TOPIC: INSERT KEY
Adding Linux copy and paste keyboard shortcuts to macOS with Karabiner-Elements
8th April 2026
Here is one for those using a conventional PC keyboard, like I do with my Mac Mini: setting up Linux-style copying and pasting keyboard shortcuts on macOS. Because there is no Insert key on a conventional Mac keyboard, the suggestion will not work for that setup, as I remembered when seeking to use it on an iMac for the sake of retaining Linux-compatible muscle memory.
Before going any further, I need to point out that I already have swapped the Left CMD and Left CTRL keys using the Karabiner-Elements app, into which the following code was imported as a complex mapping and saved. Thus, what is CMD below is CTRL in reality. That means that the result is that I have CTRL+Insert for copying and SHFT+Insert for pasting. Here then is the code that makes the new mappings work:
{
"description": "Cmd+Insert -> Cmd+C, Shift+Insert -> Cmd+V",
"manipulators": [
{
"type": "basic",
"from": {
"key_code": "insert",
"modifiers": { "mandatory": ["command"] }
},
"to": [
{ "key_code": "c", "modifiers": ["command"] }
]
},
{
"type": "basic",
"from": {
"key_code": "insert",
"modifiers": { "mandatory": ["shift"] }
},
"to": [
{ "key_code": "v", "modifiers": ["command"] }
]
}
]
}The complexity above comes from the use of modifier keys like SHFT, especially when turning SHFT+Insert into CMD+V (CTRL+V as I have it set up using a predicate simple mapping for the CMD/CTRL pairing). Otherwise, things should be self-explanatory, and Karabiner-EventViewer allowed me to identify the keys to remap.
Keyboard shortcut for Euro currency symbol on Windows 10
21st April 2018
Because I now have business dealings in Ireland, there is a need to add in the Euro currency symbol to emails even though I based in the U.K. and use U.K. keyboard settings. While there is the possibility to insert the symbol in Microsoft Office and other applications, using a simple keyboard shortcut is more efficient since it avoids multiple mouse clicks. For some reason, CTRL + SHIFT + E got into my head as the key combination, but that turns on the Track Changes facility in Word. Instead, CTRL + ALT + 4 does the needful and that is what I will be keeping in mind for future usage.