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This article was co-authored by Katie Double and by wikiHow staff writer, Hannah Dillon. Katie Double is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has over five years of experience in technical support, IT process analysis, and quantitative research. Katie loves exploring the application of various technological tools, from data analysis and visualization to music production and performance. Though originally from Denver, Colorado, she currently resides in New Zealand. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
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This wikiHow teaches you how to toggle on the function keys on your keyboard. These are the keys at the top of your keyboard labeled F1 through F12. They have several different commands that may be useful, such as pulling up a help menu or refreshing a page.
Things You Should Know
- Hold the "Fn" key while pressing a function key to get it to work.
- If your keyboard has an "F Lock" key, press it to enable your function keys.
- If your function keys don't work no matter what you try, you may need to enable them in your BIOS/UEFI.
Steps
-
![Step 1 Hold down the Fn key.]()
-
![Step 2 Hit the function key you wish to use.]()
Hit the function key you wish to use. These are found at the top of your keyboard.[3]- Try pressing F1 while in an application. If this opens a help menu, you successfully enabled the function key. On a Mac, this key generally lowers the volume.
-
![Step 1 Turn on the F lock key.]()
Turn on the F lock key. If your keyboard has this key, it'll usually be found in the top-left or top-right corner. A light will usually turn on when the key is enabled.[4] -
![Step 2 Press the function key you wish to use.]()
Press the function key you wish to use. These are at the top of the keyboard.- Try pressing F1 while in an application to check that you have successfully enabled the function keys. In Windows, this usually opens the Help menu. On a Mac, it turns down the volume.[5]
-
![Step 1 Access your BIOS/UEFI.]()
Access your BIOS/UEFI. The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), also called a UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), is software built into your computer that gives it instructions on how to do various things. If your function keys are not working, they may be disabled in your BIOS/UEFI.[6]- You must press a button during startup (before the Windows logo appears) to enter the BIOS/UEFI, but the button differs depending on your computer. Common buttons to press are F1, F2, F10, F12, Del, or Esc.
-
![Step 2 Find the configuration menu.]()
Find the configuration menu. This may be found in different locations depending on your computer manufacturer, and may be a submenu under an "Advanced" menu.[7] -
![Step 3 Locate an option that says "hotkey" or "Fn Key."]()
Locate an option that says "hotkey" or "Fn Key." Again, the exact wording will vary depending on your computer manufacturer. -
![Step 4 Enable the "hotkey"/"Fn Key" menu option.]()
Enable the "hotkey"/"Fn Key" menu option. If you see that this option is already enabled, then the BIOS/UEFI is not responsible for your function keys not working as intended.[8]
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-do-i-use-the-fn-key-f-lock-key-alternate-command-keys-fccfaf23-38f0-88a8-9b44-a18f24523b79
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102439
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/using-your-keyboard-18b2efc1-9e32-ba5a-0896-676f9f3b994f
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-do-i-use-the-fn-key-f-lock-key-alternate-command-keys-fccfaf23-38f0-88a8-9b44-a18f24523b79
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204436
- ↑ https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/bios-keys-to-access-your-firmware,5732.html
- ↑ https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_5878386-5878672-16
- ↑ https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/ish_5878386-5878672-16
About This Article
1. Hold down the Fn key.
2. Hit a function key at the top to use it.
