Comments on: OS X Keyboard Shortcuts

Question: OS X Keyboard Shortcuts

bwilms — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:24:56 -0800

Two OS X keyboard shortcuts are alluding me. I need assistance.

These are probably really easy, but I just haven't come across them or figured them out on my own...

1. When closing an application with unsaved data in OS X I am prompted with a dialog box containing "Don't Save", "Cancel", and "Save". Using only the keyboard, I've figured out "Cancel" is Apple + >. How does one select "Don't Save" using only the keyboard?

2. When selecting a file in Finder, I hit Return and it wants to rename the file. How do I open the file using only the keyboard?

By: jpburns

jpburns — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:30:25 -0800

1/ Command-D in many sane apps...
2/ Just arrow over, and hit Command-O (for open)

By: AmbroseChapel

AmbroseChapel — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:36:42 -0800

How does one select "Don't Save" using only the keyboard?

Depends very much on the app but jpburns is right, I'd try Apple-D.

When selecting a file in Finder, I hit Return

So, don't do that! Again jpb is right, but there's also Apple-Down-Arrow.

By: nicwolff

nicwolff — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:39:46 -0800

For 2., Command-down-arrow also works and is faster since you're already arrowing around.

By: bwilms

bwilms — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:42:20 -0800

You don't know how much a relief this is to me. Thanks.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 19:10:11 -0800

1. Hitting Mac+D will work in most apps, but if it doesn't, you can use the tab key to move (left to right) between the options available in a dialogue box, and you can select an option by hitting either the space bar, enter or return. (Shift+Tab reverses the direction.)

By: alan

alan — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:25:29 -0800

and you can select an option by hitting either the space bar, enter or return

Enter and return will typically pick the dialog button that's highlighted by default, not the button that currently has the blue outline around it.

By: mzurer

mzurer — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:11:13 -0800

elude
allude

By: D.C.

D.C. — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:20:24 -0800

Also, command-up-arrow in the Finder will take you up in the directory tree.

By: D.C.

D.C. — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 02:22:35 -0800

And, while I'm at it, command-up and command-down will also work to navigate in open/save dialogs.

By: bwilms

bwilms — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 03:46:47 -0800

Thanks mzurer. I had a feeling I used the wrong word once I hit submit. Spellcheck only gets me so far...

I swear I've tried using tab to highlight the buttons in the dialog box, but it never worked. I'll have to try it again.

Thanks everyone for the tips.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 04:28:35 -0800

bwilms said 'I swear I've tried using tab to highlight the buttons in the dialog box, but it never worked. I'll have to try it again.'

Hmmn, you might need to tweak your Universal Access preferences to get this to work. (And alan is right about enter and return - sorry for the semi-accuracy of my reply!)