CTRL your CAPSLOCK key for great good

- select the contributor at the end of the page -
I've always had pretty good typing skills, but sometimes I'm not quite as accurate as I'd like. As a younger developer, I'd sometimes miss the Tab key and accidentally mash CAPSLOCK instead. If you work on a PC you've probably done the same with the Insert key. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H7NZ0GNIIE



One day in a fit of rage I pried both of those keys right off my keyboard. With two satisfying pops, I was free of those modes and I had a great conversation starter for a keyboard!

Over the years I learned to live with my CAPSLOCK key by turning it into another CTRL key, easily accessible from the home position. I experienced a wonderful increase in productivity and decrease in wrist strain.

Try it for a week. You'll never go back.

Mac users: CTRL your CAPSLOCK key

System Preferences | Keyboard | Modifier Keys

Mac Modifier Keys


PC Users: CTRL your CAPSLOCK key

Note: Curtis below suggests using AutoHotKey to make this change temporarily, then once you decide you like it, you can update your registry. Thanks for the tip, Curtis.

Back up this registry key before you make this change to your registry. Standard registry modification warnings apply.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlKeyboard Layout]
"Scancode Map"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,1d,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00

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Contributor

Keith Sparkjoy

Keith Sparkjoy was a Culture Coach at Pluralsight. As a cofounder, Keith was the Chief Technology Officer for many years, building and hosting the website and all things IT. These days there's a whole team of folks taking care of the tech, and Keith is focusing more on company culture, which is one of the most important aspects of a fast-growing business.