What do the keys on the keyboard mean? Easily explained

In this practical tip, we explain what the keys on the keyboard mean. If you are wondering what special keys like [Ctrl] or [Alt] are used for besides the common letter keys, you will find an explanation of the Windows keyboard in the following article.

An overview of the most important keys on the keyboard

Some keys on the keyboard are assigned twice. Certain key combinations can perform different functions. Here you will first learn more about keys such as [Ctrl] and [Alt] that you often encounter in combination with other keys.

1. At the bottom left of the keyboard you will find [Ctrl] or [Ctrl]. If you only press this button, nothing happens. If, on the other hand, you select the key in connection with a key from the series of numbers, you can insert special characters. If you select [Ctrl] + [F] at the same time, the search in the document opens.
2. The Windows key is located directly next to the control key. This opens the Metro interface or the Windows start menu. On some keyboards there is a [Fn] key in between which you can activate special keys. You can read more about this in the third paragraph.
3. The [alt] key is useful in combination with the tab key (to the left of the [Q] key) to switch between all open applications.
4. The largest key on the keyboard is the spacebar (bottom center). This inserts a space. Most video players pause playback with the spacebar.
5. To the right of the spacebar is [Alt Gr]. If you press this key together with a number key, you write special characters. This assignment varies depending on the keyboard.
6. The last key on the numeric keypad is a second [Ctrl] or [Ctrl] key on the right. This has the same task as that in point 1.
7. Between the tab key and the left control key there are shift (also caps lock) and the capitalization key. [Shift] is called the top button with the down arrow because it activates that you capitalize permanently. You can deactivate this function by pressing the button again.
8. If you select the uppercase key under [Shift] in conjunction with a letter or a number, either capitalize or enter one of the special characters available on the key.

Numeric keypad and special keys: These keys are on the keyboard

The number pad is often to the right of the letter block. To use this as input, first press the [Num] key. You can now use the number pad like the number keys on the left of the keyboard. This is particularly useful if you want to enter many numbers.

1. With the mathematical operators around the number pad, you can calculate in the calculator.
2. You will find two [Image] buttons above the number pad, each with an arrow up and an arrow down. This scrolls up or down a certain distance in a document or browser window.
3. You jump to the end of the document when you press the [End] key. In contrast, navigate to the beginning of the document with [Home].
4. The Enter key is one of the largest keys on the keyboard next to the space bar and is located directly to the left of the number pad. You confirm your entries. You will find a second enter key with the same function at the bottom right next to the number pad.
5. If you want to remove a letter in front of the cursor, select [Delete]. If you want to delete the character behind it, press Backspace, the left arrow above the Enter key.
6. The [Print S-Abf] key triggers a screenshot, which you can insert in an editor such as Paint using the key combination [Ctrl] + [V].
7. Use the four arrow keys between the number pad and the character pad to navigate through documents and games.

Windows keyboard simply explained: which keys stand for what

Many keyboards have special keys that you can configure yourself. These so-called macros are particularly popular with gaming keyboards. You often configure them using the supplied software.

1. At the top left you see the abbreviation [Esc], short for "Escape". This closes windows and cancels operations.
2. The function keys are located right next to it. Depending on the keyboard, there are additional special keys that you activate in combination with the [Fn] key. With the latter you can adjust the volume, screen brightness and flight mode.
3. Usually you activate the F-keys by pressing them without [Fn]. [F1] opens the help menu for most programs.
4. If you select a file and press [F2], you can rename the file.
5. Press [F3], open the Windows search function. Note: If you are in Windows 8, you can only enter the term in the Metro interface to activate the search function.
6. The key [F4] is interesting in connection with [old]. If you press both at the same time, the current window closes.

Additional function keys on the keyboard

If you are in the browser, refresh the page content with [F5].

1. If you simultaneously press [Ctrl] or [Ctrl] on an English keyboard in combination with [F6], you can switch between different documents in Office.
2. By default, [F7] is not configured in the operating system. Depending on the additional software, it becomes meaningful afterwards.
3. The [F8] key is worth it if you want to boot Windows Safe Mode. To do this, restart your Windows PC and press the [F8] key when starting up.
4. Similar to the [F7] key, [F9] only gets a function when needed.
5. If you want to switch to the menu bar in a program, you can do this by pressing [F10].
6. Use the [F11] key to switch between normal display and full screen mode.
7. The last function key [F12] is the same as the keys [F7] and [F9].

In a picture gallery we present you the best keyboard shortcuts for Windows 7.