. Option+delete to delete word by word, and fn+delete to delete forward.

Of course there is...it's the left arrow key, which takes the insertion point back one space. Just like on Windows.

Of course, most PCs come with keyboards that have a key labeled "backspace" which deletes...just like the delete key...but it would make too much sense for them to call it that.

This has been one of my biggest frustrations as a switcher. Sadly, I've been a Macbook owner for just about a year, and had never come across this tip. Thanks!

mab,

Glad it helped you - it certainly has helped me in the the past 3 -4 hours or so! The arrangement makes sense, but separate keys would have been a nice touch

I've already gooten used to the difference. Thanks everyone for the help, especially cwa107 who mailed the answer for me...

Noel

And for a few who may not know:

While in Safari, pressing the delete key will also go back to the previous web page you were viewing.

Wow thanks hexonxonx what a great tip. Drew

hexonxonx said:

And for a few who may not know:

While in Safari, pressing the delete key will also go back to the previous web page you were viewing.

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No, pressing backspace key will do that ;D

In any browser will do that.

SJTV1 said:

No, pressing backspace key will do that ;D

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That ain't no backspace key.

wow i didnt know that. Purty nifty.

cwa107 said:

If you want to use it as a traditional delete key, simply use it in tandem with the function key.

Click to expand...

that took me like 5 months to figure that out. lol im such an idiot.

I can't believe this thread actually made it to 2 pages. Wow.

technologist said:

That ain't no backspace key.

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???
A key with an arrow pointing to left, which erases character to the left of the cursor is a backspace key. Has been since I started using computers more than 20 years ago.
Delete erases character to the right of the cursor ...

SJTV1 said:

???
A key with an arrow pointing to left, which erases character to the left of the cursor is a backspace key. Has been since I started using computers more than 20 years ago.
Delete erases character to the right of the cursor ...

Click to expand...

Welcome to the Mac platform.

The key you describe, often represented by the ⌫ symbol, is the Delete key. On US English keyboards, it is labelled with the word Delete. On international keyboards, it is labelled with the language-neutral left-pointing arrow.

The other key you describe, represented by the ⌦ symbol and located next to the End key on desktop keyboards, is also a Delete key, commonly referred to as the Forward Delete key. It is often labelled with the ⌦ symbol and either the word Delete or the abbreviation Del.

Please feel free to consult this image of a US English keyboard.
http://images.apple.com/keyboard/images/gallery/wired_1_20070813.jpg

I agree with cwa.... I can't believe that this thread grew 19 posts long. WOW!