CTRL Shortcuts Don't Work with Mac

[Anthony LV]

I'm using a Microsoft keyboard on a Mac, and I'm having trouble changing shortcuts using ⌘ to CTRL in Illustrator.

Because my keyboard settings are ⌥=Windows Key and ⌘=Alt to more closely match my PC at home, pressing shortcuts like ⇧+Alt+V for Paste in Place can be difficult. 

When I attempt switching Alt with CTRL, I get "The key pressed cannot be used as a shortcut" message.

If this is because Mac keyboards use the ⌘ key like the CTRL button on PC, I'm confused about why Mac keyboards still have a Control button separate from ⌘, except for very limited and specific functions. 

Maybe these functions are what's keeping Illustrator from assigning shortcuts to CTRL, but I don't know what they are.

Normally I would attribute this CTRL issue to Apple wanting a different experience than PCs. But interestingly, once I deactivated the "CTRL+ →" shortcut under Mission Control, I was able to use it as a custom shortcut in After Effects. Is there something about Illustrator in particular that doesn't like CTRL? 

I realize this is more of a question about the Illustrator user experience than a bug or problem, but any insight is greatly appreciated!

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Just a point of history, the Command key came first when the Mac was introduced, so the desktop publishing industry started with that. (There was no Ctrl key on the first generations of Mac.. that came later).  When Windows started to offer the same apps a few years later, they just had CTRL and ALT (there was no Windows key on PC keyboards back then... that also came later), so CTRL became the defacto swap for Command.

So I feel your pain. Here's some good inssight on how to deal with that: https://9to5mac.com/2016/03/17/how-to-remap-windows-keyboard-buttons-match-mac-layout/

[Anthony LV]

Thank you for that history, it's good to know how this all came about. I switched my option and command keys, and it's nice to have a similar key order as PC. Do you happen to know if there's anything about Illustrator in particular that keeps it from making use of CTRL shortcuts? I thought it was odd that other Adobe applications like AE would allow it. 

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

Not sure. There may be a fight going on between what you set up for your System itself and the Adobe apps