Learn the Mac’s Secret for Deleting Forward

Have you ever struggled with deleting text when using your Mac? You’re not alone—I’ve been there too! Today, I’m going to share with you a little secret that will make your life a whole lot easier.

Let’s talk about the forward delete function on a Mac. You may be wondering, “What exactly does ‘forward delete’ mean?” Well, it’s when you want to delete text in front of the cursor instead of behind it. You might think it’s impossible on a Mac, but fear not! I’m here to show you how it’s done.

First things first, let’s identify the key you need to use. On a Windows keyboard, this key is conveniently called the “delete” key. However, on a Mac, it’s called the “fn” key. Don’t worry if you’re not sure where it is—I’ll guide you through it.

Now, let’s get practical. To delete forwards on your Mac, you need to combine two keys: the “fn” key and the “delete” key (which is also referred to as the “backspace” key). Yes, it’s as simple as that!

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Place your cursor right after the text you want to delete.

2. Simultaneously press and hold the “fn” key and the “delete” key.

3. Watch as the text magically disappears!

Pretty cool, huh? I love this little trick because it saves me so much time and frustration. No more deleting backwards and then re-typing everything that should have been deleted in the first place!

Practice makes perfect, so take a moment to try it out. Open a document or a webpage, put your cursor where you want to delete the text, and remember to press and hold the “fn” key along with the “delete” key.

Now that you know this Mac secret, you’re ready to become a deletion expert! Whether it’s erasing a single character or entire paragraphs, the forward delete function will be your new best friend.

So go ahead, embrace the power of the “fn” and “delete” keys. Delete text like a pro, and impress your friends with your newfound Mac mastery. Happy deleting!

Hey, did you know that you can actually move the delete function in different directions on your Mac? Yeah, it’s true. A lot of people don’t realize that they have the option to do a forward delete. When you hit the Delete key, it typically moves the cursor backwards, but what if you want it to go forward instead?

Well, it’s actually really simple. All you need is to know a few Mac shortcuts. In the following sections, I’m going to give you a quick tutorial on how to do a forward delete on your Mac, along with some other useful shortcuts that you might find handy.

Forward Delete Shortcuts – macOS

If you do a lot of typing on your Mac, you’re probably no stranger to the Backspace or Delete key. As you already know, when you press that key, it moves the cursor to the left and deletes the text in front of it. But what if you want it to go in the opposite direction?

No worries – just hold down the Function (fn) key and the Delete key at the same time, and voila! The cursor will start moving from left to right, allowing you to do a forward delete. Now, some Mac keyboards don’t have a dedicated Delete key. If that’s the case for you, don’t worry. Simply hold down the Ctrl + D keys, and you’ll be able to do a forward delete as well.

I love these shortcuts because they work in all apps, whether they’re third-party or native. That means you can use them to forward delete in MS Word, Pages, messenger apps, or any software that has a text editor. Give it a try: open Notes, move your cursor to any part of the text, and hit Ctrl + D.

More Useful Shortcuts

Here are some other shortcuts that you might not know about or don’t use often. They work in apps with a text editor, and they offer different ways to delete text (not just moving backward).

1. Ctrl + H – works like Backspace or regular delete
2. Ctrl + K – deletes everything between the cursor and the end of a paragraph or a sentence
3. Opt + Del (Delete key) – deletes an entire word to the left
4. Cmd + Semicolon – locates all the misspelled words
5. Shift + Cmd + Colon – shows/hides grammar and spelling options
6. Opt + Left Arrow – moves the cursor to the start of the previous word
7. Ctrl + A – takes you to the beginning of a paragraph or line
8. Ctrl + B – takes you backward, only by one character
9. Ctrl + F – takes you forward, only by one character
10. Ctrl + O – inserts a new line after the cursor

These are just a few of the many shortcuts available. There are plenty more to explore, and once you start using them, you might find yourself forgetting about your mouse or trackpad.

Can You Forward Delete on iPhone/iPad?

Unfortunately, there is still no option to forward delete on an iPhone or iPad. I mean, there isn’t a single key or shortcut to make it happen, and it’s not available on the iOS 13 beta either. But don’t worry, you’re not completely out of luck – it just works a little differently.

If you want to forward delete on your Apple mobile device, you have to use the touch screen and move the cursor to the right spot, and then just tap the backspace key, like you normally would. You could also use the selection tool to grab the text you want to remove.

Some people think that certain third-party iPad keyboards have a forward delete shortcut, but that’s not true. iOS works differently from macOS, so it’s not an option.

There is a feature called Shake to Undo, but it’s not exactly the same as deleting. It’s just a quick way to get rid of text you don’t want.

Delete Key on Steroids

If you’re a Mac user, you know that the Delete key doesn’t help you if you want to delete something in Finder. Sure, you can press Cmd + Delete to delete a file or folder, but there’s a little trick to enable one-press deletion.

You’ll need a small third-party program called PresButan. This program lets you use the Return and Enter keys to open Finder folders, and it allows you to delete with just one key, either forward or backward. Here’s a quick guide on how to set it up.

Step 1

Go to the PresButan website and download the software. You can’t open and install it right away because macOS has some security measures. So, open System Preferences, go to Security & Privacy, and allow the program there.

Step 2

Now, go back to Security & Privacy, click the Privacy tab, and select Accessibility from the left menu. Click the plus icon and add PresButan. The app will appear in the right window, and you have to check the box in front of it to allow it to work.

Step 3

Launch the program and follow the setup wizard. It’s a simple process with just two windows to confirm your choices, and then you’re good to go.

Happy Deleting

To sum it up, forward deleting only requires you to press fn + Delete or Ctrl + D. It’s still not available on mobile devices, but maybe a future iOS update will bring it. We’ll have to wait and see.

So, how often do you forward delete? And what’s your favorite app for typing and editing text? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.