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I have a MacBookPro 2011 (Italy) with OS X 10.11.6 and I'm looking for the combination that works just like the INS key found on Windows to overwrite text while I’m typing. The INS key is not found in the built-in keyboard, so I think there must be some other way to toggle this function!

To avoid any misunderstanding, you can see the keys found in the Italian built-in keyboard in the picture here:

enter image description here I tried so many combinations, but none of these works:

  • FnEnter⏎ (it just produces a new line)

  • FnM (it just types an "m")

  • FnI

  • ControlT

And many more (for instance some combinations mentioned here: How do I simulate the Insert key in Windows on a MacBook Pro?)

Do you have any suggestions? This is driving me crazy, any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Community
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Daniela
  • 11

2 Answers2

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If your purpose is simply to have the overwrite feature in Word for Mac or its free clones, then you can activate it inside the app and go to Tools > Customize Keyboard > Commands and select "Overtype" and set whatever keyboard shortcut you want for it.

Tom Gewecke
  • 20,864
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I found this answer on the Apple Discussion Forums. Basically, you need to remap another key to be the insert key. To do this, you will need:

  • Karabiner. You may be able to use Karabiner Elements (Free) to do this, but the software is limited.

  • XML configuration files to remap the key(s)


Following are a couple sample XML configurations.

Remap the § key (UK keyboard) to ShiftCommandU:

<?xml version="1.0"?> 
<root>
   <item>
   <name>Make § Key Insert Key</name>
   <identifier>private.section_to_insert</identifier>
   <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::UK_SECTION, KeyCode::U, ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L, ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L</autogen>
   </item>
</root>

Remap the § key (UK keyboard) to PC Insert:

<?xml version="1.0"?>    
<root>
<item>
    <name>Make § Key Insert Key</name>
    <identifier>private.section_to_insert</identifier>
    <autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::UK_SECTION, KeyCode::PC_INSERT</autogen>
  </item>
</root>

You will have to select a key that you don't use (or use very seldom) to remap to. The Italian keyboard also has the § key so that may be a good option.

Allan
  • 101,432
  • Do you happen to know whether this actually works to toggle between insert and overtype on Word for Mac 2016? – Tom Gewecke Mar 08 '17 at 17:21
  • @TomGewecke - I won't be able to check for a couple days. I personally don't use Karabiner (no use for it), but the person whom I installed it for is out of town and I have no access to their machine. – Allan Mar 08 '17 at 19:40
  • Thank you for your input. I was hoping to find a simple solution, but I'll look into this if I cannot find any other idea. – Daniela Mar 09 '17 at 15:55