Mac Bootkeys List
This list of special key combinations has been compiled from numerous Emails that I have received from people all over the world. I cannot always verify the information so if there is an error please let me know. I have not included special Finder keys or standard CMD-SHIFT-# shortcuts because Apple has done such a good job of documenting them in the Finder Help. I have removed the background picture because 2 people had problems on macs with less than 256 colours. I would like to thank the hundreds of people who have submitted information to this list.
Apple Boot Key Combos
| Bypass startup drive & boot from external (or CD) | CMD-OPT-SHIFT-DELETE |
| Boot from CD (Most late model Apples) | C |
| Boot from a specific SCSI ID #.(#=SCSI ID number) | CMD-OPT-SHIFT-DELETE-# |
| Zap PRAM | CMD-OPT-P-R |
| Disable Extensions | SHIFT |
| Rebuild Desktop | CMD-OPT |
| Start without finder windows open | OPT |
| Boot with Virtual Memory off | CMD |
| Trigger extension manager at boot-up | SPACE |
| Force Quadra av machines to use TV as a monitor | CMD-OPT-T-V |
| Boot from ROM (Mac Classic only) | CMD-OPT-X-O |
| Force PowerBooks to reset the screen | R |
| Force an AV monitor to be recognized as one | CMD-OPT-A-V |
| Eject Boot Floppy | Hold Down Mouse Button |
After startup
| Bring up dialogue for shutdown/sleep/restart | POWER |
| Eject a Floppy Disk | CMD-SHIFT-1 or(2) or (0) |
| Force current app to quit | CMD-OPT-ESC |
| Unconditionally reboot | CTRL-CMD-POWER |
| Fast Shutdown | CTRL-CMD-OPT-POWER |
| Goto the debugger (if MacsBug is installed) | CMD-POWER |
| Put late model PowerBooks & Desktops to sleep | CMD-OPT-POWER |
Application Specific Keys
Startup key combos to reset the resolution on video boards:
| SuperMac (at least some models)press&hold | OPT |
| Imagine 128 Card (reset resolution) | N |
| RasterOps (at least some models)press&hold | CMD-OPT-SHIFT |
| Radius (Use cable sense pins to set resolution) | U |
| Radius (Cycle through available resolutions) | T |
Conflict Catcher:
| Pause Boot | P (?) |
| Launch CC at Startup | SPACE or CAPS LOCK |
| Skip remaining extensions | CMD-PERIOD |
| Reboot cleanly while loading extensions | CMD-R |
RAM Doubler:
| Disable at Startup | ~ (Tilde) or ESC (?) |
Apple System Installer:
| Change custom install to clean install | CMD-Shift-K |
Claris Emailer:
| Bypass specified startup connections | Hold CMD at launch |
| Bring up rebuild options | Hold OPT at launch |
Easter Eggs
(I make no attempt to list all Easter Eggs, just those that people are kind enough to email to me):
| See Apple QuickTime Team’s picture in Startup | CMD-OPT-Q-T |
| See message from CD-ROM driver team at Startup | CMD-OPT-C-D |
| Map Control Panel, to get to the Middle of Nowhere | Type “Middle of” as location |
Below is more stuff Gathered over time
Make sure to hold down the Cmd + Opt keys as you select the Chooser from the Apple Menu so the Chooser Cache is cleared
| Ignore platform on install | OPT-double click |
| Clean install within installer | CMD-SHIFT-K |
| Reset the video | CMD+OPT+o+v |
MacOS 8.1 Finder
OS 8.1 introduces a couple of new keyboard shortcuts for dealing with open pop-up windows. They are:
| Command-Shift-W | This command closes an open pop-up window and makes it disappear into the window’s host folder – deleting the pop-up window’s tab at the bottom of the screen. Contrast this with Command-W that closes the pop-up window back into the tab. |
| Command-Option-Shift-W | Closes all open windows as well as deletes the open pop-up windows tab. |
| Command-Option-W | closes all windows and retains the open pop-up windows tab. |
Resetting the PowerBook G3 Power Manager
Level: Intermediate
The new PowerBooks are smart and cool but even these mighty machines are susceptible to the vagaries of computing. Should one of these aforementioned vagaries upset your PowerBook to the point where it needs its Power Manager reset, here’s how to go about it:
Turn off the PowerBook and then press the Shift, Function (Fn), Control, and Power keys. This resets the Power Manager. Now start the PowerBook by pressing the Power key.
You can also reset the Power Manager by zapping the PowerBook’s PRAM. Just hold down Command-Option-P-R at startup.
| Reset video at startup | command+option+o+v |
| Screen shot to Disk | command+shift+3 |
| Screen shot to Clipboard | command+control+shift+3 |
| Selection shot to Disk (all the +4 ones work on 7.6.1 as well as 8.0 and 8.1) | command+shift+4 |
| Selection shot to Clipboard | command+control+shift+4 |
| Window shot to Disk (click on a window with the special cursor) | capslock+command+shift+4 |
| Window shot to Clipboard | capslock+command+control+shift+4 |
| Boot Into Open Firmware (Warning not for the faint of heart. You could send your Mac to Never Never Land if you don’t know what you’re doing.) | command+option+O+F |
| Force PowerBook to use external monitor | close the lid just after startup tone [Warning You cannot run the new G3 powerbooks with the lid closed! They automatically go to sleep when closed, and in addition to that, they generate too much heat to be closed while running. Never attempt this, you could permanently damage your G3 PowerBook.] |
| Clear Chooser cache | CMD-OPT when selecting Chooser |
| Erase Disk on insertion | CMD-OPT-Tab |
LaserWriter Specific…
When accessing the “Page Setup…” dialog box from the Finder, holding down the option key when clicking the “OK” button will produce a dialog asking if you want to save this as the default settings.
If running Rhapsody DR2:
| Boot into MacOS | m |
| Boot into Rhapsody | i |
When Rhapsody is Booting:
| Boot into single-user mode | s |
Startup key combos to reset the resolution on video boards:
| SuperMac (at least some models) press & hold | OPT |
| RasterOps (at least some models) press & hold | CMD-OPT-SHIFT |
| Radius (at least some models) press & hold | T, R or U keys |
| Invoke Programmer’s Switch box | CMD-POWER |
Code for PPC:
SM_0_A9F4 ‹Return› G_0 ‹Return›
For 68k:
SM_FA700_A9F4 ‹Return› PC_FA700 G ‹Return›
(Where all “0’s” are numbers, all “_” are space keys)