Terminal · Use Esc when Alt is not the Meta key
Editing
Windows · Linux
Esc·BMac
Esc·BBoth systems use the same combination.
Every Alt combination can be typed as Esc followed by the key, which is the route people actually take in the macOS Terminal where Option is not Meta.
- Group
- Editing
- Keys held
- 1
In a terminal Ctrl+C is not copy; it interrupts whatever is running. Copy is Ctrl+Shift+C in Windows Terminal and Cmd+C on a Mac.
Reading the key names
- Keys joined by + are pressed together: Ctrl+Shift+P means hold Ctrl and Shift, then P.
- On a Mac, Cmd is ⌘, Option is ⌥ (labelled Alt on some keyboards), Control is ⌃ and Shift is ⇧.
- Windows Ctrl usually becomes Cmd on a Mac, but not always — this reference lists both combinations separately.
- With a Korean, Japanese or Chinese input method active, shortcuts built on letter keys may not fire. Switch to Latin input and try again.
- When a combination does nothing, another program has often claimed it as a global shortcut first.
Common questions
QWhat is the shortcut for Use Esc when Alt is not the Meta key in Terminal?
Every Alt combination can be typed as Esc followed by the key, which is the route people actually take in the macOS Terminal where Option is not Meta. It is Esc B on Windows and Esc B on a Mac.
QIs it the same on Windows and Mac?
Yes, Esc B on both.
QHow many keys is that?
1 pressed together. The combination sits under Editing in Terminal.