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Fix Your Home and End Keys with KeyFixer
Posted by Adam Pash at 8:00 AM on November 20, 2007
Mac OS X only: The default behaviour for the Home and End keys on the Mac can be very annoying—particularly for Windows-to-Mac switchers. Freeware application KeyFixer remaps your Home and End keys so they move the keyboard cursor to the beginning or end of a line, duplicating the behaviour of the Home and End keys in Windows. (Cmd-Left/Right arrow perform the same function by default.) We covered a nitty gritty method for accomplishing this once before, but it requires manually editing system files and doesn't actually work for Firefox. Together, the two flavors of KeyFixer will fix the Home/End behaviour both across your system and in Firefox, which means that's one major OS X annoyance you can cross off your list. KeyFixer is freeware, Mac OS X only.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
EricGus
Posted March 19, 2008 3:37 AM
As an alternative, check out GPL'd DoubleCommand (http://doublecommand.sourceforge.net/).
It also allows remapping so you can swap your alt/option and Command keys and can do it systemwide or per user.
The How-To Geek
Posted 4:13 PM 19/11/07
This is my #2 annoyance with Mac... great find!
The How-To Geek
Ninehand
Posted 4:42 PM 19/11/07
Thanks I'll have to try this on my mac... you guys come up with some good stuff
Ninehand
cumulus
Posted 4:30 PM 19/11/07
This doesn't totally solve the issue... Command-Home or Command-End should respectively bring your caret to the very beginning or end of a document.
Why are the home & end keys even on the mac keyboard? Seems pointless without the described functionality? I must be missing their functionality.
cumulus
burnblue
Posted 7:18 PM 19/11/07
I've never tried those keys on a Mac. What do they actually do?
burnblue
jvt
Posted 12:30 AM 20/11/07
@Burnblue They go to the top & bottom of a document.
DoubleCommand also does this remapping and much more, also for free.
jvt
Adam Pash, LH Senior Editor
Posted 2:18 AM 20/11/07
@jvt: I'm pretty sure that DoubleCommand doesn't work for Firefox.
Adam Pash, LH Senior Editor
zentex
Posted 9:44 AM 20/11/07
gah, finally a "fix" for the keys that don't actually do what I want them to
zentex
downdog
Posted 6:41 PM 19/11/07
I have just "switched" and have been lost w/o this functionality. This will save me the time of pressing all keys to find an answer. Merci'!
downdog
Nothus
Posted 1:06 PM 22/11/07
One of the reason I moved to a MAC was because "Emacs Keys" worked in the GUI! CTRL-a and CTRL-e gets me to the beginning and the end of a line, respectively. Whatever I can do to keep my fingers in home position.
Nothus