Can you map the globe key to a non-Apple keyboards?

Hardware
1

Is there an option to map the globe key to non-Apple keyboards? I want to use my mechanical keyboard with my Mac, but I can’t figure out how to map the globe key to one of the modifier keys. And that makes the mech keyboard less useful, because I use the globe key quite a bit.

2

You can’t do it in any straightforward manner.

  1. If your keyboard uses QMK, there’s a patch to allow for Apple’s fn key in keymaps. It’s a bit shady, but you can read more about it here;

  2. If you’re not in qmk, you can use software on the map to remap a key to perform as fn/globe. If you do it natively, you’re limited to remapping other modifiers (see this)

  3. If you want to go a bit deeper on the software route, you can use Karabiner Elements to map any key to behave as fn/globe (or any other key you may want to).

The third one is probably the way to go if you don’t intend to use your keyboard in any other device than your Mac.

3 Likes
3

Thanks. The default options by Apple don’t offer the globe key option for other keyboards, but I will have a look at the other alternatives.

4

Found this via a Google search. The solution that worked for me: in macOS Sonoma 14.5, System Settings, Keyboard, Keyboard Shortcuts, Modifier Keys, I changed the Caps Lock key to behave as the fn Function key and it started to behave like the globe key. Perhaps remapping another key to the fn Function key would also work.

The Apple fn key works differently than other fn keys on keyboards because it actually gets sent on the wire. This has cause great workarounds to become necessary. Interesting discussion here.

5

I’m aware of that option, but it only assigns the fn function and that is not the same as what the globe key does. The globe key gives access to other keyboard shortcuts and that is not what assigning the fn function to capslock does. For example globe key + q opens a new quick note.

6

It actually does work exactly like the globe key when reassigned. I use it often to invoke the emoji and symbols window. I just successfully tried it with caps + q to open a new quick note and caps + s to invoke Siri.