| ⌥ | |
|---|---|
Option key | |
| In Unicode | U+2325 ⌥OPTION KEY |
TheOption key,⌥, is amodifier key present onApple keyboards. It is located between theControl key and theCommand key on a typical Mac keyboard. There are two Option keys on modern (as of 2020) Mac desktop and notebook keyboards, one on each side of the space bar. (As of 2005, some laptops had only one, in order to make room for thearrow keys.)
Apple commonly uses the symbolU+2325 ⌥OPTION KEY[1] to represent the Option key. From 1980 to 1984, on theApple II, this key was known as theclosed apple key or thesolid apple key,[2] and had a black line drawing of a filled-inapple on it.
Since the 1990s, "Alt" has sometimes appeared on the key as well, for use as anAlt key with non-Mac software, such as Unix and Windows programs; as of 2017, the newest Apple keyboards such as theMagic Keyboard no longer include the "Alt" label. The Option key in a Mac operating system functions differently from the Alt key under otherUnix-like systems orMicrosoft Windows. It is not used to access menus or hotkeys but is instead used as a modifier for other command codes, as well as to provide easier access to variousaccents and symbols. In this regard, it is akin to theAltGr key, found on some IBM-compatible PC keyboards.
The use of the Option key is similar to that of theAltGr key on European keyboards of IBM-compatible PCs, in the sense that it can be used to type additionalcharacters,symbols anddiacritical marks. The options available differ depending on the keyboard input locale that the user has selected. For example, in the U.S. English keyboard input,⌥ Option+a produces the "å" character, and⌥ Option+4 produces thecent sign "¢".
The Option key can also provide access todead key functionality. For example, holding down⌥ Option while pressing` will create a highlightedgrave accent which will be added to the next letter if possible – so if ane is then pressed, the resultant character isè. If anr is pressed instead, the two characters are not compatible so the result is`r.
The highlighted orange keys show the accents available from the combination of the⌥ Option key and the keyboard characterse`inu. The accent then can be applied to associated letters both lower and uppercase. The additional characters a Mac will produce are a combination of both the⌥ Option key and the⇧ Shift key pressed down together. With this combination pressed the keyboard will now produce a different set or an uppercase version of the previous set in some cases.
Notice that holding the shift key as well as the option key while pressing a letter key may create "capital" versions of what results when the same letter key is pressed while the option key but not the shift key is held. For example:
The Option key is often used in conjunction with special keys likeTab ↹,delete, andreturn to provide alternate functions. For example,⌥ Option+Return typically produces aline break that is not interpreted as aparagraph break.[citation needed]
The key is also used to provide for alternative menu items and buttons when pressed down. Examples:
The iPhoto example is an example of a control whose behavior is governed by a preference, which is temporarily inverted by holding down the Option key. The preference in this case is which way to rotate the image: If the user changes the default rotation direction in the Preferences to clockwise, holding down Option will make the button rotate counterclockwise instead, and vice versa. It is common for such controls — that is, those whose behavior is governed by a preference — to be invertible in this way
Intext areas, the Option key can be used for quick keyboard navigation.
When keeping the Option key pressed when using the mouse, the mouse action can change behaviour
In browsers such as Safari andSeaMonkey, the option key can be used to download a file. Pressing down the option key when hitting return in the address bar causes the URL-specified file to be downloaded. Also, pressing the option key when clicking ahyperlink causes the link target to be downloaded. Besides the option key methods, other ways of downloading includes right-clicking (or ctrl (^) clicking, in Macs) a hyperlink to bring up acontext menu, then selecting the appropriate download command, or pasting a URL directly into Safari's Downloads window.
Some applications make unique uses out of the option key:
An arrow key used with the Solid-Apple key moves the cursor by word or 12 lines up or down.
