{"id":32382,"date":"2026-07-19T09:41:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T13:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/?p=32382"},"modified":"2026-07-19T09:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T13:41:44","slug":"are-you-using-a-laptop-dont-forget-the-function-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/are-you-using-a-laptop-dont-forget-the-function-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Using a Laptop? Don\u2019t Forget the Function Key"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\"><span class=\"auto-style1\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 24pt;\">Are You Using a Laptop? Don\u2019t Forget the Function Key<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>If you recently purchased a new laptop or received one as a gift, this tip will be very helpful to you. And for those of you who\u2019ve been using a laptop for a while, this tip will serve as a reminder to you. The Function Key (the Fn key) on your laptop\u2019s keyboard adds functionality to your laptop. You will see the function key labeled as the Fn, fn, or FN key. We\u2019re going to refer to it in this article as the Fn key. Keep in mind that every laptop manufacturer has different Fn key combinations \u2013 but some are fairly universal, such as the Fn key plus the F2 key, which toggles your Wi-Fi connection on and off; some are specific to one brand or another. First, you\u2019ll want to find your Fn key on your keyboard. Here it is:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2022\/fnkey.jpg\" alt=\"Cloudeight Windows Tips\" width=\"567\" height=\"430\" \/>You\u2019ll want to check your laptop manufacturer\u2019s website for the Function key combinations for your brand of laptop. Just to show you some of the useful functions the Fn key provides, here are some that work on one of my laptops. Use this as a guide only &#8211; every laptop brand is different.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Zzz icon (F1): Fn+F1 places the laptop PC in suspend mode (In case you\u2019re wondering: The Zzz key is the icon on the F1 key on some ASUS laptops \u2013 the Zzz meaning \u201csleep\u201d.)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Radio Tower Icon (F2): Fn+F2 toggles the internal wireless LAN or Bluetooth (on selected models) ON or OFF with an on-screen display. When enabled, the corresponding wireless indicator will light. Windows software settings are necessary to use the wireless LAN or Bluetooth.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Sun Down Icon (F5): Fn+F5 Decreases the display brightness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Sun Up Icon (F6): Fn+F6 Increases the display brightness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">LCD Icon (F7): Fn+ F7 toggles the display panel ON and OFF.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">LCD\/Monitor Icons (F8): Toggles between the Laptop&#8217;s display and an external monitor; NOTE: You must connect an external monitor \u201cbefore\u201d booting up.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Crossed-out Touchpad (F9) (on selected models). Fn+F9 toggles the built-in touchpad between LOCKED (disabled) and UNLOCKED (enabled). Locking the touchpad will prevent you from accidentally moving the pointer while typing and is best used with an external pointing device such as a mouse.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Crossed Speaker Icons (F10): Fn+F10 toggles the speakers ON and OFF<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Speaker Down Icon (F11): Fn+F11 Decreases the speaker volume<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Speaker Up Icon (F12): Fn+F12 increases the speaker volume (only in Windows OS)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Num Lk (Ins): Fn+Num Lock Key toggles the numeric keypad (number lock) ON and OFF. Allows you to use a larger portion of the keyboard for number entry.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Scr Lk (Del): Fn+Scroll Lock Key \u2013 Toggles the \u201cScroll Lock\u201d ON and OFF. Allows you to use a larger portion of the keyboard for cell navigation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">While some of these Fn key combinations above may work on your laptop, be sure to check your laptop manufacturer\u2019s website for Fn key combinations for your brand of laptop. Whatever brand of laptop you have, you&#8217;ll find that Fn Key combinations allow you to add more functionality to your laptop.\u00a0\u00a0The Fn key is mighty important on a laptop and so is learning how to use it.\u00a0\u00a0Because laptop hardware varies so much, there isn\u2019t one single, universal master list that covers every brand. Instead, manufacturers publish these layout guides directly in their official support portals. If you are looking for the exact Fn key layouts for a specific machine, the official cheat sheets are located in the following places:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">ASUS: They keep an updated visual breakdown of their media, lighting, and performance toggles on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asus.com\/us\/support\/faq\/1038312\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-hveid=\"0\" data-ved=\"0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwij-N7h6N6VAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQnAE\">Official ASUS Keyboard Hotkeys Guide<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Lenovo: Lenovo uses advanced Fn combos (like Fn + Q to change fan\/performance modes or Fn + Space for RGB). You can find your specific model&#8217;s layout by searching its manual on the<a href=\"https:\/\/support.lenovo.com\/us\/en\/solutions\/vid500090-thinkpad-function-keys-fn-key-with-f1-to-f12-keys-overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Lenovo Function Key Support page.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Dell: Dell maps their shortcuts based on the laptop line (Inspiron, XPS, Alienware). Their primary master list is hosted on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dell.com\/support\/manuals\/en-us\/g-series-15-5511-laptop\/dell-g15-5511-me-and-my-dell\/keyboard-shortcuts?guid=guid-587e39ad-247c-45f3-920e-c6b6a9b73a1a&amp;lang=en-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Me and My Dell Keyboard Shortcut Hub.<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Microsoft Surface: Because Surface devices use detachable Type Covers, Microsoft hosts a dedicated page for their unique function row behavior at the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/surface\/cover-keyboard\/special-keys-and-function-keys-for-surface-keyboards-or-type-covers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-hveid=\"0\" data-ved=\"0CAAQ_4QMahgKEwij-N7h6N6VAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQoAE\">Microsoft Surface Key Support Page<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">Most manufacturers have a page of keyboard shortcuts showing Fn + shortcuts as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-path-to-node=\"6\"><span style=\"font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are You Using a Laptop? Don\u2019t Forget the Function Key If you recently purchased a new laptop or received one as a gift, this tip will be very helpful to you. And for those of you who\u2019ve been using a laptop for a while, this tip will serve as a reminder to you. The Function Key (the Fn\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/are-you-using-a-laptop-dont-forget-the-function-key\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4411,4539,4353,3948,4221,4299],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32382"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32383,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32382\/revisions\/32383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}