Getting used to pressing the Command key instead of Control on a Mac can be one of the hardest things to adapt to when moving from a Windows computer to something like a Macbook Air M2. The Command key has the word “Command” and a special icon that looks like a four-leaf clover. Until 2007, it also bore the Apple logo without any text, which is why some long-time Mac users may call it an “Apple key”. The Command key works the same as the CTRL key on a Windows computer.
Press Command-C to copy the content, then Command-V to paste it. The existence of a Control key on an Apple keyboard only adds to the confusion for Windows users moving to macOS. Apple introduced the Command key decades ago, before computers had a graphical user interface (GUI). The original command keys came with the Apple III computer in 1980, at a time when personal computers required users to enter commands to navigate the operating system.
Apple used two different keys to enter key combinations, one featuring an “open” Apple logo and the other featuring a “solid” Apple logo. The user would press one of these keys while also pressing another key to send a command. Three years later, the Lisa computer featured a graphical interface that allowed users to interact with on-screen elements, including menus. Apple wanted users to be able to access all of these commands from the keyboard, creating the template for Mac keyboard shortcuts.
The History of the Mac Command Key
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The Mac’s menu featured the Apple logo next to every shortcut that could use the Command key, something Steve Jobs wasn’t a fan of, according to Andy Hertzfeld (via Folklore), a former software engineer for Apple and a key developer of the original Macintosh operating system. “There are too many apples on the screen! It’s ridiculous! We’re taking the Apple logo in vain! We have to stop doing that!” » said Jobs. Although he may have wanted control keys in the Apple III era, he didn’t appreciate all the Apple logos appearing on the screen.
Apple’s co-founder and CEO demanded a different symbol for the command shortcuts displayed on the screen. This task fell to Apple’s lead graphic designer, Susan Kare, who had to find a symbol that would work graphically, while still conveying the meaning of “Command.” She ended up choosing the symbol seen today on all Apple keyboards, including Magic Keyboards designed for iPads, the four-leaf clover icon. This design was apparently used in Sweden to indicate points of interest.
And the control?
YouTube channel Apple Explained also noted that the symbol was meant to indicate a castle with turrets seen from above in Scandinavia. The comparison to castles may better suggest command or authority, although Apple has not made that association. Apple continued to use the new symbol and open Apple logo on Mac keyboards until 2007, when it printed the word “Command” on the button and removed the logo.
But a Mac user could interact with the computer without using the Command key. You can use the MacBook’s trackpad or a mouse with a Mac desktop to navigate through all the menus and click on the actions you need to perform. You can copy and paste text or photos with the mouse. However, using the Command key for repeated actions, such as copying and pasting content, closing windows, tabs, and applications, or multitasking, can speed up your workflow. In other words, the Command key is so ingrained in the macOS experience that Apple can’t remove it from keyboards even if it wanted to. This might change the iconography or the name, but not its function.
This is not to say that the Control key is not necessary. It may not have the same function as the Windows Control key, but it can be used in some shortcuts, depending on the application and how the user customizes the shortcuts. Additionally, the Control key has different shortcuts in the Terminal app, which some Mac users may need for various workflows.
