diff --git a/ui/cocoa.m b/ui/cocoa.m
index 2794f60b27e420f31ec2275a91ab1bd027f8a265..330ccebf90d0465561db6f590d6d85b0665fc23a 100644
--- a/ui/cocoa.m
+++ b/ui/cocoa.m
@@ -281,6 +281,7 @@ static void handleAnyDeviceErrors(Error * err)
 - (void) grabMouse;
 - (void) ungrabMouse;
 - (void) toggleFullScreen:(id)sender;
+- (void) handleMonitorInput:(NSEvent *)event;
 - (void) handleEvent:(NSEvent *)event;
 - (void) setAbsoluteEnabled:(BOOL)tIsAbsoluteEnabled;
 /* The state surrounding mouse grabbing is potentially confusing.
@@ -554,6 +555,70 @@ QemuCocoaView *cocoaView;
     qemu_input_event_send_key_qcode(dcl->con, keycode, false);
 }
 
+// Does the work of sending input to the monitor
+- (void) handleMonitorInput:(NSEvent *)event
+{
+    int keysym = 0;
+    int control_key = 0;
+
+    // if the control key is down
+    if ([event modifierFlags] & NSEventModifierFlagControl) {
+        control_key = 1;
+    }
+
+    /* translates Macintosh keycodes to QEMU's keysym */
+
+    int without_control_translation[] = {
+        [0 ... 0xff] = 0,   // invalid key
+
+        [kVK_UpArrow]       = QEMU_KEY_UP,
+        [kVK_DownArrow]     = QEMU_KEY_DOWN,
+        [kVK_RightArrow]    = QEMU_KEY_RIGHT,
+        [kVK_LeftArrow]     = QEMU_KEY_LEFT,
+        [kVK_Home]          = QEMU_KEY_HOME,
+        [kVK_End]           = QEMU_KEY_END,
+        [kVK_PageUp]        = QEMU_KEY_PAGEUP,
+        [kVK_PageDown]      = QEMU_KEY_PAGEDOWN,
+        [kVK_ForwardDelete] = QEMU_KEY_DELETE,
+        [kVK_Delete]        = QEMU_KEY_BACKSPACE,
+    };
+
+    int with_control_translation[] = {
+        [0 ... 0xff] = 0,   // invalid key
+
+        [kVK_UpArrow]       = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_UP,
+        [kVK_DownArrow]     = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_DOWN,
+        [kVK_RightArrow]    = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_RIGHT,
+        [kVK_LeftArrow]     = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_LEFT,
+        [kVK_Home]          = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_HOME,
+        [kVK_End]           = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_END,
+        [kVK_PageUp]        = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_PAGEUP,
+        [kVK_PageDown]      = QEMU_KEY_CTRL_PAGEDOWN,
+    };
+
+    if (control_key != 0) { /* If the control key is being used */
+        if ([event keyCode] < ARRAY_SIZE(with_control_translation)) {
+            keysym = with_control_translation[[event keyCode]];
+        }
+    } else {
+        if ([event keyCode] < ARRAY_SIZE(without_control_translation)) {
+            keysym = without_control_translation[[event keyCode]];
+        }
+    }
+
+    // if not a key that needs translating
+    if (keysym == 0) {
+        NSString *ks = [event characters];
+        if ([ks length] > 0) {
+            keysym = [ks characterAtIndex:0];
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (keysym) {
+        kbd_put_keysym(keysym);
+    }
+}
+
 - (void) handleEvent:(NSEvent *)event
 {
     COCOA_DEBUG("QemuCocoaView: handleEvent\n");
@@ -609,10 +674,6 @@ QemuCocoaView *cocoaView;
                 }
             }
 
-            // release Mouse grab when pressing ctrl+alt
-            if (([event modifierFlags] & NSEventModifierFlagControl) && ([event modifierFlags] & NSEventModifierFlagOption)) {
-                [self ungrabMouse];
-            }
             break;
         case NSEventTypeKeyDown:
             keycode = cocoa_keycode_to_qemu([event keyCode]);
@@ -625,54 +686,30 @@ QemuCocoaView *cocoaView;
 
             // default
 
-            // handle control + alt Key Combos (ctrl+alt is reserved for QEMU)
+            // handle control + alt Key Combos (ctrl+alt+[1..9,g] is reserved for QEMU)
             if (([event modifierFlags] & NSEventModifierFlagControl) && ([event modifierFlags] & NSEventModifierFlagOption)) {
-                switch (keycode) {
-
-                    // enable graphic console
-                    case Q_KEY_CODE_1 ... Q_KEY_CODE_9: // '1' to '9' keys
-                        console_select(keycode - Q_KEY_CODE_1);
-                        break;
+                NSString *keychar = [event charactersIgnoringModifiers];
+                if ([keychar length] == 1) {
+                    char key = [keychar characterAtIndex:0];
+                    switch (key) {
+
+                        // enable graphic console
+                        case '1' ... '9':
+                            console_select(key - '0' - 1); /* ascii math */
+                            return;
+
+                        // release the mouse grab
+                        case 'g':
+                            [self ungrabMouse];
+                            return;
+                    }
                 }
+            }
 
-            // handle keys for graphic console
-            } else if (qemu_console_is_graphic(NULL)) {
+            if (qemu_console_is_graphic(NULL)) {
                 qemu_input_event_send_key_qcode(dcl->con, keycode, true);
-
-            // handlekeys for Monitor
             } else {
-                int keysym = 0;
-                switch([event keyCode]) {
-                case 115:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_HOME;
-                    break;
-                case 117:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_DELETE;
-                    break;
-                case 119:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_END;
-                    break;
-                case 123:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_LEFT;
-                    break;
-                case 124:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_RIGHT;
-                    break;
-                case 125:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_DOWN;
-                    break;
-                case 126:
-                    keysym = QEMU_KEY_UP;
-                    break;
-                default:
-                    {
-                        NSString *ks = [event characters];
-                        if ([ks length] > 0)
-                            keysym = [ks characterAtIndex:0];
-                    }
-                }
-                if (keysym)
-                    kbd_put_keysym(keysym);
+                [self handleMonitorInput: event];
             }
             break;
         case NSEventTypeKeyUp:
@@ -806,9 +843,9 @@ QemuCocoaView *cocoaView;
 
     if (!isFullscreen) {
         if (qemu_name)
-            [normalWindow setTitle:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"QEMU %s - (Press ctrl + alt to release Mouse)", qemu_name]];
+            [normalWindow setTitle:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"QEMU %s - (Press ctrl + alt + g to release Mouse)", qemu_name]];
         else
-            [normalWindow setTitle:@"QEMU - (Press ctrl + alt to release Mouse)"];
+            [normalWindow setTitle:@"QEMU - (Press ctrl + alt + g to release Mouse)"];
     }
     [self hideCursor];
     if (!isAbsoluteEnabled) {