How do I? (delete-- NOT backspace)

[The Hitman]

This is going to sound like a stupid question, I am going to try and word it so it sounds semi-normal.

How do I delete text. Let's say I wrote the wrong word, as you know a Windows keyboard has "Delete" and "Backspace" keys, but a MacBook keyboard only has a "Delete" key which acts like the "Backspace" key. So in order for me to delete on work I have to go behind the text and use it like backspace.. how do I just delete the word from the front?

 

[bartelby]

Fn + Backspace (delete)

 

[The Hitman]

Fn + Backspace (delete)

Nope didn't work, is there something I have to setup in System Preferences or something?

 

[majordude]

Nope didn't work, is there something I have to setup in System Preferences or something?

Hold the two keys down at the same time.

 

[angelwatt]

Nope didn't work, is there something I have to setup in System Preferences or something?

What program are you trying this in? Some programs break this rule, but most should be able to just fine.

 

[The Hitman]

Hold the two keys down at the same time.

That didn't work either.

What program are you trying this in? Some programs break this rule, but most should be able to just fine.

Text Edit, Firefox.

 

[appleguru1]

Make sure to press and hold the fn key before hitting delete...

 

[The Hitman]

Make sure to press and hold the fn key before hitting delete...

Done that.. didn't work. Like I asked above, is there a setting in System Preferences that I need to enable?

 

[majordude]

Done that.. didn't work. Like I asked above, is there a setting in System Preferences that I need to enable?

Nope. You are doing something wrong.

If you put your cursor between the B and the C...

ABCD

...push the delete key, you will get this...

ACD

...but if you put the cursor between the B and C and press fn (the key to the left of the left ctrl key) PLUS press the delete key you get this...

ABD

...see? I just did it.

 

[The Hitman]

Nope. You are doing something wrong.

If you put your cursor between the B and the C...

ACD

...push the delete key, you will get this...

ACD

...but if you put the cursor between the B and C and press fn (the key to the left of the left ctrl key) PLUS press the delete key you get this...

ABD

...see? I just did it.

I do that and it doesn't work

 

[majordude]

I do that and it doesn't work

Then you're screwed.

I have no idea what's wrong with your system. Take it to an Apple store and see if they can help.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I do that and it doesn't work

Make sure you can type and 'backspace delete' normally. If normal backspace doesn't work, then your backspace button is broken. If you can, try doing some of the other fn-combos, like fn-downarrow to do 'page down'. If that doesn't work, then your fn button might be dead.

I have never seen fn-delete fail to produce the 'forward delete' command, other than in applications that don't understand forward delete at all.

There is no relevant setting in System Preferences that changes this behavior.

 

[majordude]

See YouTube video (just published, may take a few minutes.)

"This video has been removed by the user." Uploaded the one with the babysitter by mistake?

 

[The Hitman]

Make sure you can type and 'backspace delete' normally. If normal backspace doesn't work, then your backspace button is broken. If you can, try doing some of the other fn-combos, like fn-downarrow to do 'page down'. If that doesn't work, then your fn button might be dead.

I have never seen fn-delete fail to produce the 'forward delete' command, other than in applications that don't understand forward delete at all.

There is no relevant setting in System Preferences that changes this behavior.

See .Mac Gallery video (edit: Was a YouTube link, but YouTube rejected it.)

fn doesn't work

 

[Anonymous Freak]

"This video has been removed by the user." Uploaded the one with the babysitter by mistake?

See corrected (.Mac Gallery) one. For some reason, the YouTube version had a status of simply 'Failed', with no explanation, so I removed it. (It was a generic "video doesn't exist" before I removed it. Odd that it would change to "removed"...)

 

[The Hitman]

I got it.. kinda


I downloaded and installed a program called DoubleCommand (which puts itself in System Preferences). And now all I have to do to "forward delete" is hit Shift+Backspace. Honestly I find press Shift+Backspace a little more natural.

Most importantly I really want to thank you all for all your help.. it's really appreciated.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

I got it.. kinda


I downloaded and installed a program called DoubleCommand (which puts itself in System Preferences). And now all I have to do to "forward delete" is hit Shift+Backspace. Honestly I find press Shift+Backspace a little more natural.

Most importantly I really want to thank you all for all your help.. it's really appreciated.

Glad to know you got it figured out. It is confusing with the different terminology used by Apple.

Apple has "delete" and "forward delete". These keys map to the keys called "backspace" and "delete" by Windows, respectively. In fact, in a Boot Camp installation of Windows, you "Control Alt Delete" by doing control-option-function-delete which is control-alt-(function-backspace, which equals delete) in Windows-speak.

 

[wavereel]

I had the same problem

There is, in fact, something in the System Preferences that needs to be changed to make this work.

System preferences > Keyboard > [checkbox] Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys...

After that, it'll work.

 

[C64]

There is, in fact, something in the System Preferences that needs to be changed to make this work.

System preferences > Keyboard > [checkbox] Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys...

After that, it'll work.

That doesn't affect Fn + Backspace, just the default function of the F-keys.

 

[Fry-man22]

There is, in fact, something in the System Preferences that needs to be changed to make this work.

System preferences > Keyboard > [checkbox] Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys...

After that, it'll work.

No - that just changes the top keys. The OP is just challenged in some way. FN+Delete in front of text has the behavior the OP was requesting.

 

[therealseebs]

Confirmed that, on my MBP, fn+delete does in fact forward-delete in a plain text box in Firefox.

"fn" is the little key at the bottom-left of the keyboard labeled "fn", just left of "ctrl", rightt?

 

[spinnerlys]

There is, in fact, something in the System Preferences that needs to be changed to make this work.

System preferences > Keyboard > [checkbox] Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys...

After that, it'll work.

Wow, you just registered to post an "answer" to a 943 days old thread.

Impressive, but by no chance will you answer me this though?

How did you come upon this thread, especially as were not looking for answers but giving one? What did motivate you?

I'm curious, because this phenomenon I still can't understand.

 

[Fry-man22]

Wow, you just registered to post an "answer" to a 943 days old thread.

Impressive, but by no chance will you answer me this though?

How did you come upon this thread, especially as were not looking for answers but giving one? What did motivate you?

I'm curious, because this phenomenon I still can't understand.

I think you have to also throw the fact that the "answer" was completely incorrect into the chaos equation here - totally bazaar...

 

[spinnerlys]

I think you have to also throw the fact that the "answer" was completely incorrect into the chaos equation here - totally bazaar...

That's why I used "". I didn't read the thread, just saw that it was old and with every old thread that I can find which gets resurrected by one-time posters, I ask how they came upon this.
But if my experience over the last 500 days of MacRumors serves me right, and dozens resurrected of threads I posted my question in, I will not get an answer here too.

 

[Fry-man22]

That's why I used "". I didn't read the thread, just saw that it was old and with every old thread that I can find which gets resurrected by one-time posters, I ask how they came upon this.
But if my experience over the last 500 days of MacRumors serves me right, and dozens resurrected of threads I posted my question in, I will not get an answer here too.

My bad - totally read over your quotes...