Want Your Apple Keyboards To Work With Windows Functionality? We Can Show You How!

Whether you’d like to admit it or not, Apple is known far and wide for its quality control in both full device releases and accessories that follow. Such is the case with their famous keyboards that hook up to Apple products and work wonders both from a functional standpoint and comfort in use.

As such, they are sometimes preferred as opposed to third-party keyboards that are in use with Windows-based desktop and laptop computers. So is it possible to hook up an Apple keyboard to a Windows operating system and still get the full Windows functionality out of it?

Installing proper drivers

The biggest and most notable difference between Apple and Windows is the keyboard arrangement and functionality that differ on a base level. Installing additional driver software that can optimize your operating system into registering an Apple keyboard as a native device is a must before doing anything else. This driver will also allow you to do some standard mapping for keys that are accessed via shortcuts on one system and vice versa.

Mapping out the keyboard

The next step you should take is to map out any and all keys that haven’t been covered by the driver above. You can do this by going to Control Panel > Language and Region > Language, and selecting the desired language with (Apple) next to it. This will map your keyboard in a way that will let Windows know that you are using an Apple keyboard and not a third-party peripheral.

Missing gaps and hotkeys

Lastly, some Windows-specific keys like Print Screen need to be mapped to Function (F) keys manually through a specialized piece of software. Using AutoHotkey will allow you to write a simple script using Notepad and write down the desired hotkeys per software instructions which can be found on the developer’s homepage. This should finalize your Mac keyboard optimization for Windows when it comes to standardized writing and text editing.

Software-specific bindings

While using drivers and third-party software does help you use a Mac keyboard on Windows operating systems, certain applications will still register your keyboard as plug-and-play. Software such as Microsoft Office, Adobe package as well as playback software and games will require custom shortcut mapping. You will have to make due with setting these shortcuts up by yourself the way you want them to be, since the default mapping might not function anymore with a Mac keyboard attached to your PC at this time.

In conclusion

Using a Mac keyboard on a Windows-based desktop computer is a matter of personal choice and comfort. Some people are just used to using a Mac keyboard because of its sheer quality and endurance, even though it comes at a higher cost than a plug-and-play keyboard.

Install the necessary drivers onto your PC and map the keys according to your personal preference. Using a computer is supposed to be fun and comfortable, which is why you should take the opportunity presented to you and hook up your favorite Apple keyboard.

Guest article written by: Alaine Gordon is young and talented content manager at https://essays.solutions/. She has been writing professionally since 2010 about almost everything, starting from psychology and to the finance. Alaine Gordon graduated from the University of Colorado with B.A. in Journalism, 2011. She is open-minded, creative person who loves to make the people smile. Her credo is ‘Life is a fun enterprise’. In her free time she loves traveling, reading science fiction and knitting. Her huge dream is to visit every single country in the world.