How to Remap the fn (Function) key to ctrl (Control) on Mac
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I rarely, if ever, use the function key on my Mac keyboard. Moreso, decades of computing has taught my brain to treat the bottom-left key on the keyboard as the Control key.
This short guide will show you how to make your fn (function) key as act a ctrl (control) key in macOS. This option is only available for the Macbook keyboard, not external Apple keyboards.
1 – Open Keyboard settings in System Preferences
![](https://sandbox.howchoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2-macos-keyboard-preferences-pane.webp)
Navigate to System Preferences > Keyboard Settings to open the Keyboard Settings pane.
2 – Adjust Modifier Keys
![](https://sandbox.howchoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/3-macos-modifier-keys-settings.webp)
Click the Modifier Keys button and select the keyboard you’d like to configure
It’s possible to convert the fn key to ctrl for your external keyboard, Macbook keyboard, or both!
3 – Remap the function key to control
![](https://sandbox.howchoo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/4-remapping-fn-key-to-ctrl.webp)
To remap the fn key to ctrl in macOS, change the Function (fn) Key: dropdown to ⌃ Control. Then, press OK.
To change additional keyboards, simply select the additional keyboard from the Select keyboard: dropdown and repeat this step.
You’re all done!
🛈 There’s no option to remap your (ctrl) key to (fn) without external software, so make sure you won’t need the Function key. |