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The F1 through F12 keys are called function keys on a computer keyboard. F1 through F12 may have a variety of different uses, or no use at all. The operating system installed on the computer and the software program currently open determine how each key works. A program can use not only each function key on its own, but also combine function keys with the Alt or Ctrl key. For example, Windows users can press Alt + F4 to close the active program.
Note: On some keyboards, the F1-F12 keys include additional functions when used together with the Fn key (usually located near Ctrl) For example, if the F11 key has a “speaker mute” symbol, pressing Fn + F11 mutes the computer’s sound. The additional functions available with the Fn key differ depending on the brand of keyboard being used.
Tip: Some computers may automatically enable the Fn key to access the special functions on the F1 through F12 keys. You can turn off the Fn key by going to the keyboard settings in Control Panel.
Note: If your keyboard does not have a row of function keys, they may be set up as secondary functions on other keys, similar to the Fn situation mentioned above. Some laptop keyboards are set up this way to save space.
Below is a list of some of the more common functions of the function keys for Windows and Microsoft applications, as well as some for Mac OS. As mentioned above, not all programs support these function keys, and the function keys on your keyboard may perform different tasks than those mentioned below.
F1
- Almost always used as the help key; nearly every program opens a help screen when this key is pressed.
- Enters CMOS Setup.
- Windows Key + F1 opens the Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center.
- Opens the Task Pane.
F2
- In Windows, renames a highlighted icon, file or folder in all versions of Windows.
- Alt + Ctrl + F2 opens the document window in Microsoft Word.
- Ctrl + F2 displays the print preview window in Microsoft Word.
- Quickly renames a selected file or folder.
- Enters CMOS Setup.
F3
- Often opens a search feature for many programs, including Microsoft Windows when on the Windows desktop.
- In the MS-DOS or Windows command line, F3 repeats the last command.
- Shift + F3 changes text in Microsoft Word from uppercase to lowercase or to a capital letter at the beginning of every word.
- Windows Key + F3 opens the Advanced Find window in Microsoft Outlook.
- Opens Mission Control on an Apple computer running Mac OS X.
- Opens the find window in Windows 95 to XP.
- Opens the address bar in Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.
- Repeats the last action performed (Word 2000+).
- Alt + F4 closes the currently active program window in Microsoft Windows.
- Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the current active window in Microsoft Windows.
- Moves the cursor to the address bar in Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and most other Internet browsers.
- Ctrl + Shift + F6 switches to another open Microsoft Word document.
- Decreases laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).
- 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 highlighted word.
- Turns on Caret browsing in Mozilla Firefox.
- Increases laptop speaker volume (on some laptops).
- Refreshes the document in Microsoft Word.
- Sends and receives e-mail in Microsoft Outlook.
- Opens the Measurements toolbar in Quark 5.0. Decreases laptop screen brightness (on some laptops).
- With Mac OS 10.3 or later, displays a thumbnail for each window in a single workspace.
- Pressing the Fn and F9 keys at the same time opens Mission Control on an Apple computer running Mac OS X.
- In Microsoft Windows, activates the menu bar of an open application.
- Shift + F10 is the same as right-clicking a highlighted icon, file or Internet link.
- Accesses the hidden recovery partition on Compaq, HP and Sony computers.
- Enters CMOS Setup on some computers.
- Increases laptop screen brightness (on some laptops)
- With Mac OS 10.3 or later, shows all open windows for the active program.
- Opens 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.
- Previews a page in Microsoft Expression Web.
- Opens Firebug or the browser’s debug tool.
- With an Apple running Mac OS 10.4 or later, F12 shows or hides the Dashboard.
- Accesses the list of bootable devices on a computer at startup, letting you choose a different device to boot from (hard drive, CD or DVD drive, floppy drive, USB drive and network).
- On newer Apple keyboards, F13, F14 and F15 may be shown in place of the Print Screen key, Scroll Lock key and Pause key.
- On new Apple keyboards, the F16, F17, F18 and F19 keys are above the number pad.
- Early IBM computers also had keyboards with the F13 through F24 keys. However, since these keyboards are no longer used, they are not listed on this page.
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