OS X Mountain Lion: Enter modifiers easily using Sticky Keys

Enter modifiers easily using Sticky Keys

Using Sticky Keys, you can enter key combinations—such as Command (⌘)-Q (for Quit) and Command (⌘)-Option (⌥)-Control (^)-8 (to reverse the display to white on black)—by pressing them in sequence instead of simultaneously.

When Sticky Keys is active, each modifier key you press is displayed in white in a corner of the screen, accompanied by a sound effect, so you can verify the sequence and correct it (if needed) before it’s entered. When you press the last key in the sequence, OS X plays a sound, enters the key combination, and removes the display from the screen.

Use Sticky Keys in combination with Keyboard Viewer to create an onscreen keyboard that you can type on using a mouse, trackball, or other similar input device.

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, and then click Keyboard.
  2. Select Enable Sticky Keys.

    To choose the corner where the symbols appear, and select other Sticky Keys settings, click Options.

You can also turn on Sticky Keys by pressing Command (⌘)-Option (⌥)-F5 and selecting Enable Sticky Keys.