If you have a laptop, netbook, transformer in front of you, then for sure the keyboard on it is slightly different from what we are used to seeing near a stationary PC. It is more compact, so some buttons on it perform two functions. Helps them switch from primary to secondary task and vice versa the Fn key. Let's find out the breadth of its capabilities and options for resolving the problems associated with it.
Where is Fn located?
The button layout is standard for all laptop keyboards and their brothers by HP, Lenovo, Samsung, LG, Acer, ASUS and so on. This is traditionally the left corner. The only difference is whether the Fn key on the keyboard will stand before or after Ctrl.
The button location is specially chosen so convenient, because it is the "key" to many necessary functions. She is always at hand, she doesn’t need to be looked for, the location is easy to remember, including when using the “blind print”.
What is the button for?
The full name of the Fn key is Function. It is combinational - it acts only in combination with other buttons. Take a closer look at your keyboard. A number of F1-F12, up-down, right-left arrows will contain additional icons symbolizing specific functions. They are printed with ink, usually red or blue, the same as the Fn key. By simultaneously pressing it and a specific button, you can activate / deactivate a specific function.
So, the key helps to control the player, scroll through photos, pages, increase / decrease the sound volume, add / decrease the brightness of the screen and perform a number of other useful tasks.
Useful Button Combinations
The characters depicted on the Function girlfriends are quite intuitive and quick to remember. You will soon get used to them and will switch them without looking. Now we’ll give you a list of standard functions that the Fn key helps to activate:
- With the up arrow, increase the sound volume.
- Down arrow - Decrease the sound volume.
- With the left arrow - decrease the brightness of the monitor.
- With the arrow "to the right" - increase the brightness of the monitor.
- With F8 - mute.
- With F7 - activation / deactivation of the touch control panel.
- With F6 - turn on / off the monitor.
- With F5 - transfer the image to an external monitor and back to "native".
- With F4 - activation / deactivation of the "sleep mode".
- With F3 - connecting to and disconnecting from Wi-Fi.
- With Home ("Home") - start playback, pause.
- With Pg Up ("Page Up") - stop playback in the player.
- With Pg Dn ("Page Down") - rewind.
- With End ("End") - fast forward.
The last four functions on some keyboards can be transferred to the buttons F9, F10, F11, F12. You need to hold down the Fn key, and then click on one of the presented ones to enable or disable what you need.
Button on and off
Function itself can be either activated or deactivated. This is done as follows: hold down the button itself and Num Lock. The combination will help both disable the Fn key and enable it. But the method is not applicable to all devices.
You can try to tune through the BIOS:
- Turn off the computer.
- Turn it on again. It is important to hold down the F2, F10, Del button - it depends on your BIOS version.
- As soon as a characteristic screen appears in front of you, use the left and right keys to scroll to the System Configuration. These are the system settings.
- In this tab, use the up and down buttons to get to Action Keys Mode (function button settings). Select this item by pressing Enter.
- Before you will be two options: Enabled - enable, and Disabled - disable.
- Place the cursor on the desired one and press Enter again.
- Now it remains to press the F10 button to exit the BIOS with all the changes.
Now let's look at some problems and their solutions.
The button works the other way around
When the Fn key works the other way around, we see the following situation: if it is not clamped, for some reason additional functions of its “colleagues” are performed, and in the opposite situation, the main ones. For example, when scrolling a page with the up arrow, the sound starts to increase. And if we clamp Function, then we move up the document sheet, as expected.
The reason is that the key mode has switched: the main one has become optional. You can put everything back in place like this:
- Press the Fn Lock button, which activated such a "disgrace".
- Go to BIOS according to the above scheme. Find the keyboard section (Key, Keys). The item highlighted in the photo below, activate if it is off, or deactivate if it is on.
The button does not work correctly, does not work
It may happen that Fn performs its functions strangely. And maybe it’s completely inactive. The problem here is that drivers that are unsuitable for your OS are installed or they don’t exist at all. Everything is solved by removing (if any) the old hotkey "firewood" and installing the necessary new ones:
- For Lenovo - ATK Hotkey.
- For HP, hpHotkeyMonitor.
- For Sony - Hotkey Utility.
- For Acer - Launch Manager.
- For ASUS - ATK.
- For Samsung - Easy Display Manager.
You can also use the fairly versatile Magic Keyboard driver. Another option: go to the official website of the manufacturer of your laptop and there already find and download the necessary "firewood" for Function.
The Fn key on laptops, netbooks, ultrabooks is functional, combination. It provides access to the "hot tasks" located on the dual-use buttons.