Menus in OS X may be convenient when you are using it through trackpad or mouse, but sometimes it gets much easier when using with a keyboard like managing or navigating your computer. For Microsoft’s operating system windows, you can easily press the keyboard button of contextual menu for the activation of system’s contextual menu with an assortment of items & copy them, manipulate them or send them through e-mail.
Awkwardly, OS X does not have an option to activate the menus without using pointer. The menus in OS X are directly linked to the pointer location, if you wanted to simulate a control click input, then the menu will appear below the mouse pointer & not on the current selection. This kind of deficiency in OS X might frustrate some users, particularly for those who are using windows or for those who have used the windows and wish or hope for similar features. However, there is some workaround which may suffice.
While contextual activation is missing, but in OS X you can access and activate the topmost menu bar with keyboard, which will definitely allow you to access all commands in the contextual menu, and many more.
When we talk about the Apple then F2 is used for accessing the menus. And this may not respond sometimes, particularly when you have hot function keys for other genera like the Launch Pad, Dashboard & other system services and controls. So, if you are going to resign menu access to other hot key, you cannot ensure or confirm it works reliably, but make it relevant to the keyboard access.
explore this option and allocate a custom hot key, and then you can rapidly avail the system menus from any application.
If you want to see menus in OS X through keyboard then, open the preference of the keyboard system > keyboard section > choose keyboard category. Locate or find the option named ‘’ Move focus to menu bar’’ and confirm it is checked. Then click on ‘’ ^F2’’ the hot key text then it highlights > click on hot key of your choice.
with this assigned hot key, you have an ability to press it at any point and then highlighted Apple menu bar can be seen easily. Navigating with arrows makes you able to choose a menu & a command in it, then press enter for the activation of that command.
