How to change the keyboard settings in macOS 10.12 Sierra

Terminology:

‘Alt’ refers to the ‘Option’ key ( ⌥ )

If you have enabled ‘Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys’ under ‘Keyboard’ settings in ‘System Preferences’ then omit the ‘Fn’ key from the keyboard shortcuts shown in this article.

To change the repeat and delay rates for typing

1. Open the ‘Apple Menu’ by clicking on the Apple icon () in the Menu Bar, or press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F2’ to highlight the Apple icon and press ‘Enter’
2. Click to select ‘System Preferences…’ as shown in Fig 1 or press the down arrow key to highlight it and then press ‘Enter’.
   
   Fig 1
3. Click on the ‘Keyboard’ icon or press ‘Tab’ repeatedly (you might need to press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F7’ first) to cycle through the icons until the ‘Keyboard’ icon is highlighted with a blue border then press the ‘Spacebar’, see Fig 2.
   
   Fig 2
4. Click on the ’Keyboard’tab or press ‘Tab’ until the ’Keyboard’ tab is highlighted, see Fig 3.
   
   Fig 3
5. To change the rate at which a key repeats when it is held down click on the ’Key Repeat’slider to select a more comfortable repeat rate, or press ’Tab’ to highlight the ’Key Repeat’ slider and use the left and right arrow keys to select your speed.
   
   Moving the slider to the left will mean that it will take longer for a key to repeat when it is held down (you stop it from repeating at all by moving the slider as far to the left as it will go). Moving the slider to the right will mean that it will repeat after a shorter amount of time. See Fig 4.
   
   
   Fig 4
6. To change the delay time before a key starts repeating when it is held down, click on the ’Delay Until Repeat’slider and slide it left or right, or press ’Tab’ to highlight the ’Delay Until Repeat’ slider and use the left and right arrow keys to select your speed.
   
   Moving the slider to the left will mean that it takes a long time for a key to repeat when it is pressed down, moving it to the right will mean that it will repeat after a shorter amount of time. See Fig 5.
   
   Fig 5
7. When you are happy with your settings click the ‘Close’ (red) button at the top of the window or press ‘Cmd’ + ‘W’ to close the window.

Slow Keys

‘Slow Keys’ enable you to adjust the amount of time a computer waits, whilst you are holding a key down, before it accepts it. This means that if you press keys by accident the computer will ignore it until you hold one down for a specific length of time. To adjust the setting for ’Slow Keys’:

1. Open the ‘Apple Menu’ by clicking on the Apple icon () in the Menu Bar, or press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F2’ to highlight the Apple icon and press ‘Enter’.
2. Click to select ‘System Preferences…’ as shown in Fig 6, below, or press the down arrow key to highlight it and then press ‘Enter’.
   
   Fig 6
3. Click on the ‘Accessibility’ icon or press ‘Tab’ repeatedly (you might need to press ‘Fn’ + ‘Ctrl’ + ‘F7’ first) to cycle through the icons until the ‘Accessibility’ icon is highlighted with a blue border as shown in Fig 7 and then press the ‘Spacebar’.
   
   Fig 7
4. In the left-hand column, under the ‘Interacting’ section, click on the ‘Keyboard’ item or press ‘Tab’ to highlight one of the options for example Display’ and then press the up or down arrow keys to highlight the ‘Keyboard’ item in blue, see Fig 8.
   
   Fig 8
5. Click the checkbox next to ‘Enable Slow Keys’ or press ‘Tab’ until the checkbox is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar’, see Fig 9.
   
   Fig 9
6. To change how long you need to hold down a key before it registers, click the ‘Options’ button or press ‘Tab’ until the ‘Options’ button is highlighted and press ‘Spacebar’, see Fig 10.
   
   Fig 10
7. Click on the ’Acceptance Delay’ slider and move it left or right or press ‘Tab’ until the ’Acceptance Delay’slider is highlighted and then press the left or right arrow keys. See Fig 11.
   
   Moving the slider to the left will mean the computer will wait for a shorter amount of time before accepting the key press. Moving the slider to the right will mean that the computer will wait for longer.
   
   
   Fig 11
8. If you’d like to hear a ‘click’ sound when you hold down a key for the correct duration, click the checkbox next to ‘Use click key sounds’ or press ’Tab’until the checkbox is highlighted and press the ’Spacebar’, see Fig 11.
9. When you are happy with your changes click ‘OK’ or press ‘Tab’ to highlight the ‘OK’ button and press ‘Enter’ to return to the ‘Accessibility’ window.
10. Click the ‘Close’ (red) button at the top of the ‘Accessibility’ window or press ‘Cmd’ + ‘W’ to close the window

Note: If this does not work it could be because your computer settings are managed by someone else (an IT department or administrator for example). If this is the case you will need to contact them to access these settings or for further help.