About some secrets of the function keys on a laptop. Keys on a laptop Laptop press f12

The keyboard of any laptop must have a key block F1-F12. Often they work without any additional settings, but sometimes users are faced with a situation where, instead of their direct purpose, they perform secondary ones - multimedia.

Enabling F1-F12 keys on a laptop

As a rule, on all laptops a number of F-keys are configured for two modes: functional and multimedia. Previously, a simple single press would perform the default action within a program, game, or operating system (for example, F1 opens the application help). Pressing F-keys along with Fn has already performed another action assigned to it by the manufacturer. It could be the volume being turned off or something else.

However, more and more often in modern devices you can find the opposite principle of operation: simply pressing F-the key triggers the action assigned by the manufacturer, and the combination (take the same example with F1) Fn+F1 opens a help window.

For users using F1-F12 for a functional purpose more often than for a secondary multimedia purpose, such a change in order is often not to your liking. It is especially inconvenient for fans of computer games that require quick reactions to actions. Fortunately, you can change the priority of work very simply - by editing one of the BIOS parameters.

Read also: How to enter BIOS on an Acer, Samsung, Sony Vaio, Lenovo, ASUS laptop

After changing the mode, you will be able to use it without any problems, as before. F1-F12. To use additional functions such as adjusting volume, brightness, turning on/off Wi-Fi, you will need to simultaneously press the corresponding function key together with Fn.

In this short article, you learned why function keys in games, programs and Windows might not work on your laptop, as well as how to enable them. If you have any questions, use the comment form below.

Every laptop has several function keys that allow you to quickly open various system components. The Fn button provides access to individual system settings. This key is used in combination with the F1-F12 buttons, which allows, for example, to change the sound level, turn on Wi-Fi, or activate the economy mode on a laptop. On many laptops it is located in the lower left corner of the keyboard.

There are several methods you can try to solve this problem. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Installing drivers.

You can download the driver pack for the keyboard from the manufacturer’s official website. You need to look for components for a specific computer model. Perhaps installing “firewood” will help enable the Fn key.

Use of special programs.

You can use special applications to activate the Fn button. Magic Keyboard is considered a popular utility suitable for all laptops.

If the above methods do not help, then you can try cleaning the keyboard.

How to disable the Fn key on a laptop?

There are two main ways to disable this button. The first involves using the NumLock+Fn or Fn+F11 key combination. The second method is more complex, it includes several steps.

Go to BIOS. To do this, during the system boot process, you need to press the F8 button or another (depending on the brand of laptop).
Select the “System Configuration” tab.
In the “Action Keys Mode” item, select “Disabled”.
Save changes.

After this, the Fn button on your Lenovo laptop will be disabled. It is worth noting that this key is quite useful. It helps to quickly access different options, which means it saves the user’s time. You need to think carefully before turning it off.

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lenovomania.net

How to disable the Fn button on all laptop models

Hello. One of my friends recently bought a Hewlett-Packard laptop. The model is very successful and relatively inexpensive. Although at first it took him a long time to get used to the different keyboard layout (before that, he had been using a Lenovo laptop for many years). But there was one problem - instead of the function keys F1-F2, their counterparts worked, which should be activated only after pressing Fn. I had to figure out how to disable the Fn button on an HP laptop. I’ll tell you the solution in the continuation of the article.

What kind of button is this?

In order not to allocate additional space for the location of sound control keys, wireless modules, touchpad, etc., compact PC developers unanimously decided to use a combination of function keys with Fn pressed simultaneously to perform certain actions. In principle, everything is correct. But sometimes various troubles arise.

For example, instead of expanding the browser window to full screen, pressing F11 on the keyboard mutes the sound. And you may not immediately determine the cause of the “breakdown”, but spend time looking for a solution.

Disconnection method

We will have to be especially careful when reading further instructions, since we will have to deal with the BIOS.

To enter the BIOS, immediately after turning on the laptop, press F10 or Esc (depending on the device). Try it!
Now you need to find the “System Configuration” section of the system configuration, which contains the “Action Keys Mode” item. In it you need to select the “Disabled” option.

Now we exit the BIOS, having previously saved the settings. To do this, press F10, and then the “Y” key (from English Yes).
Let's start Windows and check how the function keys work.

This method helped my friend. By the way, it also works for Packard Bell laptops.

Since I’m talking about disabling FN, then I’ll share my experience of similar experiments with laptops from other manufacturers.

For Asus and Samsung, the instructions are very simple, but experience shows that there are specific models for which the method does not work. Need to try. Try pressing the following combinations:

Fn + NumLk (the latter is responsible for activating the numeric keypad);
Fn + Insert (can also be called Ins);
Fn + F11 / F12 (test both options);
Sometimes just pressing NumLk helps (which is very strange).

By the way, the first item from this list may be useful to owners of Fujitsu and Acer laptops.

If none of the above worked, please write your laptop model name in the comments and I will try to solve the problem.

Let's move on to Toshiba computers. In most cases, such troubles do not happen to them. But there was a case in my practice when the Fn key generally lived its own life and decided on its own when to work and when not.

The best option would be to install the “small” HDD Protection utility. It would seem that what does hard drive protection have to do with it? But if you go to the “Optimization” section of the program and click on “Special Features”, a window with options will appear. This is where you need to deactivate Fn by unchecking the corresponding item. All that remains is to save all the changes, and you don’t even have to restart the computer.

Download: TOSHIBA HDD ProtectionUseful utility for Toshiba laptops Downloaded: 277, size: 24.5 MB, date: 11.Jul.2016

In this article I have talked about almost all the brands. Forgot to mention Dell. To be honest, I have never seen any complaints online about this manufacturer (on this issue). But if you have a special case, I recommend trying the above methods. If the instructions do not help, I look forward to your comments for further investigation.

I advise you to familiarize yourself with the software to disable any keys.

I hope I didn't waste several hours of time writing this article. If it was useful to you, the best gratitude would be a repost on social networks. What if your friends find this information useful too?

Sincerely, Victor

it-tehnik.ru

How to disable the fn button on a laptop

The fn button paired with any multimedia key (F1, F2, F3...F12) performs different purposes: adjusts the sound, turns on or off WI-FI or power saving mode, changes the screen brightness, etc. But it often happens that Fn does not work correctly. Instead of letters, when using the keyboard, either signs or numbers appear, and this creates problems for the owner. Many people ask how to turn off the fn key?

The first thing we try to disable this button is to press two keys at the same time: Fn+Nut Lock. True, this method is not applicable on all laptops; it happens that the button function is disabled by other key combinations - fn and F11.

Couldn't you turn it off after this set of combinations? Then disable fn through “BIOS”. Reboot the device and press one of these buttons - F2, Del or F10. Which key to choose depends on the type of BIOS version on the laptop.

You can find this out in the instructions; it happens that its name is written at the bottom of the device screen. It is necessary to remember that one of these keys must be pressed while the screen on the laptop is black and the WINDOWS program has not yet loaded. And when you entered the BIOS, a blue screen or gray screen with blue letters appears.

Use the navigation buttons (back, forward, up, down) to go to the “SYSTEM CONFIGURATION” tab, and click on the menu item “Action Keys Mode” using the “Enter” button.

Then select Disabled. Confirm with the Enter button and save with the F10 key. After this, we wait for the system to boot. The fn button will be disabled.

If you want all the laptop keys to function well, you need to install only “native versions” of programs for this device. But still, if you need to disable the fn button, you will do this after these advice from programmers.

SovetClub.ru

How to enable F1-F12 keys on HP laptops

Fortunately, it can be changed.

On HP laptops, the F1-F12 function keys work as multimedia keys by default (adjusting brightness, controlling the player, volume, etc.), and to activate the F1-F12 keys directly, you need to hold down the fn key.

Since I often use the F5 key to update something, F4 to edit, etc., this mode of operation of the F1-F12 keys does not suit me.

Fortunately, it can be changed. To do this, you need to change the parameter value in the BIOS:

Enter BIOS (press F10 when turning on the laptop).
Go to the System Configuration menu.
Change the Action Keys Mode parameter to Disable.

If you find an error in the text, highlight it and press Ctrl+Enter.

myitstuff.ru

With a laptop on a first-name basis or how to disable the Fn button

Not long ago I purchased an HP brand laptop. To be honest, the device is quite decent, especially since the amount paid for it is relatively small, but out of habit, my fingers don’t hit the required keys. Before this I used an Asus laptop and was more used to their keyboard layout. However, after purchasing a new laptop, you can make small adjustments to the keyboard on your laptop for more convenient use. But that’s not what we’re talking about now.

Using a laptop brings tremendous pleasure, but I still ran into one small problem. After installing the operating system, there were some inconveniences with the F1-F12 keys. For some reason unknown to me, when I pressed these buttons, the multimedia part was triggered, which in theory should work if you use the Fn + key combination. The problem was finally resolved, and now I will try to help you resolve this problem.

Disable Fn on HP laptops

Enabling the Fn button on HP brand laptops can lead to some unpleasant consequences. For example, when you press the F11 button in the browser, instead of the desired full-window view, you and I may accidentally turn off the speaker. If this bothers you and you don’t know how to disable the Fn button on an HP laptop, don’t worry - there is a way out.

I will say right away that the method is not the simplest and for a beginner it may seem complicated. However, if you look at it, everything is simple here.

To disable Fn on most HP laptops, you must follow these recommendations:

Go to BIOS. If you have a very old BIOS version, it would be a good idea to update the BIOS first. Then, to carry out the procedure for disabling the key, you must press the Esc or F10 key when starting the laptop, depending on the model. The main thing is not to miss the moment.
In the BIOS, be sure to enter the tab called “System Configuration”.
In this tab, you need to change the “Action Keys Mode” parameter to “Disabled”, and then press the F10 key.

When you turn on the laptop again, you can see for yourself that the problem has been successfully fixed. The keys now perform their original functions. To use multimedia functions again, you will now have to hold down the Fn key.

Disabling Fn on Asus, Samsung, Fujitsu laptops

I used Asus laptops for a while and I once had a similar problem. At that time, I had no idea how to disable Fn on an Asus laptop. Then the help of a friend saved me: he advised me to press the Fn and NumLk buttons at the same time, after which my problem was resolved. On some Asus models you should press Fn + Insert, Fn + F11, Fn + F12, or simply NumLk. If you don't know how to disable Fn on Samsung laptop, then also try the above options. This will work on some models. But some don’t, and we still have to work a lot to solve this problem. At these moments, the question sometimes arises: “Which brand of laptop is better?” To this I can say that this is a matter of habit; each manufacturer may have its own “tricks”.

Now let's move on to Fujitsu brand laptops. Of course, few people use them, but maybe someone will find it useful. In most models of this brand, the Fn key is disabled by using the Fn + NumLk button combination.

How to disable Fn on Toshiba laptops

If you need to turn off the Fn button on Toshiba brand laptops, install the HDD Protector program.

With its help you will be able to disable the annoying button. How to do this?

When you start the program, go to the tab called “Optimization”, and then select “Accessibility”.
In the window that appears, uncheck the “Use Fn key” checkbox.
Save the changes by clicking on Ok and continue working.

As you can see, there are several ways to disable the Fn button on laptops from various manufacturers. Perhaps the most universal is the Fn + NumLk key combination. Although in the case of my HP laptop, you will have to work hard. Have fun and I hope everything works out for you!

computerology.ru

As part of computer literacy, let's talk about special function keys on a laptop. With their help you can easily and quickly control your laptop.

Function keys F1-F12 on a laptop allow, for example:

Laptop function keys F1-F12

In Figure 1, the Fn key on a laptop is highlighted with a red rectangle (left), and the function keys on a laptop that work in conjunction with the Fn key are highlighted with green rectangles.

The inscriptions printed on the special function keys in question usually have their own color (more precisely, their own design) on the built-in keyboard, for example, red, blue, green (or they can simply be surrounded by a white frame). The same color (or design) is the “Fn” lettering on the “Fn” key on a laptop. This means that these special keys only work if they are pressed simultaneously with the “Fn” key.

For example, if the “F1” key has a red (blue, green) icon of a crossed out built-in mouse (which means “disabling the built-in mouse” of the Tach-Pad for a Sony laptop), then to disable the built-in mouse you need to press the “Fn” key on the laptop, and, while holding it down, simultaneously press the “F1” key. Reconnecting the built-in mouse is done in the same way: “Fn” - “F1”.

On different laptops, the “F1” – “F12” keys have different meanings. No standardization is used here.

On one laptop, “F1” may mean disabling the built-in mouse, and on another, for example, turning off the PC to sleep mode (an icon with a twice or thrice repeated “Z” symbol, which, according to laptop manufacturers, means the sound “Z-z-z-z...”, in Russian it sounds “Z-z-z-z...” and resembles breathing during sleep).

The key responsible for connecting and disconnecting Wi-Fi usually has an image of an antenna emitting a signal in all directions.

The key to increase image brightness on the built-in display has a stylized image of the screen (frame), inside of which there is a large sun icon.

And on the screen brightness reduction key, the image of the sun inside the stylized image of the screen is small.

Almost all images printed on the “F1” – “F12” keys are understandable without additional explanation. And if necessary, do not neglect the instructions included with all laptops without exception. These instructions exist both in printed form (it’s good if they are written in Russian, otherwise sometimes it’s anything but Russian), and in the form of .pdf files on the PC, located in a special folder on the C: drive (also Unfortunately, these descriptions are not always made in Russian).

This type of laptop control using function keys is very convenient. Without them, it would be necessary to call special programs for each connection or disconnection or for each adjustment. Moreover, not all of these programs can be found in the “Control Panel”.

Sometimes specific programs (for example, adjusting the backlight of the built-in keyboard or managing the battery charge to ensure longer battery life) are not located in the “Control Panel”. Then you need to find them among special laptop management programs. And you need to know them.

In addition, controlling the laptop using function keys (and using special laptop control programs) makes it possible to apply settings unique to this laptop.

These settings are for example:

adjusting the keyboard backlight,
battery life saving system management,
special features for users with disabilities, etc.)

cannot be executed by standard programs from the Windows Control Panel.

What is needed for the function keys on a laptop to work?

It is important to understand that controlling a laptop using the “F1” – “F12” function keys is done using special programs that laptop manufacturers have installed into the laptop’s native operating system. Function keys simplify access to these programs and make these programs seemingly invisible to the laptop user.

However, by pressing the function keys on the laptop, the user receives the required response (in the form of connecting or disconnecting certain laptop devices, in the form of adjusting brightness and volume, etc.) by automatically launching these special programs.

This means that if these special programs are not in the laptop, then the function keys will not work. And no settings will be made! Another confirmation of the fact that the unity of working software (i.e. programs) and working hardware.

Why did the function keys on my laptop stop working?

- How can programs responsible for function keys disappear?

- In different ways. For example, you can reinstall the system in a laptop, but install not the “native” system, but another one. Let's assume that the laptop you purchased had Windows XP. And I wanted to install Windows 7. We install, we get Windows 7, which does not have special laptop management programs. And then the laptop's function keys will not work.

You can accidentally or purposefully remove special laptop management programs. Sometimes they seem to be loaded into the operating system, since they can be pre-launched when the PC boots. By optimizing PC loading, disabling “unnecessary” (from the point of view of the user optimizing the PC operation) programs at boot, you can accidentally disable “necessary” laptop management programs. This, by the way, is one of the reasons why I don’t like download optimization, often advertised by some advanced users.

Special programs may be destroyed by viruses. There are other ways to lose special laptop control programs.

How can I restore the function keys to work normally?

Reverse recovery is possible if there is a “native” system distribution package supplied with the laptop. Or by downloading “native” programs from the Internet, if they are available on the websites of laptop manufacturers. The latter is especially useful if the PC user changes the version of the operating system (as in the above example of replacing Windows XP with Windows 7), but does NOT use the “native” operating system that came with the laptop.

Special laptop management programs may require periodic updates. Updates to specific laptop software cannot be done in the standard way using the Windows update service. To update special laptop software, you also need to have a special program for checking and installing updates.

This program works by accessing updates via the Internet. You need to run it periodically (if it does not start automatically every time you boot Windows) and use it to check for updates and install them. If the program allows it, then it is useful to set the automatic mode of searching and installing updates for special software for managing a laptop.

Some users connect an external keyboard to their laptop. In this case, sometimes the function keys of the laptop do not work if they are pressed using an external keyboard connected to the laptop via . But they can work, depending on your luck. That is, there is no guarantee that the laptop's function keys will work on an external keyboard.

To summarize, we can say that controlling a laptop using function keys and special programs with which these function keys are “associated” is a very convenient service from laptop manufacturers. Thanks to them for this! And the safety of this service is the task and responsibility of the laptop user.

You need to make sure that the system on the laptop is “native” and that all special programs are present on the PC. And so that they load “correctly” when you turn on the PC. And also be sure to be updated “correctly” throughout the entire period of operation of the laptop.

And then working with a laptop will be pleasant and convenient, as intended by their manufacturers.

How to dial digital codes on a laptop

Digital codes are not directly related to the function keys of the laptop F1-F12, however, there is a problem with entering codes for the laptop, so let’s move on to its consideration and solution.

Reader question: When typing text, I use digital codes through Alt to type characters that are not on the keyboard: Alt+0151 is a dash (not a hyphen), Alt+0171 and Alt+0187 are corner typographic quotation marks, which is necessary when typing typographic text. How to dial these codes on a laptop?

There are full-size keyboards (Fig. 2) that have a small numeric keypad on the right (partially highlighted in red and blue). Anyone who works with numbers (accountants, bankers, marketers, users working with Excel spreadsheets, etc.) almost always only deals with a full-size keyboard.

Using the small numeric keypad, you can enter numeric codes that cannot be entered using regular numbers, learn more about numeric codes.

Rice. 2. Full-size keyboard (without FN key). Click on fig. to increase it

There are, of course, laptops with a full-size keyboard (as in Fig. 2, click on the picture to enlarge). As a rule, they have a large screen, but at the same time, such a laptop has a substantial size and weighs a lot. Among ordinary users, such laptops are rare. Pay attention to fig. 2, that with a full-size keyboard, the laptop does not have an Fn key; it is absent as unnecessary.

But what about users of regular laptops whose keyboards do not have a small numeric keypad, but need the functions of a small numeric keypad, in particular, entering numeric codes? Laptop manufacturers have gotten away with it by adding additional capabilities to other laptop keys. To enable such features, the laptop has an auxiliary Fn key (highlighted in Fig. 1 and shown in Fig. 3).

As can be seen in Fig. 3 (click on the picture to enlarge it), each laptop keyboard has a number row of keys from 1 to 9. They are in the second row, and in the first row are the function keys F1-F12. We will be interested in other numbers that are available on laptops and are written smaller than regular numbers (highlighted in Fig. 3).

Rice. 3 (click on the picture to enlarge it). There are dedicated keys for the small numeric keypad NumLock and FN, as well as small numbers from 1 to 9 for entering digital codes

To dial a digital code on a laptop:

1) find the Fn and Num Lock keys (in Fig. 3 they are highlighted with a red frame, they are designed in the same style - blue and italic, but the style may be different on your laptop). Press the Fn and Num Lock keys at the same time.

In this case, a mini-light on the laptop may light up, if such an indication is provided in the laptop. This way you will turn on the small numeric keyboard that laptop manufacturers have “hardwired” into a regular keyboard.

2) Notice the numbers 0 to 9, which are the same color (same style) as the Fn key. Each laptop will have its own style of designing symbols from the small numeric keypad; there are no standards here.

In Fig. 3 (clickable) small numeric keypad is “hardwired” (located) on the following laptop keys:

the small number 0 is located on the letter M,
small number 1 - on the letter J,
small number 2 - on the letter K,
small number 3 - on the letter L,
small number 4 - on the letter U,
small number 5 - on the letter I,
small number 6 - on the letter O,
small number 7 - on the big number 7,
small number 8 - on the big number 8,
small number 9 - on the big number 9.

On your laptop, try entering numbers from 0 to 9 using the small numeric keypad in a text editor, such as .

3) So, the Fn and Num Lock keys are pressed - the small numeric keypad is turned on. The numbers from it can be used as digital codes. To enter, for example, the code Alt+0151,

Press the Alt key and, without releasing it, enter the code 0151.
That is, while holding down the ALT key, click on the numbers one by one: first on the number 0 (where the letter M is in Fig. 3). Then, without releasing ALT, click on 1 (where the letter J is), then on 5 (where the letter I is) and again on 1 (where the letter J is).
Release all keys - a dash should appear.
If it doesn't work the first time, try a few more times.

4) If you no longer need the small numeric keypad, press the Fn and Num Lock keys at the same time. This will disable additional functions on the keyboard (that is, the small numeric keypad will be disabled).

And you can use the keyboard as usual to enter letters.

What if Small numeric keypad does not work on laptop? I think this could happen if

The Num Lock key is not turned on or something else is done incorrectly. This usually happens when you first try to learn how to use a small keyboard.
On the laptop, the native operating system, hardwired by the manufacturer, was reinstalled onto a non-native one.

Reader Questions

Here a few questions from blog readers with my answers, which served as material for writing this article (by the way, ask questions in the comments, if you don’t find an answer to them, I will answer, and my answer will come to you by email, to your E-mail).

Question 1: While I’m working on the keyboard, if I don’t see it, the cursor arrow itself runs away somewhere. Are there any commands to prevent this from happening?

Answer: The cursor runs away on a laptop if you accidentally and unnoticed touch the touchpad - this is the laptop’s built-in mouse. I disable the touchpad for this reason and use a regular mouse. I have keys to disable the touchpad +(I press first , then without releasing it, I press ), you may have other keyboard shortcuts. Look at the instructions for your laptop (in paper or electronic form), it is written about this there.

Question 2: Laptop, Windows 7. Such a problem happened: in the lower right corner of the screen it used to be written caps lock off or caps lock on (duplicating the indicator), but now it doesn’t write, the indicator works, but it’s not very convenient to look at it (especially in good weather conditions). bright room) caps lock mode is on or off.
What could have gone wrong in the settings, and what can be done to return a text notification about the status of the caps lock mode? Thank you.

Answer: Most likely, these are specific settings of your laptop. I know, for example, laptops that have a backlit keyboard, and it (its brightness, duration of illumination, etc.) is adjusted by a separate special program included in the laptop software.

If, for example, you reinstall Windows and install a non-native system that came with the laptops, then such specific programs disappear completely, and along with them the usual conveniences disappear.

If you have not reinstalled the operating system, then look in the Control Panel or among the special programs for managing your laptop for a program that configures this service that has become familiar to you.

Question 3: Please tell me: on my laptop the CAPS LOCK and NUM LOCK indicators do not light up when I press. What to do? How to fix the situation?

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It would seem that the laptop keyboard is no different from the keyboard of a regular PC. However, there is a certain difference: only this compact device has an Fn button. It exists to improve user efficiency. Fn helps to quickly turn on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, send mail, change screen brightness, volume level, etc. If the Fn key does not work on a laptop, this significantly “cuts down” the user’s capabilities.

Enabling the Fn key opens up a lot of possibilities for the user

Location

The Fn button on almost all devices is located in the lower left corner of the keyboard. This key has long taken its permanent place on devices of various world-famous brands of equipment. It is located before or after the Ctrl button. As practice shows, this placement of the key is very convenient for users.

How it works and what “Fn” means

“Function” - it is from this word that the name of the key we are interested in comes from. With its help you can perform many operations, but in combination with other buttons. They are commonly called shortcut buttons. The key combination differs for each specific model, but the principle of their operation is the same. For example, on a Lenovo laptop, the Fn button can give the following results:

Fn+right arrow/left arrow - change volume;
Fn+Insert - option to disable or enable Scroll Lock;
Fn+F6 - connect a laptop mouse (touchpad);
Fn+F5 - turn on bluetooth;
Fn+F4 - change the monitor extension;
Fn+F3 - used when working with a projector; This combination makes it possible to switch the monitor display to the projector;
Fn+F2 - option to turn off/on the monitor;
Fn+F1 - sleep mode;
Fn+down/up arrow - decrease or increase monitor brightness;
Fn+F12 - track backward;
Fn+F11 - track forward;
Fn+F10 - stop in the media player;
Fn+F9 - pause/resume;
Fn+Home - (works in media files) - pause.

By learning these combinations, you will be able to get the most out of your laptop keyboard, even without using a mouse.

Disable/enable Fn

Usually the button is activated by pressing NumLock+Fn, but this does not always work. Often, to enable the Fn button on a laptop, you have to delve into the BIOS.

Using BIOS

There is nothing complicated here, the procedure looks like this:

Go to the BIOS (you must press Esc, F2 or Del when the device starts).
Go to Setup Utility.
Find the System Configuration menu.
Turn on the Fn option (Action Keys Mode tab).

Installing drivers

The most effective way to enable the Fn key is to check your keyboard drivers. When installing a “broken” OS, the wrong “firewood” is often installed for individual laptop components. Experienced specialists recommend downloading drivers only from the official pages of manufacturing companies. On official resources you can easily find Fn key drivers for HP, Sony, LG, Lenovo, Acer, DNS, Toshiba, Dell and many others.

Using Utilities

Sometimes no changes occur even after following the recommendations described here. In this case, special utilities can help. You can find a lot of programs online to enable the Fn key, many of them are available for free.

Thus, Vaio Control Center and Sony Shared Library utilities have been developed for Sony devices; Easy Display Manager is ideal for Samsung devices (usually this program is supplied on disk in the same package with the purchased equipment). On a Toshiba laptop, it is better to install Flash Cards Support Utility or Hotkey Utility.

There is also universal software that will enable the Fn button on any device - this is the Magic Keyboard utility.

Nothing helped? Clean your keyboard!

Perhaps the problem is mechanical damage to the keyboard. Liquid could have been spilled on it (most often it is coffee or tea) or dust could be the culprit. The issue will have to be resolved not by the program method, but by “treatment” from the outside. It is not necessary to take the device to a service center; you can try to fix everything yourself. Each key on the laptop is fixed in its own slot, and if you apply a little effort, you can carefully remove it (just pry it off with a screwdriver). All buttons consist of a lift, a platform and a spring, these three components are connected using a latch. After removing the problem key, clean the pad, then put everything back.

The functions of the Fn button can be easily assigned to other keys that you are not used to using. It's a little unusual, but effective.

If the keyboard has been spilled with tea, the tracks may be damaged - in this case, the equipment will have to be sent to the service department.

OS bit size

It is sometimes also impossible to eliminate a system violation by installing drivers. This happens if the device you purchased is designed for a 64-bit OS, and you installed 32. Such difficulties arise quite often; the issue can only be resolved by reinstalling Windows to the required version.

Results

As you can see, the Fn button allows you to quickly enable/disable various functions, which means making life much easier, but on some laptops it may not initially function. You can enable the key using several methods: dig around, install a special utility, clean the keyboard, perform the Fn+NumLock combination, or install OS 64x. We are confident that one of the methods presented here will help enable the coveted key. Write which method was most effective in solving your problem.

Hello, friends! If you look closely at the keys on a laptop, you will notice that some of them, in addition to the usual letters, numbers and symbols, have icons that many do not understand. Usually these icons are made in a different color from the main symbols.

In addition, a laptop usually has a separate key with two symbols - “Fn”; these symbols may also be in a frame. The “Fn” key and the icons that I’ll talk about today in this article are usually the same color. As you probably already guessed, these buttons are connected to each other.

The “Fn” button itself is called functional, which means that it activates additional functions of the laptop. The combination “Fn” is, accordingly, an abbreviation for the word Function and reads “Funkshin”. Pressing this button in combination with keys that have additional icons (blue in my case) activates functions whose meaning corresponds to the symbol shown.

Later in the article I will tell you in detail what additional function this or that symbol implies. It is important to understand that in different laptop models, function symbols may be on different keys, then we will consider additional functions based on them, because they do not differ much from each other on different laptop models.

Laptop keys that are designed as additional functions help users quickly perform operations, such as when they need to mute or turn down the volume.

The Fn key on a laptop looks like this:

Press "Fn" and

Puts the computer into sleep mode or returns it to a working state from sleep.

Pressing “Fn” and Turning On/Off the laptop’s wi-fi wireless network adapter.

Press "Fn" and

For a laptop, this function can be especially relevant, since when the brightness is reduced, power consumption is significantly reduced, that is, in order to increase battery life, you can sacrifice a little display brightness.

Pressing “Fn” and Turns on/off the screen backlight lamp(s). In some models, it also stretches the image to fill the entire screen when working in low resolution.

Pressing "Fn" changes the display mode. Useful when using an external display, that is, if an additional monitor/projector is connected to your laptop. The modes are as follows: simultaneously on the laptop display and an external display or only on one of them.

Pressing “Fn” and Turning off/on the touchpad is a touch pad used as a replacement for a mouse in a laptop. On some models, this same function may be performed by a separate dedicated button, usually close to the touchpad itself.

Below is a photo of the touchpad.

Press "Fn" and

Turn down the volume.

Press "Fn" and

Pressing "Fn" and

Pressing “Fn” and Turning on/off the small numeric keypad mode; usually, one of the LEDs on the laptop panel indicates that this mode is on. The question arises: “What can be turned on if the laptop keyboard does not have such an addition?” But, looking more closely, we see that on some keys in blue, there are not pictures, but numbers from 0 to 9, a dash and an asterisk, which exactly correspond to the symbols of the low digit of the keyboard. It should be noted that in some models, if size allows, there may also be a classic small numeric keypad located on the right, with its own separate buttons. In this case, to use it, just turn on the NumPad (NumLk) mode and simply press the keys.

Pressing “Fn” and Turning on/off screen moving mode. Today this function is not widely used and the result of enabling this mode may vary in different applications. In the MSExcel program you can see the classical meaning of using this mode. When ScrollLock mode is turned off, the cursor keys (arrows) will move the cursor along the table grid, and when turned on, the screen will move, while the cursor will remain in the same cell.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 7 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 8 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 9 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and the “/” symbol when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 4 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 5 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 6 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and the “*” symbol when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 1 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 2 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 3 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and the “-” symbol when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and Number 0 when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing “Fn” and the “dot” symbol when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing "Fn" and the "+" sign when NumLk mode is on.

Pressing "Fn" and one of the following buttons:

Controls your music player. By default, this group of buttons controls tracks in Windows Media Player, but if desired, they can be reconfigured to another player, such as Winamp.

Pressing “Fn” and Turns the webcam on/off.

Pressing “Fn” and Enables or disables the “Splendid Video Intelligent Technology” function. This technology improves the image on the laptop screen (OSD), offering various mode options adapted to specific working conditions. You can see the current mode on the screen (OSD).

You should understand that there may be other icons on the keyboard, and also similar to those discussed above in one of the keyboards. They differ because keyboards are made by different manufacturers.

Now let's tell you what other icons you can find.

Pressing “Fn” and Performs the function of the Home key, that is, it moves the cursor to the beginning of the document, web page or folder, depending on what program you are working in.

Pressing “Fn” will perform the same action as the previous key, but moves the cursor to the end.