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I have used Microsoft Windows for 15+ years and am a highly keyboard-centric user. My wife uses both iMac and MacBook Pro, which means a full keyboard and a MacBook keyboard. Occasionally, I use her computers to see if I can migrate to Apple world. Web-surfing and video-watching are okay, but I find myself stressed by using MacBook keyboards and Mac when I work. Please teach me how I can do the following jobs or solve these problems:

  1. Home, End : When I edit text (like in MS Word) in Windows, I many times use Shift+Home to select a line if I am at the end of the line, or Shift+End to select a line if I am at the beginning of the line. I am not with a Mac now so I can't remember, but I remember such a line-selecting resulted in a different result in Mac. I guess it went to the page top with Home. Can I change Mac keyboard setting so that I get the same behavior for line selection?

  2. How can I do the above line selection task using a MacBook keyboard (with no visible home/end keys)?

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@Lri Thanks for the post. The post also led to a key binding software, cocoabits.com/KeyBindingsEditor – FEQ Oct 4 '11 at 19:58
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You'll get better results with one question per question post. – Daniel Lawson♦ Oct 4 '11 at 20:20
Welcome to Ask Different! As mentioned, you need to ask each question separately. Please take a look at the FAQs for more info. Thanks. – Nathan Greenstein♦ Oct 4 '11 at 22:49

closed as not a real question by Nathan Greenstein♦ Oct 4 '11 at 22:49

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

2 Answers

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Lion now has the behavior you expect in #3.

To do line selection, use command and the left and right arrow keys. Add shift to select. (Command-left to replace Home, Command-right to replace End.)

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arrow keys should work, but I prefer working with home and end keys, to avoid pressing arrow, arrow, arrow, arrow, arrow ... or arroooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. – FEQ Oct 4 '11 at 20:00
Thanks for the information re #3. I'm glad that Lion behave like it! – FEQ Oct 4 '11 at 20:01
holding command and arrows keys make them act as page up/down and home/end keys. Never knew anyone ever used those though, seems so inefficient – XAleXOwnZX Oct 4 '11 at 21:23
@XAleXOwnZX I never learned to use home/end and page up/down, so the command-arrow stuff is very natural. I hold Command with my index finger and hit the arrow keys with my ring or pinky fingers. – CajunLuke Oct 4 '11 at 21:49
@Chang Hold Command and hit the left arrow is the same as Home on Windows - no need for multiple arrow key presses. – CajunLuke Oct 4 '11 at 21:50
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up vote 1 down vote

You select a line on a Mac by holding ⌘, Shift (to start the selection), and ← or →.

Please ask your last question in a separate thread because it differs significantly.
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