Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts – Part 1
- Red Hat Forum 2018 - September 18, 2018
- Google Cloud Summit Kuala Lumpur 2018 - August 27, 2018
- AWS Quick Start Event – August 2018 [Online] - August 7, 2018

A modifier key is a part of many key combinations. A modifier key alters the way other keystrokes or mouse clicks are interpreted by Mac OS X. Modifier keys include: Command, Control, Option, Shift, Caps Lock, and the fn key (if your keyboard has a fn key).Here are the modifier key symbols you can see in Mac OS X menus:







fn (Function key)
Startup keyboard shortcuts
Press the key or key combination until the expected function occurs/appears (for example, hold Option during startup until Startup Manager appears, or Shift until “Safe Boot” appears). Tip: If a startup function doesn’t work and you use a third-party keyboard, connect an Apple keyboard and try again.
Key or key combination | What it does |
Option | Display all bootable volumes (Startup Manager) |
Shift | Perform a Safe Boot (start up in Safe Mode) |
C | Start from bootable media (DVD, CD, USB thumb drive, and so forth) |
T | Start in FireWire target disk mode |
N | Start from NetBoot server |
X | Force Mac OS X startup (if non-Mac OS X startup volumes are present) |
Command-V | Start in Verbose Mode |
Command-S | Start in Single User Mode |