Remember hitting the F5 cardinal to refresh on your Windows 95 reckoner? It was nearly obsessive. Back in the mean solar day, the F1–F12 keys had just ane office each, but modernistic keyboards frequently include actress functions that yous access with an Fn primal (too called the Office key).

How are Fn Keys Helpful?

The Fn key turns the F1–F12 keys into dual-purpose keys. Substantially, it works as a default hotkey, but there's a slight deviation. The combinations differ among manufacturers and models. You'll mostly observe them on laptops (where you tin can usually alter things like screen brightness), simply you'll also detect them on some specialty keyboards (similar gaming or productivity-axial boards).

For example, on a Dell XPS15z, Fn + F5 increases the brightness, while on a Lenovo G560, the same combination will display the wireless device settings.

In add-on to F-keys, yous tin can also employ Fn keys with other keys like PgUp, Insert, and pointer keys. Using a combination of Fn along with i of these keys comes in handy for doing a wide range of things, including adjusting the screen brightness, turning off the brandish, or decision-making the volume, amongst many other things.

However, sometimes, you find that simply pressing an F-key (without the Fn key) triggers a control like increasing the playback book. In such cases, you'll be unable to use F-keys for standard keyboard shortcuts similar hitting the F5 key for refreshing.

In that location's a simple fix for this. You can tinker with the Fn key settings in several ways, and that'due south what nosotros'll walk you through in this guide.

Disable the Fn Lock

Modern desktop and laptop keyboards have an Fn Lock key (i.east., a key with a lock icon). In most cases, you'll find a lock icon printed on your Esc key, merely it'south likewise possible that your keyboard has the lock on the Shift key or the Num Lock key.

When you press Fn + Esc (or the key with the lock icon), it toggles the Fn lock.

Once you've washed this, you won't need to press the Fn key for performing functions similar adjusting the screen brightness or enabling and disabling WiFi or Bluetooth. Simply press the relevant F-key, and that should work. It'due south similar to how you use Caps Lock. You won't need to hold the Shift cardinal for typing caps when Caps Lock is enabled.

If you're experiencing something similar but want to use your standard F-keys, y'all'll need to disable the Fn lock. You can disable it the same fashion as you'd enable it. Printing the key with the lock icon forth with the Fn key.

Change Fn Key Settings from Inside Windows

You can as well change Fn key settings from inside your operating system. If you own a Dell laptop that runs Microsoft Windows 10 or 8, you tin can alter office central settings from Windows Mobility Middle.

Printing Win + X or right-click the Start Menu button on Windows 10 to open the ability card and select Mobility Middle. Alternatively, yous can become to the Command Panel and navigate to Hardware and Audio > Windows Mobility Centre.

Select the drop-down menu under the Function Key Row option under the Customized by Dell Inc. section. Y'all'll meet two options hither: Part primal and Multimedia key.

Select Role primal if you'd like to use the F-keys for standard functions, and Multimedia cardinal if you want to utilise F-keys for performing functions that would otherwise require you to press the Fn key.

Similarly, on laptops from other manufacturers, you might detect the choice to modify function key options in its organisation configuration tool. For instance, on Lenovo, you lot tin can use the Lenovo Keyboard Director or the Samsung Settings app on a Samsung laptop to change role key behavior.

Change Fn Cardinal Settings in BIOS

In most cases, the previous 2 methods should help you modify Fn key settings, but on the off take chances that they didn't, you lot can use the BIOS settings.

Note that you shouldn't mess effectually with whatever settings yous don't fully understand because it can render your figurer unbootable.

Many, though non all, laptops volition allow you to modify Fn key settings from the BIOS or UEFI firmware. You can enter your BIOS setup with a reboot. Press F2, F10, or Delete (the keys differ among manufacturers) at the startup when your computer is however booting. Alternatively, y'all tin can apply the new manner of accessing the BIOS on Windows ten.

At this point, you'll need to look around a niggling because UEFI settings are placed under different sections based on the BIOS interface, which differs amidst manufacturers.

For example, on my HP laptop, the setting is nether the System Configuration tab. Irresolute the Action Keys Mode to Enabled volition make the F-keys role like normal, i.east., you lot'll need to use the Fn key forth with an F-key to perform a relevant function.

Fn Central Makes Life Easy

If an Os upgrade or an accidental change in settings has caused your Fn fundamental to non work as information technology should, it can cause yous momentary annoyance.

However, the Fn key is nonetheless one of the most helpful keys on your keyboard. It eliminates a few clicks for plenty of functions and lets you perform them just by pressing a combination of keys.

Fn key is also bachelor on several Apple keyboards. If it's not working correctly, you tin can troubleshoot Fn key issues on Mac Bone equally well.