People who are familiar with the Windows operating system constantly turn to the combination of the «Ctrl + Alt + Delete» keys, since in this way a very useful command is executed for each of the users. Through this mechanism we can, among other things, perform a RAM cleanup.
When a computer starts up it has to take a few minutes until it is operational, this is because the operating system has to do a memory test. If we need to force the closure of the programs in use and avoid the “Restart” we can use this tool “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” .
In this article we will show you all the details and shortcuts that exist for the MacOS operating system in its equivalent to the Windows command.
Index:
What is the origin of the Contrl-ALT- command Delete on all computers?
When the startup process of our equipment starts, it must go through a memory test, which takes time and if we had to count all these minutes that we lost the task, we would realize the impact that we are facing screen without doing anything.
As it happens today when the engineer David Bradley was developing with his team the first PC, and through the different tests and errors that they made with the programming, every time he had to restart his team wasted time because he had to pass the memory test and component analysis.
Realizing that he was wasting a lot of time, he designed an internal code for his team, so that with a combination of 3 keys and using both hands I can skip the process of the different tests at the start.
In this way he used “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” taking it as a security measure since this function could not be executed accidentally.
As the first PCs were designed for IBM, this company took this tool as the development of these devices. This way it was installed to this day.
Although there is another version, in which Bill Gates was asked directly at Harvard University in 2017 when he was speaking at a seminar, why this combination.
The tycoon explained it was due to an idem keyboard design in which the person in charge of this task did not want to add an additional key so that this function could exist. Gates clarified that it would have been better for him to have only one key and not the combination of these three.
What are the differences of using this command in Windows or MacOS?
There are differences in the control of this command between a Windows operating system and a MacOS.
In the first OS the tool has all its most important functions summarized in this key combination, while for a Mac computer, the same functions are separated, so there is no command «Ctrl + Alt + Delete »in the MacOS operating system.
Next, we detail the functions found in Windows by selecting «Ctrl + Alt + Delete»:
- Block: When we need our computer to be locked without turning it off, we can use this shortcut.
- Change user: This function It is designed when there are two or more users that intervene use the PC, needing to have each separated without training.
- Log out: We will use this function, unlike the previous point where immediately another user enters, here what we are going to do is exit directly regardless of whether another user will enter or not.
- Change password: We can change the different password for the start of session or operating system.
- Task Manager: This is perhaps the most used part of the command, thanks to this section we can free up space in RAM when it is found full or processor performance is low, you can also check the performance of the CPU and memory among others.
- Control application history through the use of its resources, control the control of boot programs and their status at startup as well as for the different users what is the expense of resources for each one and you can also control the detail of the applications that are running.
- You can analyze the different adapters that are running or not at the time of control, as well as we can access the detail of the performance of the CPU, memory and disk, defined by user.
List of all functions of Ctrl + Alt + Delete on MacOS computers
As we mentioned earlier, in the computers with MacOS operating system the functions of the command “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” of Windows are separated.
Next we will show you the list of all the functions included in this control on a Mac:
Lock the computer
While it is true that the function of blocking the computer does not exist in MacOS, what we can do is turn off the screen. This situation is ideal for when we have to retire for a few minutes and need to have our Mac locked.
We will have to use this combination:
- «Ctrl + Shift + Media eject button»
Open the start window in a user account
In Windows this function is known as changing users, to perform this action we will have to use the command:
- «Shift + Command + H»
Log out
In a MacOS operating system we have two possibilities one to close the user’s account, but we will need confirmation of it for this we will use:
- «Shift + Command + Q»
When we don’t need confirmation, the key combination will be:
- «Option + Shift + Command + Q»
Forced closing of an application
This combination would be necessary when some of the apps we have installed on our Mac are frozen. For this we will perform this command:
- «Option + Command + Esc»
Close an app
If we need to close an application in a normal way we can use the keys:
- «Command + Q»
Now, when what we are looking for is to close all applications and restart the computer we will use:
- «Control + Command + Media eject button»
If what we are looking for is to close all apps and turn off the computer, we will have to use:
- «Control + Option + Command + Power button»
Empty the trash
Although this option is not in comparison with the Windows operating system since it has to be used differently than with the «Ctrl + Alt + Delete» command, on Mac We can relate it to free space in RAM (which is included in the Windows command).
To empty the trash on our Mac we will use the key combination:
- «Shift + Command + Delete»
Force restart
When our Mac freezes we will have to use this option, for this we will use the combination of the following keys:
- «Control + Command + Power button»
Rest and shutdown
For those situations where we need to perform some of the mentioned actions we will use:
- «Control + Power button»
Boot from an external drive
To boot directly from a pendrive or any other type of external storage to our equipment, we will press the «C» key when it is booting from the Mac.
If what we need is for the boot to be through a single user, the command will be:
- «Command + S»
If what we want is to start in a detailed way:
- «Command + V»
Other commands used
The combinations that we present below do not belong or are not comparable with the Windows command “Ctrl + Alt + Delete”, but it is good to keep them in mind so that they save us time on our Mac.
Next, the most used combinations:
- When we need to underline a text “Command + U”
- To write in bold letters “Command + B”
- If we need to write in italics “Command + I”
- When we have to place the cursor at the beginning of the document “Fn + Left arrow” strong>
- To go to the end of the document or its character “Fn + Right arrow”
- If we need to locate ourselves at the beginning of a paragraph or of a sentence “Control + A”
- If we have to go to the end of the paragraph or the sentence “Control + E”
- We can go back one page of a document using “Fn + Up Arrow”
- We move forward one page with “Fn + Down Arrow”