I map it to the panel menu that most DEs still include. Unless you're Gnome, in which case you may as well use a joy stick to navigate that GUI.
this post was submitted on 13 Nov 2025
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meta and ctrl switched, because if there’s something apple did right it’s using the thumb as modifier key for copy/paste/etc instead of pinkie finger which is far FAR less able to deal with repeat strain
but i also type programmers dvorak because i got pretty horrible wrist pain at one point so anything to stop me damaging my wrists :p
a bunch of shortcuts
- mod + w for waterfox
- mod + n for thunar
- mod + q to quit a program
- mod + d for dmenu
- mod + f to force fullscreen
- mod + enter for a terminal
- hold it down to grab a window
etc.
Familiar, I see you are a person of tiling-culture as well.
I use my context menu key as the chording key to control any keyboard macro profiles, so that I can terminate, reload, summon for editing or summon a help file as needed.
I have lots of shortcuts bound to it except I never press it because I have the caps lock key mapped to the same keycode and that's easier to press
I used to have bunch of key maps, now it's just: tap it to pull up the start menu and type software I want to open, and meta + space to change language input on my keyboard.
I guess pretty much it.
Bazzite KDE default seems fine for me.
To open the App Menu, and for a mod key, same as in Windows
The default for Gnome. It's a really useful app switcher.
Came here to say this. Basically, the same way it's used in Windows. I hit the key, type a few characters and I launch the app I seek.
Exactly. I love Gnome for this.
I always just remapped it to the super button, and most applications actually automatically map it to the super button.
It opens my programs menu (or start menu to use the Windows vernacular). It's still incredibly useful for me to have it that way
It's for window management related hotkeys. Obviously. All about windows. With a lowercase "w".
I don't have one. If I did, I want change the keycap.
Now... it's called a meta key https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_key ... and I use it exactly as one would on Windows, e.g. Meta-e starts the file explorer ... but I added my shortcuts too e.g. :
- meta+k for konsole
- meta+f for FIP (online French radio, music only, no ads)
- meta+F to stop FIP
- meta+a to play the series I'm currently watching
- meta+A to stop mpv (playing the current series)
- meta+o to turn on my office lights
- meta+l to turn off those lights
- meta+ESC to turn off lights and suspend computer
- meta+s for Spectacle to take a screenshot
and I have quite a others I can't recall right now.
As far as I am aware, the "Windows" key is generally mapped as the Super key, not he Meta key.
My bad then, as I mentioned before unfortunately I have no such keyboard available anymore.
No problem, though I must admit I'm curious about your keyboard as it is quite uncommon to not have one. Are you using an older keyboard that lacks one or one of the "winkeyless" enthusiast mechanical keyboards or maybe a really small form factor keyboard?
one of the “winkeyless” enthusiast mechanical keyboards...
That's me, in fact you can see my keymap at https://github.com/Utopiah/zmk-config-zen-2/blob/main/config/corneish_zen.keymap#L27 for my Corne-ish Zen 3x6
Corne-ish Zen 3x6 I can definitely see why you don't have a dedicated Windows/Super key then. I do find Super... ahem... super useful though, so you my consider adding it to a layer if it isn't already there. I was never able to adapt to any of the smaller split or ortho keyboard layouts. I sold my OG Ergodox after stubbornly trying to use it for so long. My only winkeyless boards now are my vintage keyboards that predate the windows key.
Its the super key, the meta key is now Alt IIRC
Not according to Wikipedia (linked to initially already) nor KDE Plasma which I'm using :
The wikipedia page you linked says otherwise.
On keyboards that lack a physical Meta key, its functionality may be invoked by other keys such as the Windows key or Macintosh's Option key.[4] However, software often provides another workaround, such as using the Alt key (which does not exist on the Knight keyboard), or using the Esc key as a prefix (e.g., in Emacs). Because of these workarounds, the need for Meta – despite being the most-used additional modifier key – was less than for other modifier keys. It is more common today to use the Windows key to emulate the Super key.
I don't have a physical keyboard with a Windows key to verify (gave that to a friend who need an ergonomic keyboard few weeks ago) but AFAICT xev or KDE Plasma again return meta when pressed on that key.
Also ZMK https://zmk.dev/docs/keymaps/list-of-keycodes list GUI as Meta GUI (Windows / Command / Meta) and QMK LGUI(kc) G(kc), LCMD(kc), LWIN(kc) https://docs.qmk.fm/feature_advanced_keycodes
My interpretation of "Meta key, its functionality may be invoked by other keys such as the Windows key or Macintosh’s Option key" is that the Windows key is the meta key, isn't it what it says?
KDE uses "meta" to refer to the Windows key. Emacs uses "meta" to refer to the Alt key. You are correct that GNOME calls the Windows key "Super".
This causes some confusion, obviously we Linux users don't want to call it the Windows key, so the best solution is to call the keys "Super" and "Alt", those are unambiguous.
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I've used Linux since 1998, and several DEs. I've never heard the Windows key referred to as a "meta" key.
The "Windows" key is just called "Meta" (Edit: or more commonly "Super") key in Linux. It's used for hotkeys, especially stuff that has to do with window management. I also set a simple press on it without other keys, which would open up "krunner" (to search or run apps).
It's my Super key. It's used for like everything in my DE (Hyprland).
I don't have one. In its place I have a meta key with a diamond design on the keycap. Why would I need a "Windows" key if I haven't used Windows in over a decade?
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Just general command key for shortcuts?
It is probably my most pressed button because of this, also i changed the keycap to eye of horus.
Switched the cap so I wouldn't have to see that ugly logo… mapped it to the soper key for Hyprland
Same as I do on Windows. When I want to open an application I press it and type in the name. For example: Windows, C, M, D, Enter (I type CMD even on Linux).
I use it as a modifier key for all of the shortcuts I create since nothing uses it by default.
It opens up anyrun.
No differently than it's used in Windows, plus a few more key-chords that utilize it. That's the default in GNOME and KDE at least, and probably other DEs as well.
I'm more interested in what people do with that strange menu key sitting next to my touch-starved right-CTRL. I know it's for pulling up the context menu, but I have literally never used it for any reason. When I'm 100% keyboard, I'm probably in a terminal and it won't do anything any way.
The menu key is a convenient place to put the compose key.
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I use it as the prefix key for my tiling window manager (stumpwm), and have mapped it to the "Super" X11 modifier for Emacs.
(Also, I have mapped CapsLock to the Hyper modifier, which I mostly use for user-defined commands. Not as powerful as the original space cadet keyboard, but not bad!).
BTW, one thing that is great about StumpWM is that you can define commands to script actions on GUI applications. For Example, if you are in a Firefox window, you can script Ctrl-t-B (or perhaps Hyper-B) to go to the adress bar, copy the URL, then call xsel to append the content of the buffer to a file which is called ~/bookmarks.txt, and finally open your preferred editor to add a comment.
by holding it i can grab a window anywhere to drag it
Hold super and right-click a window to resize it. Ymmv
Oh, yeah, and holding the right mouse and dragging to resize the window.
Change mine to blank transparent keycap, I generally use it for mod key
Super key for DE keybinds or other global hotkeys. Nothing uses it so you don’t have to worry about collisions.
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