Motivation
I use a Mac at home but a Windows PC at work. After using a PC at the office on weekdays, I often mix up the keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting (e.g., Ctrl-c vs. Cmd-c) when I switch to my Mac at home. Conversely, on Mondays at the office, I sometimes reflexively press Cmd+c. Incidentally, I use an HHK (US layout) keyboard in both environments.
I decided to remap the Mac shortcuts Cmd-c/v/x/z/a/s/f to Ctrl-c/v/x/z/a/s/f. To achieve this, I used an application called Karabiner-Elements.
During the setup process, I consulted ChatGPT to verify the steps and check how to handle any potential issues.
Modification Procedure
Preliminary Investigation
To determine the best method for making the changes, I first asked some general questions.
Prompt（In reality, the prompt is in Japanese）
I use a Mac at home on weekends and a Windows PC at work on weekdays. The biggest issue I face is the difference in copy-paste shortcuts—using Ctrl-c and Ctrl-v on Windows versus Cmd-c and Cmd-v on Mac—which causes confusion as I switch between the two environments. Could you please tell me how to set up the same shortcuts on my Mac that I use on Windows?
Based on the response from ChatGPT, I decided to use Karabiner-Elements to make the changes.
Now, it is finally time to proceed with the configuration.
Configuration Steps
I asked for the specific configuration steps as follows.
Prompt
macのショートカットキー設定を次のようにするKarabiner-Elements設定手順を教えてください。
Finder、Chrome、Safari、Word、Excel、PowerPoint、ChatGPT、その他GUIアプリでは、Mac側で Ctrl+C/V/X/Z/A/S/F だけを Cmd+C/V/X/Z/A/S/F に変換する手順
それから、VS Codeで、Ctrl+C → Copy、Ctrl+V → Pasteとする方法。
ChatGPT’s response included instructions for installing Karabiner-Elements, the configuration process, and the configuration settings (JSON), but I’ll omit those here.
When I tested this on the actual device, the Ctrl- key worked on the PC’s built-in keyboard, but it didn’t trigger any shortcuts on the HHK Studio.
Next, I’ll address how to fix this.
Additional Fixes
I described the situation as follows.
Prompt
I've applied the information from our previous conversation.
Actually, I'm connected to the HHK Studio via Bluetooth.
While shortcuts like Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V work on the built-in keyboard, they don't work on the HHK Studio.
Could you please tell me how to resolve this?
The key point in ChatGPT’s response was to go to Karabiner-Elements → Devices and turn on “Modify events” for the HHKB Studio.
When I followed the instructions in the response, it worked exactly as expected.
Thoughts
I’ve been using it for a little while since changing the shortcut keys, and it feels great—it doesn’t interrupt my train of thought. I wish I had done this sooner.
Also, by configuring the settings based on ChatGPT’s question and answer, I was able to get it set up very quickly.