By David Röthlisberger. Comments welcome at david@rothlis.net.
Last updated 4 Oct 2011. This article is Creative Commons licensed.
The Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 doesn’t feel very “Mac-like”, at least not out-of-the-box. Read on for helpful settings to improve the experience, and a brief review of the keyboard at the end.
Nov 07, 2019 The Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard is a USB keyboard that has a split design with a naturally arched shape to help protect you from wrist strain, improve your typing form, and speed your typing. It has a cushioned palm rest for comfort and longer periods of productivity.
OS X kernel panic
On Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6), the IntelliType Pro 8.0 drivers caused me kernel panics at least once a day.
The recent 8.2 driversdon’t cause kernel panics on Lion (OS X 10.7). I haven’t tested them on Snow Leopard, but I assume it is the new drivers, rather than the new Operating System, that contain the fix. Readers have reported that the older 7.1 drivers work well with Snow Leopard (note that the 7.1 drivers say they are for the older Natural Keyboard Pro, but they also work for this newer keyboard). Let me know if you have tested other combinations of driver/OS versions.
Ironically, the Microsoft drivers stop OS X from recognising the keyboard for what it is! Without the drivers, OS X reports “Natural® Ergonomic Keyboard 4000”; with the IntelliType drivers, it’s a mere “Keyboard”.
With IntelliType drivers
As the last straw, if you remap your Caps Lock key to Control via Apple’s Keyboard preference pane, with the Microsoft drivers installed the remapping will be lost every time you restart.
The following table should help you decide whether you want the Microsoft drivers. More detailed explanations follow.
| With Microsoft IntelliType drivers | Without Microsoft drivers |
|---|---|
| Kernel panics with 8.0 drivers on Snow Leopard; fine with 8.2 drivers on Lion. | No kernel panics. |
| Modifier key mappings.. | |
| lost every time you restart. | aren't lost. |
| You can swap the Alt and Windows keys.. | |
| with the IntelliType software. | with KeyRemap4MacBook. |
| You can use the Application key as a Command or Option key.. | |
| with the IntelliType software. | with KeyRemap4MacBook. |
| Media keys all work correctly. | Only mute, volume and play/pause keys work. Web, search, mail, calculator, favourites 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5, back and forward, and the zoom slider don’t work. |
The IntelliType UnInstaller is in the Utilities sub-folder of your Applications folder. (If you installed the IntelliPoint mouse drivers, which were bundled in the same installer, the corresponding UnInstaller is in the same location.)
If you don’t want to run the uninstallers, you can remove the following manually:
/System/Library/Extensions/MicrosoftKeyboard.kext
/System/Library/Extensions/MicrosoftMouse.kext (if you also installed the IntelliPoint drivers)
/Library/Keyboard Layouts/Microsoft Keyboards.bundle
and the Microsoft Keyboard preference pane (open System Preferences, and right-click the Microsoft Keyboard icon, or drag it off the window in a puff of smoke).
Microsoft Natural modifier keys
The Windows key is automatically treated as Command (⌘), but on Apple keyboards the Command key is next to the spacebar, with Option (Alt) the next key out. On the Microsoft keyboard this is reversed, and the IntelliType drivers helpfully have a setting to reverse these two keys; luckily OS X also has this functionality built in.
It’s under the Modifier Keys button of the Keyboard System Preferences pane.
Simply map Option to Command, and vice-versa. These settings are per-keyboard, so you won’t mess up your MacBook’s built-in keyboard.
While you’re here you can also map your Caps Lock to Control, if you so wish.
Application key
To the right of the spacebar, this keyboard has an “Application” (or Context Menu) key instead of a Windows key. The IntelliType drivers include a setting to treat this key as Command, but OS X has no such setting.
Apple’s customizable XML keylayouts only allow mapping key codes to output characters, but not changing or adding modifier keys. Graphical interfaces built on top of this mechanism, such as Ukelele, have the same limitations. You’ll need the open-source KeyRemap4MacBook.
In spite of its name, KeyRemap4MacBook works on any Mac (with OS X 10.4 or later). It doesn’t allow arbitrary key mappings, but, in the best open-source tradition, it does have zillions of settings. The one you want is under “For PC Users” » “Change PC Application Key” » “Application Key to Option_L” (i.e. left-option, not option+“L”). What you set here doesn’t seem to be affected by OS X’s own modifier keys remapping.
The keyboard’s mute, volume and play/pause keys all work out of the box, no IntelliType required. There are no keys for previous/next song.
(Without the Microsoft drivers) None of the remaining media keys work (web/home, search, mail, calculator, “favorites” 1 through 5, back and forward, and the zoom slider).
The Function keys (F1, etc) behave as such (as opposed to brightness, volume, etc), regardless of what you set in the Keyboard preference pane. If you press “F Lock” the F keys simply do nothing. Luckily the F Lock remembers its setting across reboots.
There is no Fn modifier key as on the Mac keyboards.
KeyRemap4MacBook allows you to map the F keys to the usual brightness, volume, etc. but then you’d lose the normal F keys.
On the Mac OS there is no such thing as an Insert/Overwrite toggle (even on Apple’s extended keyboard there is no Insert key). So unsurprisingly, the Insert key does nothing.
Delete works. Page-Up and -Down work. Home and End scroll to the top and bottom of the window instead of moving the cursor to the beginning or end of the line (but this is consistent with the behaviour of Apple keyboards) except in Microsoft Office, where Home and End behave as on the PC.
Num Lock doesn’t work, but fortunately it is stuck in the numeric mode.
I initially liked this keyboard: The split and tenting angles provide a comfortable resting position, it has Command, Option and Control keys for both hands, and the price is quite reasonable.
But after several months, I have stopped using this keyboard. It’s just too large! Keys like Return, Backspace, and Escape are quite far away from the home position. I don’t really need a numeric keypad (it forces the mouse that much further away). The keys are loud (especially the clunky spacebar) and the key travel distance (and the force required to press them) is more than I’d like.
These are of course quite personal opinions, and this keyboard could be just perfect for someone else. As a computer programmer I do a lot of typing, so I try to optimise for ergonomics.
Kinesis Freestyle for Mac:
No right-hand Control key
I really like having all three modifiers (Command, Option and Control) available to my left and right hands, though this may not be so important for non-programmers. I don’t think I’d buy an ergonomic keyboard without this feature. The Kinesis keyboards, and Apple’s own keyboards (except the Apple external keyboard with numeric keypad), lack the right-hand Control.
Since 1994, Microsoft has been at the forefront of what it dubbed 'natural' keyboards, now often referred to as ergonomic keyboards. This series of keyboards are designed to more accurately represent how are arms and hands are meant to lay rather than when they're crunched, wrist-to-wrist when using a laptop.
The new Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard looks to be the successor to the 2005 Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 (not to be confused with the more recent Sculpt Ergonomic and Surface Ergonomic releases).
As a long-time user of the 4000, Sculpt, and Surface Ergonomic keyboards, I have some thoughts about this new one.
Bottom line: Microsoft's latest ergonomic keyboard costs less but delivers even more value. With new dedicated keys for emojis, Microsoft Office, and the new snipping tool, plus an improved typing experience, this is the most comfortable ergo keyboard around. Too bad there are no backlit keys.
The Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard is a comparatively light keyboard, weighing just 35.98 oz, including the cable (1,020 g). It's made from all plastic and has a hollow feel to it. While light, though, it won't slide around your desk due to the rubber feet.
A single USB Type-A 2.0 plug is needed to power the keyboard, so it is not wireless. Disappointingly, the keyboard is also not backlit. That choice was likely to keep costs down, but it would have been amazing to have an option to purchase a more expensive version with backlit keys. It's worth pointing out, too, that this is a skinny cable. I'm not worried about it breaking or fraying, but I do appreciate how little room it occupies, letting you have a more minimalist look.
The most significant change with this 2019 model is the addition of a few more relevant dedicated keys. There are new keys for the Windows 10 emoji picker, Microsoft Office, and the new snipping tool. Other dedicated keys include one for calculator, task view, locking the PC, and Windows search.
Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center app lets you configure the keyboard even more.
The top middle row houses the expected media keys, including mute, volume controls, play and pause, skip, and forward tracks. The media-player button defaults to opening Groove, but users can program that button (and others incuding emoji key) using the optional Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center application. There are three numbered keys on the top left that can be assigned a macro or to open any app you want.
Like other Microsoft ergo keyboards (except for the Surface Ergonomic), this one includes a wrist riser that can better help angle your wrists upward. On previous keyboards, Microsoft used magnets to attach that riser, but now there is just a plug that snaps into the bottom. While this doesn't matter in day-to-day usage, I like the magnets better.
Dedicated keys (left to right) for calculator, screen snip, task view, and screen lock.
The material used for the wrist rest is interesting. It's not the leather found on the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, nor the Alcantara (which gets very dirty) on the Surface Ergonomic keyboard. Instead, it resembles that of the Sculpt Ergonomic. It's a soft, nylon-esque material that is darker than the Sculpt and presumably will get less dirty and hold up longer. It feels excellent and makes typing that much more comfortable due to the quarter-inch padding underneath.
Typing on the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard is excellent, but some context is needed as Microsoft has various keyboards, all with different key designs. The travel on these keys is much deeper than the Surface Ergonomic and even Sculpt Ergonomic. Instead, it matches the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 more closely.
However, the keys on the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard are significantly larger (especially the arrow keys) than the Natural's, resulting in fewer missed keystrokes for a more consistent experience. But while the travel distance is similar (depth), the newer keyboard has a much better bounce-back, alleviating some effort when typing. While the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 is excellent to type on, the keys are also a bit mushy. That is not the case here.
Likewise, the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 has a notoriously loud spacebar key that felt a bit too difficult to depress. That is fixed here with the spacebar feeling like the other keys and not requiring much effort at all.
Also I would rate it ZERO starts but that is not an option. Microsoft remote desktop 10 mac 下载. This seems so tailored to tablets that it forgot that Windows 10 is still also a desktop OS. How can you fix this.
Finally, the 'wave' design is more accentuated on the new Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard than on any release so far. This change likely reveals a more precise manufacturing and the latest science on the matter. (Microsoft famously studies this topic extensively in its Human Factors Group.)
Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard with the optional wrist riser installed.
If you are still holding onto your Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, the Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard (2019) is a natural upgrade. The pedigree is similar, but it's clear Microsoft has dramatically improved and updated some of the core features of this series. Typing is more comfortable, and the keyboard looks more modern with a cleaner, more straightforward design.
The new keys for emojis, Office, and snipping tool are excellent and charming touches. Emojis may seem goofy (depending on your age), but they are trendy, and that is only increasing as the workforce gets younger. And if you don't use them, no big deal.
If you're coming from the Sculpt or Surface ergonomic keyboards, this one will feel different. That's because the key travel is much deeper than those, which some users prefer. This keyboard is also wired, making it much more reliable than wireless models. And you don't have to replace or charge batteries. The Sculpt keyboard used a wireless dongle, which works well, but you still need to keep spare batteries handy. The Surface Ergonomic is Bluetooth, which can suffer from interference and occasionally fail.
For those who never tried an ergonomic keyboard, the new Microsoft Ergonomic may be worth a shot. At just $60, the price is one of the lowest of this series, making it quite accessible. There is a learning curve, though, and it will take wat least a few days of practice to get used to the design. However, as people in comments here will attest, once you go ergonomic, it's tough to go back.
For me, I'm glad Microsoft made this keyboard. My only real complaint is the lack of backlit keys, but due to the benefits of typing on this improved design, it's a tradeoff I'm willing to accept.
The most comfortable way to type
Microsoft's Ergonomic Keyboard for 2019 is an excellent follow-up to the legendary Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. With larger keys, better key actuation, fixed spacebar, and now dedicated keys for the Windows 10 emoji picker, Office, and Windows snipping tool, it's also the most useful. That $60 price is quite fair, though for a wired keyboard we would have preferred backlighting.
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