Category: Multi-Platform Computing

Moving between Macintosh and Windows

Article – From the horse’s mouth

Use these resources together if you are working both Windows systems and the Apple Macintosh.Working on both Macintosh and Windows

Microsoft

Making The Switch: MacBook to Microsoft Surface Book

Apple

Switching PC Habits

My Comments

Increasingly Windows computers have reached or eclipsed the kind of aesthetic and stability calibre associated with Apple’s Macintosh computers especially the MacBook portable-computer family.

But a person who works on the Apple Macintosh platform will typically find it hard to move their computing life over to a Windows-based computer. This situation may also be of use for anyone who is working a “multi-platform” environment where they maintain a Macintosh and a Windows-based computer.

Microsoft’s article is focused on their new Surface Book but the instructions apply more or less to anyone who is moving from MacOS X to Windows 10 or a Mac user who is wanting to be familiar with the new Windows 10 operating system or know how it works.

Apple does provide similar resources for people who are used to the Windows platform moving towards the Macintosh platform ever since people moved from Windows because of Windows Vista.

Most of the basic keyboard shortcuts are:

Apple Windows
Undo Command-Z Ctrl-Z
Select All Command-A Ctrl-A
Cut Command-X Ctrl-X
Copy Command-C Ctrl-C
Paste Command-V Ctrl-V
Save this document Command-S Ctrl-S
Print this document Command-P Ctrl-P
Refresh Webpage / screen Command-R Ctrl-R or F5
Switch between open programs Command-Tab Alt-Tab
Hide current program Command-H
Command-M (Minimise)
 Windows-(Down Arrow)
Hide all programs  Command-(Mission Control) Windows-M
Stop current program Command-Q Alt-F4
Force a program to stop Command-Option-Esc

Macintosh

The Command key on the Macintosh is the one with a snowflake and / or Apple symbol on it.

The “Mission Control” key will be the F3 key on recent equipment or F11 on older equipment.

Windows

The Windows key on Windows computers has a window icon and / or the Start word on it.