The caps lock key does not work. How to Make the Caps Lock Key on macOS Really Useful

Hello everyone, A keyboard is a device through which we can enter text on a PC. It sounds like it’s 1990 and no one knows what a keyboard is.. This means there are all sorts of buttons on the keyboard, if it’s a regular one, then there are few specific buttons. But there are keyboards for gamers, there can be a lot of additional buttons...

But here’s what caps lock is and why on the Internet they write things like don’t write caps lock or turn off caps lock. What does this even mean? Caps lock is simply a button that activates the entry of capital letters. If you press Caps Lock again, entering capital letters will be disabled.

Usually the button is labeled Caps Lock and is located on the left side of the keyboard here:

So when you see that people say don’t write caps lock, then I think now you understand what they mean

Whatever the keyboard, the caps lock will always be in one place. Here's an example of a scary gaming keyboard:

And she has caps lock in the same place, if you look closely:

Although the keyboard is really awesome

By the way, the caps lock button is the same as it has been on typewriters for many years. There, just like on computers, she changed the case of the entered text. I found this joke on the net:

When a user types text with caps lock enabled, it is perceived on the Internet as a scream. In such cases they say no capsi

Damn it, I completely forgot to write about the main thing, that’s how I could forget! When caps lock is turned on, the Caps Lock light on your keyboard will light up:

Super button I call modified CapsLock, which is on par with Ctrl, Opt And cmd can be used in keyboard shortcuts.

I call a super button a modified CapsLock, which, along with Ctrl, Opt and Cmd, can be used in keyboard shortcuts. A shortcut based on a super button a la Caps Lock Letter is convenient to launch and switch between open programs.

To make a super button we will reprogram CapsLock with the utility Karabiner Elements by simultaneously pressing Shift Ctrl Opt Cmd. This combination is not accidental, because only these keys are perceived by macOS as triggers for shortcuts. You cannot use Tab, Delete, F1-F12 or regular CapsLock in shortcuts.

The super button has an excellent location - under the little finger of the left hand. It is convenient to click on it, as well as on the adjacent Shift. Here are five of my favorite shortcuts:

• CapsLock H - Converts selected text from Markdows to HTML
• CapsLock Delete - closes all programs except the active one
• CapsLock R - optimizes selected images via ImageOptim
• CapsLock 3 - typographite text
• CapsLock S - opens Safari

To customize the super button on macOS, we need Karabiner Elements. This utility is capable of changing the actions of any keys: replace CapsLock with Delete, Fn with Esc, etc.

Setting up a super button

1. Install Karabiner Elements and launch it;
2. Go to the Complex Modifications tab and click the Add rule button;
3. In the window that appears, select “Change caps_lock to command+control+option+shift” and press the Enable key.

Superknoka turns on in three clicks

How to use the super button

You can find standard macOS keyboard shortcuts in Settings▸ Keyboard▸ Keyboard shortcuts. There you can configure shortcuts for system functions: switching languages, screenshots, starting services, etc.

Standard actions can be configured through macOS System Preferences

I specify shortcuts for launching programs using

The button can easily be considered one of the leaders among the most unclaimed keys, of course, if you are not a screaming hater whose signature style is NEGOTIATIONS IN A HIGH TONE. In this material we will tell you how to find a competent functional use of this key on a Mac.

In contact with

The main problem that arises before the user when trying to program the Caps Lock, Tab, Delete keys and the entire F1-F12 series is that they cannot be used as part of shortcuts using standard macOS tools. In order to “hang” at least some combination or action, Caps Lock must first be turned into a trigger for shortcuts. This can be done using a special utility called Karabiner Elements.

Note! If a notification appears during installation: "System extension blocked", click on the button Open Security Settings.

In the window that appears, click Allow.

Close the installer.

Repeat the installation procedure.

After installing the program, follow the path (the window may open automatically) System Settings → Protection and Security → Privacy and check the boxes next to the items karabiner_grabber And karabiner_observer.

1 . Run Karabiner Elements and click on the button + Add Item".

2 . In field " From Key" select value "caps_lock".

3 . In field " To Key" go to the section " Others"(at the very bottom of the list) and click, for example, on the option "right_alt (equal to 'right_option')".

4 . Ready. Close Karabiner Elements.

Thus, the Caps Lock button is forced into a key using Karabiner Elements ⌥Option (Alt), which, in turn, can already be used both in system tools for assigning special commands and in third-party programs. Let's look at both options.

Through macOS system settings

Through the macOS settings, you can assign shortcuts with Caps Lock to perform such system functions as switching the language (a very convenient thing), screenshots, launching system services, and so on.

1 . Open menu  → System Preferences… → Keyboard → “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab.

2 . Select any category of interest in the left side menu, find the shortcut and in the field with a keyboard shortcut, press Caps Lock + any convenient button. For example, in our version, to quickly create a screenshot of the selected area, the shortcut “ " (displayed as ⌥Option (Alt) + A) instead of a more complex system option: ⌘Cmd + ⇧Shift + 4.

Via the Alfred app

If you do not want to limit yourself only to system functions, then a paid application will come to the rescue. For example, through it you can configure launching programs via keyboard shortcuts.

In Alfred settings we are interested in " Workflows" in which you can assign keyboard shortcuts to launch certain programs.

As an example, we assigned to the keyboard shortcut launching the Safari browser.

Be sure to tell us about how you use shortcuts in the comments to this material.

The Caps Lock key is a convenient tool that can be used when the user needs to write one or more letters or even an entire text in capital letters. It is worth keeping in mind that pressing this key will change the appearance of only the letters you type: for example, numbers and other special characters will not change due to its use.

Using the Caps Lock key

The Caps Lock key on a standard keyboard has a fairly convenient location: it is located in the middle of the left row of the main part of the keyboard, located between the Tab key, the letter A on the Latin layout and the Shift key. Enabling the Caps Lock key allows you to switch to using capital letters on a permanent basis. The transition to this mode is carried out by pressing the Caps Lock key once. In turn, in order to disable this mode, you must press the indicated button on the keyboard once again. In order to inform the user about the activation of the mode, on standard keyboards there is a special indication of this key: if it is pressed, a green indicator, indicated by the capital letter A, lights up above the number pad on the right side of the printing device, which goes out when the corresponding mode is turned off.

Additional options for using the key

Thus, the mode that turns on when you press the Caps Lock key is convenient if you need to type several words or even entire text in capital letters. If you need to capitalize one or more letters, you can resort to another method: for example, holding down the adjacent Shift button while pressing the key indicating the letter will automatically capitalize it. Some users find this method more convenient, since converting one letter to capital case actually requires only one press of an additional key, whereas Caps Lock mode must first be turned on and then turned off, that is, using a double press.

This technique, however, can be used in the opposite way. For example, you are typing text in capital letters with the Caps Lock key turned on, and you need to change one or more letters to lowercase. In this case, you should hold down the Shift button while pressing the desired letters: it will temporarily change to lowercase letters, and after you release it, the Caps Lock mode will become permanent again. Don't forget to turn it off after you've finished typing in capital letters.