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I am using Windows XP, with an Apple aluminum keyboard (the full one). It has multimedia keys at the top, and those work just great under Linux, regardless of the multimedia player I use. But I can't seem to get them working under Windows with, say, Winamp.

I would want to be able to do simple things as previous, skip next, play/pause/stop and volume control.

Thanks :-)

jfmessier
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8 Answers8

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There's no need for AutoHotKey or random tray tools – the Boot Camp driver meant for dual-booting on a Mac actually works just fine on PC hardware using Apple peripherals, too!

Just grab the latest version of the Boot Camp Support Software (5.1.5722 at the time of writing), and extract it somewhere. If the only thing you care about is the keyboard driver, copy out the BootCamp.msi and AppleKeyboardInstaller64.exe files to a separate directory. Then, from an administrator shell, just run

msiexec /i BootCamp.msi

The installer may throw some errors (presumably because the other drivers it wants to install aren't there), but the keyboard driver will end up installed. Just reboot and use the media keys to your heart's content!

Adrian Petrescu
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    This worked for me. Except version 5.1.x did not work for me, I had to get a hold of version 6.1.x. Annoyingly it's only possible to download it via the Boot Camp Assistant app in macOS, on a Mac computer. Simply launch Boot Camp Assistant, and then from the "Action" menu click "Download Windows Support Software". – jimeh Jan 12 '19 at 13:01
  • When installed with this method, and there is no Bootcamp, To make the function keys work as function keys by default, add this to the Registry. (Maybe just the first one, I don't know) ` [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Apple Inc.\Apple Keyboard Support] "OSXFnBehavior"=dword:00000000 "Adjust in Low Light"=dword:00000000 "User Absence"=dword:00000000` – Damn Vegetables Jul 13 '20 at 23:04
  • This answer didn't work for me. I didn't try the registry edit reply. I added an Autohotkey answer. – Andy Ray Jul 19 '21 at 05:21
  • I can confirm the package hosted by apple (5.1.x) doesn't work. The 6.1.x bundle of files contains AppleKeyboard, AppleKeyManager, AppleLeyboardmagic2 subfolders. I couldn't get it to work by only having BootCamp.msi and AppleKeyboard. But I DID get it working by just instaling the entire Apple directory. Sucks because now I have 8 other random drivers I don't need but hey, it works. If you're lazy and want to live dangerously (or don't have a mac ready) I uploaded the files you need here: https://file.io/H2aVzSJB9qfo – 1mike12 Aug 28 '22 at 23:15
  • Actually, now that I've done this, I would not recommend. This method behind the scenes seems to do exactly the same as autohotkey, ie it maps f10 and f11 to be volume but does it in a way where its all in the background and not easily turned on or off like in AHK. So the internal keyboard on my lapop had 2 ways of increasing vol for instance. I also couldnt get it to work with my wireless magic keyboard.You also have to jump through hoops to uninstall this partial bootcamp installation since normally you can't uninstall. – 1mike12 Aug 30 '22 at 12:39
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Install AutoHotkey and create a script on your Desktop named something like apple_keyboard_media_keys_fix.ahk with the following contents:

F7::Send {Media_Prev}
F8::Send {Media_Play_Pause}
F9::Send {Media_Next}
F10::send {volume_mute}
F11::send {volume_down}
F12::send {volume_up}

Then double click on the script to run it. Now your Apple keyboard media keys work to control your Windows media applications!

Andy Ray
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I've been looking for the same thing and found a convenient little tray tool that does just that: http://uxsoft.cz/projects/applewirelesskeyboard/

  • Maps iTunes keys to media bindings
  • Maps volume keys to volume control
  • Displays OSX media action overlays

Despite the name it works flawlessly on the wired version of the Apple Keyboard

ale
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perelin
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Enabling Buttons on Apple Keyboard in Windows:

I recently picked up, and am liking, the new “wafer thin” aluminum keyboard from Apple. Its very small, I like the key action and it’s very solid considering it’s size and thickness. But, I use it on Windows, and there’s no driver available other than the standard keyboard one, so the extra keys like media controls aren’t enabled. I came across a freeware macro program called AutoHotKey that works very nicely, and wrote up a few little scripts for it. You can download AutoHotKey and run the scripts yourself, or you can download the compiled version here and just pop it into your Startup folder.

Diogo
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grey
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    Link only answers don't really add much to Super User. Could you outline the basic information of something of that nature instead of just dropping a link? – DMA57361 Jul 04 '11 at 14:45
  • The linked script hard codes the applications Winamp and "Yahoo Music Jukebox" as targets for the play/pause buttons. Weird, avoid this link – Andy Ray Jul 19 '21 at 05:18
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The application by UXSoft.cz seems promising but as of writing the download is down unfortunately. This fork does have an executable binary: https://github.com/gered/AppleWirelessKeyboard (also seems like an even more unmaintained repo tho)

Also works perfectly for my wired Apple keyboard (model A1243)

Felix Akkermans
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  • This is really a comment about perelin's answer rather than a new solution. In the site's Q&A format, answers are reserved for solutions to the original question, and each should provide something substantively different from what has already been contributed. With a little more rep, you'll be able to post comments. – fixer1234 Jun 24 '19 at 01:23
  • Yeah I would've also prefered to have posted it as a comment, but chicken and egg story with rep ... – Felix Akkermans Jul 08 '19 at 17:15
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I got this to work by using brigadier and following the instructions in this guide to get the drivers downloaded and extracted. Then I ran BootCamp.msi from an admin command prompt and it installed just fine. It probably included some unnecessary drivers as well but at least the keyboard works.

jimmysofat6864
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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Dec 24 '21 at 22:34
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magic keyboard utilities works quite out of the box with minimum setup, no matter if you don't have Apple computer, or even non-apple compatible one (AMD CPU). However, it's paid software. There is a 28 days trial where you can try it out.

gadelat
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I downloaded the last Boot Camp Support Software using brigadier, removed everything but the keyboard driver and made a convenience script to install it. Here you can download it: https://ufile.io/6sipous1

You just have to run install.bat as admin

victor141516
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  • As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please [edit] to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Feb 12 '22 at 16:05