Keyboard Keys and Their Functions
1. Typing (Alphanumeric) Keys
● Letters (A–Z) – Input alphabetic characters.
● Numbers (0–9) – Input numeric characters.
● Symbols (!, @, #, $, %, etc.) – Typed with Shift + Number/Symbol
key.
● Spacebar – Inserts a space between characters.
● Enter / Return – Executes a command, starts a new line, or submits
input.
● Backspace – Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
● Delete (Del) – Deletes the character to the right of the cursor or
selected item.
2. Modifier Keys
Used in combination with other keys for shortcuts.
● Shift – Capitalizes letters; types upper symbols on keys.
● Ctrl (Control) – Used for keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl + C = Copy).
● Alt (Alternate) – Used for alternate commands (e.g., Alt + Tab =
Switch windows).
● AltGr (Alternate Graphic) – Used to type special characters (on
some keyboards).
● Fn (Function) – Activates secondary functions of F-keys and other
special keys (common on laptops).
3. Function Keys (F1–F12)
● F1 – Opens Help in many programs.
● F2 – Renames a selected file or folder.
● F3 – Opens search feature in Windows/most apps.
● F4 – Alt + F4 closes the current window.
● F5 – Refreshes a page or document.
● F6 – Moves cursor to the address bar in browsers.
● F7 – Spell check in MS Word.
● F8 – Boot menu in Windows (during startup).
Mhei Karollyn G. Quiñones
(Reviewer)1
● F9 – Refreshes a document in MS Word/Outlook.
● F10 – Activates menu bar in apps; Shift + F10 = right-click.
● F11 – Toggles full-screen mode in browsers.
● F12 – Opens “Save As” dialog in MS Word.
4. Navigation Keys
● Arrow Keys (↑ ↓ ← →) – Move the cursor or selection up, down, left,
or right.
● Home – Moves cursor to the beginning of a line/document.
● End – Moves cursor to the end of a line/document.
● Page Up – Scrolls up one screen/page.
● Page Down – Scrolls down one screen/page.
● Insert (Ins) – Toggles between insert mode and overwrite mode.
5. Control Keys
● Esc (Escape) – Cancels or exits an operation.
● Tab – Moves cursor to the next field/indent text.
● Caps Lock – Toggles capitalization of letters (ON = all caps).
● Num Lock – Enables/disables numeric keypad.
● Scroll Lock – Rarely used; locks scrolling behavior in some apps.
● Print Screen (PrtScn) – Captures screenshot of the entire screen.
● Pause/Break – Rarely used; interrupts processes in older programs.
6. Special System Keys
● Windows Key (⊞) – Opens Start Menu (Win + shortcuts perform
many tasks, e.g., Win + D = show desktop).
● Menu Key (≣) – Acts like right-click context menu.
● Power Key (on some keyboards) – Puts the computer to sleep,
shutdown, or opens power options.
Mhei Karollyn G. Quiñones
(Reviewer)2
