A few weeks ago I did it. I converted my Caps Lock key into a "Hyper Key." Meaning, whenever I hit Caps Lock, it's the same as holding down Cmd + Ctrl + Option + Shift.
Let's be honest, it's hard to hold down Cmd + Ctrl + Option + Shift, at the same time. But, that also means, I didn't have any keyboard shortcuts with that combination. This opened up a whole new world of commands.
If you're resistant to "losing" your Caps Lock, like I was (because I actually use my Caps Lock key), I moved that functionality to my right shift key. Already, I use my left shift key exclusively, so I didn't feel like I was "losing" anything.
While I was making modifications, I also converted my right command to an extra escape key. I have the 15" Macbook Pro with the touch bar. When I'm working at my desk, I have an external keyboard. But, when I'm working directly on my laptop, I miss the tactile escape key. Plus, I'm running Better Touch Tool to customize the touch bar, which shifts my escape key over, ruining my muscle memory
Go to Karabiner-Elements and download their software (it's free)
Once it's downloaded, double click on the .dmg to unpack and open it. Then, double click on the .pkg inside and go through the install process
Click on the Complex Modifications tab.
Click on the Add Rule button at the bottom left.
Click on the Import more rules from the Internet (open a web browser) button at the top.
As the button says, this will launch a web browser with a list of modifications you can import. There are plenty of options there, to scroll through and give you inspiration.
Once you've found the one you like, click on the Import button.
A pop-up will come up asking if you want to Open Karabiner-Elements.app? Click on the "Open" button.
This will launch Karabiner-Elements. It will show you a pop-up explaining the control you're importing. You can click Import to confirm or Cancel. Don't worry, you can always undo it.
As I mentioned earlier, I installed 3 different modifications:
I set up all the keyboard shortcuts through a program called Keyboard Maestro. Unfortunately, this program is not free and costs $36. — but, definitely worth it. The options it provides seem endless.
If you click through the groups in the left panel, you'll find a bunch of "macros" that you can enable and pair with a keyboard shortcut. Of course, you can also create your own custom commands.
Most of the commands I've created are designed to jump between my favorite applications.
I have a few commands for navigating to my favorite directories:
A couple of miscellaneous items from Keyboard Maestro (not necessarily related to my Hyper Key):
I mentioned earlier, that I have Better Touch Tool installed on my computer, as well. Unfortunately, this program isn't free either. $8.50 will give you updates for 2 years. $20.50 will give you lifetime updates.
NOTE: Where this program really shines is extending the functionality of your trackpad or customizing your touch bar.
I set up some keyboard shortcuts here, too, since it has some great options for window management. Here are the commands I setup:
I use the next 3 commands together:
The next 2 commands are similar:
This all took a little bit of setup, but the ~30 minutes to an hour set up has been well worth it and it has made moving around my computer with the keyboard so much faster.
What keyboard shortcuts do you have set up? Any I should add to the mix?
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