A Beginner's Guide to Keyboard Common Keys: Navigating Your Computer with Ease
Posted by ISAAC ROSEN
As we spend more and more time on our computers, it's important to know how to navigate and utilize our keyboard to its full potential.
From simple shortcuts to specialized keys, each button on our keyboard has a specific function that can greatly increase our productivity and efficiency. In this post, we'll take a closer look at the most common keyboard keys, what they do, and how to use them to make the most out of your computer experience.
These are computer keyboard keys and their functions:
- ESC (Escape Key): Typically used to cancel or close a current operation or window.
- Page Up/Down: Used to scroll up or down a page or document.
- Print: Sends the current document or page to the printer for printing.
- End: Takes the cursor to the end of the current line or document.
- Ins (Insert Key): Toggles between insert and overwrite mode, allowing you to either insert new text or overwrite existing text.
- Del (Delete Key): Deletes the character to the right of the cursor.
- Pause: Pauses a running program or process.
- Home: Takes the cursor to the beginning of the current line or document.
- CTRL (Control Key): Used in combination with other keys to perform specific tasks, such as copying, pasting, and saving a document.
- Backspace: Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
- Shift: Used to type uppercase letters or symbols, or to select multiple items.
- Caps Lock: Toggles between uppercase and lowercase letters.
- Enter: Used to submit a form, start a new line or confirm a command or selection.
- Tab: Used to indent text or move to the next field in a form.
- Arrow Keys: Used to move the cursor up, down, left, or right.
- Windows Key: Typically found on Windows-based computers and used to open the Start menu or switch between open windows.
- Alt: Used in combination with other keys to perform specific tasks, such as accessing menu options.
- F1 - F12: Function keys that can be programmed to perform specific tasks, such as opening a specific program or adjusting the volume.
- Num Lock: Toggles the numeric keypad between numbers and cursor movement keys.
- Scroll Lock: Typically used in older computer programs to control screen scrolling.
- Option or Alt Gr: Used to type special characters or access additional options.
These are just a few examples of additional keyboard keys that are commonly used on computers. The specific keys available on a keyboard may vary depending on the manufacturer and model.
The table below provides a comprehensive overview of the differences between keyboard layouts in Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, French, Swedish and Hebrew. Whether you're a multilingual user or just interested in the nuances between keyboard layouts, this table serves as a useful reference for understanding the equivalent names for each key in different languages.
English | Spanish | German | Italian | Portuguese | French | Alt. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Esc | Esc | Esc | Esc | Esc | Échap | ⎋ |
Page Up | Re Pág | Bild ↑ | Pag Su | Pág Acima | ⇞ / Page Précédente | ⇞ |
Page Down | Av Pág | Bild ↓ | Pag Giù | Pág Abaixo | ⇟ / Page Suivante | ⇟ |
Home | Inicio | Pos1 | Home | Início | Début | ⇱ |
End | Fin | Ende | Fine | Fim | Fin | ⇲ |
Pause | Pausa | Pause | Pausa | Pausa | Pause | |
Ins | Ins | Einfg | Ins | Ins | Ins | |
Del | Supr | Entf | Canc | Del | Suppr. | ⌦ |
Backspace | Retroceso | Rücktaste | Indietro | Apagar | Suppr arrière | ⌫ |
PrtSc | Impr Pant | Stampa | Imprimir | Impr Ecran | ⎙ | |
Ctrl | Ctrl | Strg | Ctrl | Ctrl | Ctrl | ⌃ |
Shift | Mayús | Umschalt | Maiusc | Shift | Maj | ⇧ |
Caps lock | Bloq Mayús | Feststelltaste | Bloc Maiusc | Bloco de Maiúsculas | Verr Maj | ⇪ |
Enter | Entrar | Eingabe | Invio | Enter | Entrée | ⏎ |
Tab | Tab | Tab | Tab | Tab | Tab | ⇥ |
Num Lock | Bloq Num | Zahlensperre | Bloc Num | Bloqueio Num | Verr Num | ⇭ |
Scroll Lock | Bloq Despl | Rollen | Bloc Scorr | Bloqueio de Rolagem | Verrouillage défil | ⤓ or ⇳ |
Option/Alt Gr | Opción/Alt Gr | Option/Alt Gr | Opzione/Alt Gr | Opção/Alt Gr | Option/Alt Gr | ⌥ |
In conclusion, this table provides a comprehensive overview of the equivalent names for various computer keyboard keys in several different languages. Whether you are a multilingual user or simply interested in the differences between keyboard layouts, this table serves as a helpful reference. It is important to note that while some key names may vary from language to language, their functions remain the same, making it easy for users to navigate and utilize their keyboards with ease.