Mac tip: Map Caps Lock to Ctrl or Escape

Caps lock? Show me a programmer or a system administrator that actually uses caps lock for producing CAPITAL LETTERS. Actually, don’t. But the point is, CAPS LOCK as a toggle for typing in SCREAM CASE versus normal case is really an outdated concept. That’s why i mapped my Caps Lock key to be a control key instead.

To do this – on a Mac – open System Preferences, then the Keyboard prefs, then, on the Keyboard tab, press the Modifier Keys button. Change Caps Lock to map to Control. Or Escape, if you’re a vim person.

Ah! A dilemma!

What if you are a vim person, but use Emacs key bindings in the shell (like any normal person :) ? And you’re mighty tired that the Escape key has been relegated to the Touch Bar? Then you need Karabiner Elements. Karabiner Elements is a re-write of the good old Mac keyboard modifier app Karabiner, re-written because the security model of modern macOS was incompatible with the app as it was.

Install Karabiner Elements and open up its Preferences. The Preferences window will probably pop up the first time you run Karabiner, but if can also be summoned through the box shaped icon on your menu bar at the top of the screen. Open the “Complex Modifications” tab, choose Add Rule and press Import more rules from the Internet. A web brower will open and a page will appear. Import the Change caps_lock (rev 2) rule set. Then activate the rule Change caps_lock to control if pressed with other keys, to escape if pressed alone and you’re done!

If you really want a Caps Lock to activate SCREAM CASE on your keyboard, you could always try importing the Change shift key (rev 2) rule set which has the rule Change left_shift to caps_lock if pressed alone (rev 2), which works totally fine with the caps lock to esc/ctrl rule, and lights up the Caps Lock LED. Because you did miss that one, didn’t you ;)