MouseEvent: metaKey property

{{APIRef("Pointer Events")}}

The MouseEvent.metaKey read-only property is a boolean value that indicates whether the <kbd>meta</kbd> key was pressed or not when a given mouse event occurs.

Be aware that many operating systems bind special functionality to the <kbd>meta</kbd> key, so this property may be false even when the key is actually pressed. On Windows, for example, this key may open the Start menu.

[!NOTE] On Macintosh keyboards, this key is the <kbd>command</kbd> key (<kbd>⌘</kbd>). On Windows keyboards, this key is the Windows key (<kbd>⊞</kbd>).

Value

A boolean value, where true indicates that the key is pressed, and false indicates that the key is not pressed.

Examples

This example logs the metaKey property when you trigger a {{domxref("Element/click_event", "click")}} event.

HTML

<p>Click anywhere to test the <code>metaKey</code> property.</p>
<p id="log"></p>

JavaScript

let log = document.querySelector("#log");
document.addEventListener("click", logKey);

function logKey(e) {
  log.textContent = `The meta key is pressed: ${e.metaKey}`;
}

Result

{{EmbedLiveSample("Examples")}}

Specifications

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility

{{Compat}}

See also

• {{ domxref("MouseEvent") }}