Windows User on a Mac [WUOAM]

 

- a Karabiner-Elements config & guide for MacOS Keyboard-Settings -

 

About The Project

For more than 25 years, I have been working professionally and privately under Windows and Linux. Since I switched to a Mac for private use, I find it increasingly difficult to work efficiently with the keyboard layout and the hotkeys.

Not only that I had to google how to type an "@" symbol in the first minute as a fresh Mac owner to log in to the system, no. I also had to realize that everyday and over years rehearsed actions just don't work under Mac...

However, this challenge can be mastered relatively easily with a few settings and the additional program: "Karabiner Elements".

So if you:

• have difficulties to get used to the Mac Layout?
• often have to switch between Windows/Linux and Mac?
• just don't want to miss familiar gestures like CTRL+C/V and many more?

Feel free to follow this guide! 🙃

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Prerequisites

In order to use this guide, you need to have the following installed:

• Karabiner Elements (tested with <= 16.1.0)
• Mac OS (tested with <= Tahoe 26.5.1)

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Mac Configuration

Click here to expand the Guide

• 1) Open the "System Preferences"
  
  
  
  
• 2) Go to "Keyboard" and select the "Edit"-Button next to your language
  
  
  
  
• 3) Click the little "+"-Icon to add a new Keyboard-Layout
  
  
  
  
• 4) "Scroll to the Bottom", select "Other", then "Windows Keyboard, LANG" and click "Add"
  
  **INFO: If you dont have the "Windows Keyboard, LANG" option, you need to add the file: "win-germany.keylayout" in the "Keyboard Layouts" under: "/Library/Keyboard Layouts/" (for all users) alternatively you can place it under: "~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/" (only for you) as well.**
  
  
  
  
• 5) Confirm with "Done" and close the "System Preferences"
  
  
  
  
• 6) Right click the "Keyboard-Settings"-Icon in the Menu-Bar and select "the Windows keyboard, LANG"
  
  
  
  

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Karabiner Elements Configuration

Click here to expand the Guide

• 1) Right click the "Karabiner-Elements"-Icon in the Menu-Bar and select "Open Preferences"
  
  
  
  
• 2) Go to "Keyboard" and select the "Edit"-Button next to your language
  
  
  
  
• 3) Click the little "+"-Icon to add a new Keyboard-Layout
  
  
  
  
• 4) "Scroll to the Bottom", select "Other", then "Windows Keyboard, LANG" and click "Add"
  
  
  
  

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Features

Since we've changed the general Keyboard-Layout of MacOS to use a Windows Keyboard Layout, our symbol keys like "@, {}, [], ()" are now where they belong. But we also want to use the Windows Hotkeys like CTRL+C/V instead of CMD+C/V etc. so additionally we need to flip some keys with "simple Modifications".

Switch from	to	so that the key...
grave_accent_and_tilde	non_us_backslash	under ESC becomes (^, °)
non_us_backslash	grave_accent_and_tilde	next to LShift becomes (<, >, |)
left_command	left_control	works for Copy & Paste etc.
left_control	left_command	works for Alt+Tab etc.
right_command	left_option	works as AltGR under Windows (for @, €, {, [, , ], }, etc.)

You may observed that we (except AltGR) modified only the keys for the left hand side, this is because we want the keybinding to work not only on an external keyboard but also on the MacBook's keyboard.

In order to use some windows hotkeys, we need to use the "complex Modifications" of Karabiner Elements.

Hotkey (Windows Keyboard perspective)	Description
LEFT_ALT + Tab	opens "alt+tab" Tasklist
LEFT_CTRL + Tab	restores CTRL+Tab due to the LEFT_ALT+Tab switch
LEFT_ALT + Q	replaces CMD+Q with ALT+Q
LEFT_CTRL + Backspace	delete whole words
LEFT_CTRL + ArrowLeft	jumps to the beginning of the previews word
LEFT_CTRL + ArrowRight	jumps to the beginning of the next word
LEFT_CTRL + Shift + ArrowLeft	selects the previous word
LEFT_CTRL + Shift + ArrowRight	selects the next word
LEFT_CTRL + LEFT_ALT + ENTF	opens Activity Monitor (Task Manager)
WIN(Left_Option) + R	opens Terminal (run)
WIN(Left_Option) + Tab	opens Mission Control (windows expose)
F5	Refresh Website

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Known issues (FAQ)

No Windows-Layout in the Keyboard-Settings (other)

If you don't see the "Windows Keyboard, LANG" in the Keyboard-Settings, even though you put the "win-germany.keylayout"-file into place, you need to restart your Mac. (I don't know why, but it works)

( ~ becomes ± ) and ( | becomes ≤ ) aka. not using Windows keys anymore

Due to a weird Keypress it occasionally switches the keyboard layout back to the default one.

Click here to expand the Fix

• Here you can see how it "should" look like, but everytime the keyboard layout switches back to the default one, your keys become wrong again.
  
  
  
  
• To solve that, you need to disable the MacOS Keybinding for "Switch Keyboard-Layout" by following these steps:
  
  
  
  

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Contributing

Contributions are what make the open source community such an amazing place to learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.

If you have a suggestion that would make this better, please fork the repo and create a pull request. You can also simply open an issue with the tag "enhancement". Don't forget to give the project a star! Thanks again!

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Contact

Denis Steinhorst - contact@steinhor.st

Project Link: https://github.com/denissteinhorst/windows-user-on-a-mac

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Credits

• Ukelele - German Keyboard Layout from: SIL LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY
• Best-README-Template from: othneildrew

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Closing words

This Configuration is always in development. If you have any suggestions, feel free to open an issue or a pull request. I'm always happy to hear from you!

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Documentation

	Website	Description	Documentation
Karabiner Elements	Karabiner Elements	Karabiner Elements is a powerful utility for keyboard customization on macOS.	karabiner-elements docs
Mac OS	Mac OS	Mac OS is the operating system of the Macintosh computers.	mac os knowledge-base
Windows	Windows	Windows is the operating system of the Windows computers.	windows knowledge-base