WinPlug
Try WinPlug free

Modules

Try WinPlug free
WinPlug Keyboard

Windows keyboard on Mac

The Windows shortcuts your fingers know, Ctrl + Alt + Delete included

On a Mac, copy is ⌘C and Home jumps to the top of the page. WinPlug Keyboard gives you back the keys your fingers learned on Windows: Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V, Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y, Home and End, Alt + F4 and Ctrl + Alt + Del, on a Windows keyboard or a Mac one, in any layout.

Try WinPlug freeSee it on a real Mac

Free 14-day trial$24 one-timemacOS 14 or later

A Mac keyboard for Windows users: what changes

Coming from Windows, this is where your Mac’s keyboard works differently, and what WinPlug Keyboard brings back.

What a Mac does, and what WinPlug Keyboard does instead
On a MacWith WinPlug
Copy, paste and undo are ⌘C, ⌘V and ⌘Z: Ctrl + C does nothing.Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + Z and 22 more Ctrl shortcuts work everywhere.
Redo is ⇧⌘Z, so Ctrl + Y has no effect.Ctrl + Y redoes, as on Windows.
Home and End scroll to the top or the bottom of the document.Home and End go to the ends of the line, Ctrl + arrows jump word by word.
Alt + F4 does nothing, and ⌘Q quits the whole app.Alt + F4 closes the window in front, never the app.
Ctrl + Alt + Del does nothing; Force Quit is ⌥⌘Esc.Ctrl + Alt + Del opens Activity Monitor, the Mac’s task manager.
Tapping Alt doesn’t reach the menus.Tap Alt, then the letter under a menu to open it.
Feature 1 · Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V

How to copy and paste on a Mac with Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V

On a Mac, copy and paste are ⌘C and ⌘V.

With WinPlug, Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V work too, everywhere.

So do Ctrl + X, Ctrl + A, Ctrl + S, Ctrl + F and the rest, 25 in all, each with its own switch. ⌘C and ⌘V keep working as well.

Feature 2 · Any keyboard layout

Use a Windows keyboard on your Mac, in any layout

Plug in a Windows keyboard: Ctrl is Ctrl, Alt is Alt and the Windows key is Win, the ⌘ key of a Mac.

Shortcuts follow the letter you type, not where the key sits, so AZERTY, QWERTY and other layouts all work, and switching layouts changes nothing.

On a Mac keyboard, Ctrl is the Control key and Alt is Option.

Feature 3 · Alt opens the menus

The Alt key on a Mac: open menus from the keyboard

Tap Alt on its own and a violet letter shows under each menu of the app in front: type it to open that menu, then use the arrows and Enter.

The letters come from the menus’ names, so File keeps F.

Esc, a click or any other key puts them away.

Feature 4 · Alt + F4

Alt + F4 on a Mac: close the window, not the app

Alt + F4 closes the window in front, the way its red button does.

Your other windows of the same app stay open, and so does the app: nothing quits by surprise.

On a Mac keyboard, F4 may need the fn key, as F-keys control the brightness and the sound.

Feature 5 · Home, End, Ctrl + arrows

Home and End keys on a Mac, like on Windows

Home and End go to the start and the end of the line, Ctrl + Home and Ctrl + End to the top and the bottom of the document.

Ctrl + ← and → jump word by word, Ctrl + ↑ and ↓ paragraph by paragraph, and Shift selects as you go.

Ctrl + Backspace deletes the word before the cursor.

Feature 6 · Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + Y

Undo and redo on a Mac: Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y

Ctrl + Z undoes, as you expect.

Ctrl + Y redoes: on a Mac, redo is ⇧⌘Z, so WinPlug sends that for you.

Both work in every app that can undo, from your notes to your mail.

Feature 7 · Ctrl + Alt + Del

Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a Mac: the task manager

Ctrl + Alt + Del, or Ctrl + Shift + Esc, opens Activity Monitor: the Mac’s task manager, with every app and how hard it works.

Pick an app that’s stuck, click the stop button, then Force Quit.

Your other apps carry on.

Feature 8 · Ctrl stays Ctrl in terminals

Ctrl keeps its job in terminals and code editors

In terminals, code editors, virtual machines and remote desktops, Ctrl is not translated: Ctrl + C stops a command and your editor’s own Ctrl shortcuts work as always.

14 of these apps are on the list from the start, and you can add or remove any app in Settings.

Feature 9 · One switch for WinPlug

Turn every Windows shortcut off with one shortcut

Ctrl + Alt + Win + W turns WinPlug off: it steps aside and your Mac works exactly as it did, ⌘ shortcuts and all.

Press it again to bring everything back.

The same switch is in WinPlug’s menu, at the top of its Settings and in the taskbar’s quick settings.

And also…

  • 25 Ctrl shortcuts

    Ctrl + S saves, F finds, P prints, T opens a tab, W closes it, + and − zoom, Enter sends. Each one can be turned off.

  • Shift too

    Ctrl + ⇧ + T reopens the tab you just closed, Ctrl + ⇧ + S saves as: Shift keeps its job.

  • F5 refreshes

    F5 or Ctrl + F5 reloads the page you’re on, as on Windows.

  • Mac shortcuts kept

    ⌘C, ⌘V and every Mac shortcut still work, next to Ctrl. Nothing to unlearn.

  • Your own exceptions

    Add any app where Ctrl should stay Ctrl, from the apps that are open or from your Applications folder.

  • Explorer keys in folders

    In your Mac’s folders, F2 renames, Enter opens, Delete moves to the Bin and Backspace goes back.

  • Win shortcuts

    Win + arrows snap windows, Win + ⇧ + S snips, Ctrl + Esc opens Start and Ctrl + Alt + V your clipboard.

  • Your shortcuts, your way

    Turn off any of the 25 Ctrl shortcuts in Settings, and give WinPlug’s own shortcuts new keys: click one, press the keys you like.

Windows shortcuts on your Mac

CtrlCXV
Copy, cut, paste
CtrlZ
Undo
CtrlY
Redo
CtrlA
Select all
CtrlSFP
Save, find, print, and 18 more Ctrl shortcuts
HomeEnd
Start or end of the line (with Ctrl: of the document)
Ctrl←→
Jump word by word (with ⇧: select)
CtrlBackspace
Delete the word before the cursor
Alt
Tapped alone: a letter under each menu
AltF4
Close the window in front
F5
Reload the page
CtrlAltDel
Activity Monitor (Ctrl + ⇧ + Esc too)
CtrlAltWinW
WinPlug off and on

On a Mac keyboard, Ctrl is the Control key, Alt is Option and Win is Command; on a Windows keyboard plugged into your Mac, they are the keys you know. Every shortcut can be switched off in Settings.

See it on a real Mac

No mock-up: WinPlug Keyboard filmed on a real MacBook, keys on screen. Jump to any feature from the list below.

  1. Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V: Select, press Ctrl + C, then Ctrl + V: your Mac gets ⌘C and ⌘V.
  2. Alt opens the menus: Tap Alt: a letter shows under each menu. Type it to open that menu.
  3. Alt + F4: Alt + F4 closes the window in front, never the whole app.
  4. Home, End, Ctrl + arrows: Home and End go to the ends of the line, Ctrl + arrows word by word.
  5. Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + Y: Ctrl + Z undoes and Ctrl + Y redoes, as on Windows.
0:00 / 0:52

Windows shortcuts on Mac questions

Can I use Windows shortcuts on a Mac?

Not out of the box: a Mac uses ⌘ where Windows uses Ctrl. With WinPlug, your Windows shortcuts work on your Mac: Ctrl + C, Ctrl + V, Ctrl + Z, Ctrl + Y and 21 more Ctrl shortcuts, Home and End, Alt + F4, Ctrl + Alt + Del and Alt for the menus.

How do I copy and paste on a Mac?

Press ⌘C to copy and ⌘V to paste, or use the Edit menu. With WinPlug, Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V work as well, on a Mac keyboard or a Windows one, so you can keep the habit.

What is Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a Mac?

On a Mac, ⌥⌘Esc opens Force Quit, and Activity Monitor shows what’s running. With WinPlug, Ctrl + Alt + Del (or Ctrl + Shift + Esc) opens Activity Monitor, where you can quit an app that’s stuck.

Does Alt + F4 work on a Mac?

Not on its own: on a Mac, ⌘W closes a window and ⌘Q quits the app. With WinPlug, Alt + F4 closes the window in front and never quits the app. On a Mac keyboard, Alt is Option and F4 may need fn.

Where are the Home and End keys on a Mac?

Most Mac keyboards have none: fn + ← and fn + → act as Home and End, and they scroll the page rather than move the cursor. With WinPlug, Home and End go to the start and end of the line, like on Windows, including on a Windows keyboard.

Can I use a Windows keyboard with my Mac?

Yes, any USB or Bluetooth keyboard works. The Windows key acts as ⌘ and Alt as Option. With WinPlug, the shortcuts printed in your head work too: Ctrl + C, Alt + F4, Home and End, in AZERTY, QWERTY or another layout.

Will my Mac shortcuts still work?

Yes. WinPlug leaves ⌘C, ⌘V and every other Mac shortcut alone, and terminals, code editors and virtual machines keep their own Ctrl. Ctrl + Alt + Win + W turns everything off at once.

Does WinPlug Keyboard need any permission?

Yes: Accessibility and Input Monitoring, which macOS asks for once, so WinPlug can notice Ctrl + C as you press it. Keys are handled on the fly; nothing you type is stored or sent.

One license, every habit

WinPlug Keyboard comes with 8 more modules: one license, $24 one-time at launch, for 2 Macs, with a free 14-day trial and no account.

Try WinPlug freeFree 14-day trial$24 one-timemacOS 14 or later