mkey has different meanings depending on which program is running.

For example, it might

move the cursor to the end of the line, the end of the page, or the end of the file.Alt key

a computer key that you press together with another key so that the other key does something
different from what it usually does. You can also refer to this key simply as Alt.

arrow key
one of four computer keys marked with an up, down, left, or right arrow, used for moving the
cursor

backspace
the key that you press on a keyboard to move one space backwards in a document

caps lock
a key on a computer keyboard that makes all the keys produce capital letters

character set
a complete set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be used by a computer

command key
on some computers, a key that you press together with another key to make the computer do
a particular thing

control key
a key on a computer keyboard that is used in combination with
other keys for doing particular operations. This key is usuallymarked Ctrl.

ctrl
control: the control key on a computer keyboard
delete key
a computer key that removes characters. This key is sometimes simply referred to as del.

enter key
a key on a computer keyboard that makes the
computer perform an action or start a new line of writing

escape
the escape key on a computer

escape key
a key on a computer keyboard that allows someone to stop an action, leave a program,
or return to a previous menu. This keyis usually marked Esc. Esc is a key located on the topleft of a computerkeyboard that allows a user to cancel or abort operations. For example, if a
slow web page was loading on an Internet browser you could press the escape key to stop
the download and not have to wait for a download.

function key
a special button on a computer keyboard that is used for a particular operation in a program. The
keys near the top of a keyboard marked F1 to F12 are function keys.

hot key Hot keys are sometimes called shortcut keys.

a key on a computer keyboard that provides a short way of performing a set of actions

key
one of the parts that you press on a keyboard to make it produce letters, numbers etc

keypad
the part at the side of a computer keyboard that has number keys and arrow keys on it

numeric keypad
the part of a computer keyboard to the right of the main keys that has keys with numbers on them

Num Lock
a computer key that you press to make the number keys below it enter numbers and not
be used for moving up and down adocument

pound key
the hash key on a telephone keypad or computer keyboard

return key
a key on a computer keyboard that makes the
computer perform an action or start a new line of writing

shift
a shift key on a computer keyboard

shift key
the key that you press on a computer keyboard when you want to write a capital letter

short cut
a computer icon or a combination of keys on the keyboard such as Alt + C that helps you to do
something on the computer more quickly, for example go to a particular program or copy
information

space bar

NOUN

the long narrow bar at the front of a computer keyboard that

you press to make a space between words when you are typing

star key

NOUN

the key with the asterisk symbol (*) on a telephone keypad or computer keyboard

tab

a button on a computer keyboard or typewriter that you press to move several spaces along the
same line

toggle

a key or command (=instruction) on a computer that you use to move from one operation or
program to another and back again

touchpad

a small flat surface on a laptop computer that you touch with your finger in order to move the
cursor on the screen

Shortcut keys help provide an easier and usually quicker method of navigating and executing
commands in computer software programs. Shortcut keys are commonly accessed by using
the Alt key (on IBM compatible computers),Command key (on Apple computers), Ctrl key,
or Shift key in conjunction with another key. The de facto standard for listing a shortcut is listing
the modifier key, a plus symbol, and another key. In other words, "Ctrl+S" is telling you to press
and hold the Ctrl key, and then press the S key too.

You can also find the shortcut keys to their most popular program by
looking for underlined letters in their menus. For example, the image to the right has an
underline on the "F" in File, which means you can press the Alt key and then the "F" key to
access the File menu.
Some programs require the user to press and hold Alt to see the underlined characters. In the
same image above, you can see that some of the common features, such as Open (Ctrl+O) and

Save (Ctrl+S), have shortcut keys assigned to them. As you begin to memorize shortcut keys,
you'll notice that many applications share the same shortcut keys. We have a list of the most
commonly shared ones in the basic PC shortcut keys section.
Tip: Users outside the United States or who have a foreign copy of Microsoft Windows or a
Microsoft application may not be able to use all of the below shortcut keys.
Basic PC shortcut keys
Below is a list of some of the most commonly used basic shortcut keys that work with almost all
IBM compatible computers and software programs. It is highly recommended that all users keep
a good reference of these shortcut keys or try to memorize them. Doing so will dramatically
increase your productivity.
Tip: Besides the special character shortcuts listed here, some special characters are also located
on the number keys (below the F1 - F12 keys). You can enter these special characters by pressing
the Shift key and the number key that has the special character listed on it.
Shortcut Keys

Description

Alt + F

File menu options in current program.

Alt + E

Edit options in current program

Alt + Tab

Switch between open programs

F1

Universal Help in almost every Windows program.

F2

Rename a selected file

F5

Refresh the current program window

Ctrl + N

Create a new, blank document in some software programs

Ctrl + O

Open a file in current software program

Ctrl + A

Select all text.

Ctrl + B

Change selected text to be Bold

Ctrl + I

Change selected text to be in Italics

Ctrl + U

Change selected text to be Underlined

Ctrl + F

Open find window for current document or window.

Ctrl + S

Save current document file.

Ctrl + X

Cut selected item.

Shift + Del

Cut selected item.

Ctrl + C

Copy selected item.

Ctrl + Ins

Copy selected item

Ctrl + V

Paste

Shift + Ins

Paste

Ctrl + K

Insert hyperlink for selected text

Ctrl + P

Print the current page or document.

Home

Goes to beginning of current line.

Ctrl + Home

Goes to beginning of document.

End

Goes to end of current line.

Ctrl + End

Goes to end of document.

Shift + Home

Highlights from current position to beginning of line.

Shift + End

Highlights from current position to end of line.

Ctrl + Left arrow

Moves one word to the left at a time.

Ctrl + Right arrow

Moves one word to the right at a time.

Ctrl + Esc

Opens the START menu

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

Opens Windows Task Manager

Alt + F4

Close the currently active program

Alt + Enter

Open the Properties for the selected item (file, folder, shortcut, etc.)

F1

Almost always used as the help key, almost every program opens a help screen when this
key is pressed.

Enter CMOS Setup.

Windows Key + F1 would open the Microsoft Windows help and support center.
Open the Task Pane.

In Windows renames a highlighted icon, file, or folder in all versions of Windows.

Alt + Ctrl + F2 opens document window in Microsoft Word.
Ctrl + F2 displays the print preview window in Microsoft Word.
Quickly rename a selected file or folder.
Enter CMOS Setup.

Often opens a search feature for many programs including Microsoft Windows when at
the Windows Desktop.
In MS-DOS or Windows command line F3 will repeat the last command.
Shift + F3 will change the text in Microsoft Word from upper to lower case or a capital
letter at the beginning of every word.
Windows Key + F3 opens the Advanced find window in Microsoft Outlook.
Open Mission Control on an Apple computer running Mac OS X.

F2

F3

F4

Open find window in Windows 95 to XP.

Open the address bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.
Repeat the last action performed (Word 2000+).
Alt + F4 closes the program window currently active in Microsoft Windows.
Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft
Windows.

In all modern Internet browsers, pressing F5 will refresh or reload the page or document
window.
Open the find, replace, and go to window in Microsoft Word.
Starts a slideshow in PowerPoint.

F5

F6

Move the cursor to the address bar in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and most other
Internet browsers.
Ctrl + Shift + F6 opens to another open Microsoft Word document.
Reduce laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).

F7

Commonly used to spell check and grammar check a document in Microsoft programs
such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, etc.
Shift + F7 runs a Thesaurus check on the word highlighted.
Turns on Caret browsing in Mozilla Firefox.
Increase laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).

F8

Function key used to enter the Windows startup menu, commonly used to access
Windows Safe Mode.
Used by some computers to access the Windows recovery system, but may require a
Windows installation CD.
Displays a thumbnail image for all workspaces in Mac OS.

F9

Refresh document in Microsoft Word.

Send and receive e-mail in Microsoft Outlook.
Opens the Measurements toolbar in Quark 5.0.
Reduce laptop screen brightness (on some laptops).
With Mac OS 10.3 or later, displays a thumbnail for each window in a single workspace.
Using the Fn key and F9 at the same time opens Mission Control on an Apple computer
running Mac OS X.

F10

In Microsoft Windows activates the menu bar of an open application.

Shift + F10 is the same as right-clicking on a highlighted icon, file, or Internet link.
Access the hidden recovery partition on Compaq, HP, and Sony computers.
Enter CMOS Setup on some computers.
Increase laptop screen brightness (on some laptops)
With Mac OS 10.3 or later, shows all open Windows for the active program.

F11

Enter and exit full screen mode in all modern Internet browsers.
Ctrl + F11 as computer is starting to access the hidden recovery partition on many Dell
computers.
Access the hidden recovery partition on eMachines, Gateway, and Lenovo computers.
With Mac OS 10.4 or later, hides all open windows and shows the Desktop.

F12

Open the Save as window in Microsoft Word.

Ctrl + F12 opens a document In Word.

Shift + F12 saves the Microsoft Word document (like Ctrl + S).
Ctrl + Shift + F12 prints a document in Microsoft Word.
Preview a page in Microsoft Expression Web.
Open Firebug or browser debug tool.
With an Apple running Mac OS 10.4 or later, F12 shows or hides the Dashboard.
Access the list of bootable devices on a computer at startup, allowing you to select a
different device to boot from (hard drive, CD or DVD drive, floppy drive, USB drive,
and network).
F13 - F15

On newer Apple keyboards the F13, F14, and F15 may be shown in place of the Print
Screen key, Scroll lock key, and Pause key.
F16 - F19

On newer Apple keyboards the F16, F17, F18, and F19 keys are above the number pad.

F13 - F24

Early IBM computers also had keyboards with F13 through F24 keys. However, because
these keyboards are no longer used, they are not listed on this page.

Other sets of keys common to almost all keyboards are entering and editing keys (e.g., Enter,
Delete, Insert), modifier keys (e.g., Control, Shift), navigation keys (e.g., arrows for up, down,
left, right) and lock keys (e.g., Caps Lock). Additional keys are very operating system specific
(such as the Windows and Apple keys).
Most keyboards also include a set of function keys at the top (F1, F2, etc.). The function keys
typically perform a very specific task within a particular software application. So, what they do
may depend on what you are doing on your computer at the time.
This is a list of the standard functions assigned to each of the function keys in Microsoft
Windows.[5]

F1: Opens the help page of the working program.

F2: Renames a highlighted icon or file. Alt + Ctrl + F2 and Ctrl + F2 give some more
functions.
F3: Search feature for many programs including web browsers.

F5: Refreshes (updates) pages in web browsers and other applications.

F6: Moves cursor to writing web address at the address bar.

F7: Normally opens a spell checker but this key can be reassigned, depending on
configurations and software.

F8: It can perform several functions, and does not have an assigned Windows default.
However, when starting Windows 2000 or Windows XP, holding the F8 key will boot in Safe
Mode.

F4: Repeats last action performed while typing in Microsoft Word. Alt + F4 key closes all
active windows. Ctrl + F4 closes the frontmost window.

F9: Opens the Measurements toolbar in Quark 5.0.

F10: Activates the menu bar in many programs. Shift + F10 + mouse can be used for an
external function.
F11: Sets to full screen on most of the programs.
F12: In Microsoft Word, this key can be used for saving documents, and also opens up
developer tools window in most of the browsers, and, on most of the newer computers that
allow PXE Boot, this button allows users to boot from the network.

The Fn key works independently from the operating system.

Key
combina
tion

Description

Fn + F1

Reserved.

Fn + F2

Reserved.

Fn + F3

Select a power scheme that has been created by Power Manager. When you
press this combination, a panel for selecting a power scheme appears.
Notes:
If you have logged on with an administrator user ID, and you

press Fn+F3, the panel for selecting a power scheme appears. If you have
logged on with another user ID, and you press Fn+F3, the panel does not
appear.
You cannot turn off the computer display by pressing Fn+F3.
Put the computer in standby mode. To return to normal operation, press the Fn
key only, without pressing a function key.
Fn + F4

Notes:
This combination of keys also functions as a sleep button. If you want to
use the combination to put the computer into hibernation mode or shut the
computer down, change the settings in the ThinkPad Configuration Program.
Enable or disable the built-in wireless networking features and the Bluetooth
features. If you press Fn+F5, a list of wireless features is displayed in the
Wireless Radio Control window. You can quickly change the power state of each
feature in the list.

Fn + F5

Note:
If you want to use Fn+F5 to enable the feature specified in IEEE standard
802.11, the following device drivers must be installed on the computer
beforehand:
ThinkPad Power Management driver
OnScreen Display Utility
Wireless device drivers

Fn + F6
Fn + F7

Reserved.
Apply a presentation scheme directly, with no need to start Presentation
Director.
To disable this function and use the Fn+F7 key combination for switching a
display output location, start Presentation Director, and change the settings.
Switching the display output location.
External monitor (CRT display)
Computer display and external monitor (LCD + CRT display)
Computer display (LCD)
Notes:
This function is not supported if different desktop images are displayed
on the computer display and the external monitor (the Extend desktop function).
This function does not work while a DVD movie or a video clip is playing.
To enable this function, do as follows when you log on to Windows 2000 or

Windows XP:
Note: Multiple users can log on to a single operating system by using different
user IDs. Each user needs to do the following:
Start Windows 2000 or Windows XP, and log on to the system.
Start Presentation Director, and change the Fn+F7 settings.
Fn + F8

Change the settings of the UltraNav pointing device.

Open the ThinkPad EasyEject Utility screen. Buttons for the following choices are
displayed:

Fn + F9

Eject ThinkPad PC from Dock: This button is displayed only if the

ThinkPad computer has been attached to a ThinkPad Advanced Dock or a
ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock. The computer can be detached from the ThinkPad
Advanced Dock or the ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock.
Eject ThinkPad PC from Mini Dock: This button is displayed only if the
ThinkPad computer has been attached to a ThinkPad Essential Port Replicator
and one or more USB devices have been connected to the ThinkPad Essential
Port Replicator. You can stop and remove all the USB devices safely by clicking
the button.
Note: You cannot use this Utility to detach the computer from the ThinkPad
Essential Port Replicator.
Run EasyEject Actions: This button is used to select, stop, or remove
external devices connected to the ThinkPad computer.
Configure EasyEject Actions: Opens the ThinkPad EasyEject Utility
main window.
Fn+F9 Settings: Configures the settings for the Fn+F9 function.
Note: This function is supported only in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

Fn + F10

Reserved.

Fn + F11

Reserved.
Put the computer into hibernation mode. To return to normal operation, press the

Fn + F12

power button for less than four seconds.

Note: To use Fn+F12 for hibernation, you must have the ThinkPad PM device
driver installed on the computer.
Turn the ThinkLight on or off.

Fn + PgUp Note: This function is supported only on the ThinkPad computers that have the
ThinkLight. The on or off status of the ThinkLight is shown on the screen for a
few seconds when you press Fn+PgUp.
Fn + Home The computer display becomes brighter.

Fn + End

The computer display becomes dimmer.

Fn +
Spacebar

Enable the FullScreen Magnifier function.

Fn+PrtSc

Has the same function as the SysRq key.

Fn+ScrLk

Enable or disable the numeric keypad.

Fn+Pause

Has the same function as the Break key.

Fn +
Spacebar

These key combinations work with Windows Media Player. Fn+down arrow key
works f