Guide To Lock And Unlock Function Key In Windows (2023)

Located right between the Ctrl and Windows keys on your PC or laptop, you’ve got the multi-purpose Function (Fn) key.

It’s a common sight on most devices. This single Fn key triggers secondary functions for the other Function keys, F1-F12, located in the top row of your laptop keyboard.

This article deals with how to lock and unlock Function key in Windows 10 or 11.

But before starting, for those unaware of what Function keys are, let’s discuss them.

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What Are Lock and Unlock Function Keys in Windows?

Function keys are used to perform a specific command or function (discussed later in this article) on PCs or laptops. An example of such activity is disabling the touchpad. There are 12 standard Function keys on your device that can be used for several other functions. All of these have different numbers, starting from 1 to 12.

They can perform different functions individually. And when pressed in combination with Fn, they can be used for another function. This mainly depends on the computer program.

Such as, if you press the F1 and F2 keys individually, they will increase or decrease the device’s volume, respectively. On the other hand, if pressed together with Fn, they perform a completely different operation.

How To Lock And Unlock Function (Fn) Key In Windows 11/10?

Following are some of the methods by which you can lock and unlock the Function key in Windows 11/10.

From The Keyboard

The easiest method to lock and unlock Function key In Windows is from the keyboard. But the only catch here is that it differs depending on each manufacturer.

Following are some ways of locking the Function key in different laptops.

Press the Fn key and hold it. Then, press the key with a padlock on it.

Press the Fn key and hold it. Then, press the key with a padlock on it.

For Dell laptops, there are multiple ways of locking. You can use the Shift key, Caps Lock key, or Shift key. Either of them should work for you in most cases. But if not, then the laptop has no keyboard shortcut.

And to unlock the keys, you should try the same method which has worked for you in locking the Function keys.

Using The BIOS/UEFI Settings

This is another method or way used to lock and unlock Function key in Windows 11/10. Keep in mind that your system should have advanced BIOS. Also, it will change the dual usage of the keys to a single usage.

Following are the step to lock and unlock Function key in Windows using BIOS/UEFI settings.

Boot into BIOS.
Select the System Configuration menu by pressing either the right or left arrow key.
Select the Action Keys Mode by pressing the up or down arrow key.
Display Enabled and Disabled options by pressing Enter Key.
Select one option by pressing the up or down arrow key.
- Enabled: It doesn’t require the Fn key for the action printed on the key. For example, use a particular key for the printed action, and if you use the same key with Fn, a different action will be performed.
- Disabled: It requires you to press Fn to perform the printed action.
Restart your computer

For the latest Dell models, follow these steps for turning off the Fn lock key.

Click on Advanced
Click on Function Key behavior.

To enable the Fn key in all-in-one media, press the Fn key and Caps Lock key together simultaneously. And repeat this same action to disable the key.

Using The Control Panel

Using the Control Panel, you can lock and unlock Function key in Windows. For this, follow these steps.

Launch the search menu by pressing Ctrl + S keys. Search for the Control Panel by typing in the search bar.

Search for the Control Panel by typing in the search bar.

Tap on the Control Panel from the searched result.

Click on the View button.
Tap on the Small icons option.
Click on the Windows Mobility Center
Click on Function Key.
Select the Function Key option.

After this, the Function keys will be active. And there would be no need to press the Fn key with the function keys every time.

If you want to unlock these function keys, here are the steps.

Launch the Search menu by pressing Ctrl + S keys. Search for the Control Panel by typing in the search bar.
Tap on the Control Panel from the searched result.
Click on the View button.
Tap on the Small icons option.
Click on the Windows Mobility Center
Click on Function Key.
Select the Multimedia Key option.

But these options might not be available on all laptops, so you should try other methods for such devices.

How Do I Disable The Function Key Lock On Windows 10?

The steps to disable Function lock on Windows 10 are:

Click on the Type here to search for options in the taskbar.
Write Advanced Settings.
Open the window shown directly by selecting the Changes Advanced Startup option.
For an advanced startup, click on Restart Now.
Select the Advanced options and Troubleshoot at the blue Advanced Boot options.
Select UEFI Firmware Settings
To enter the BIOS settings, restart your computer.
Look for the Action Key Mode Setting on the System Configuration tab or another tab.
Disable the Action key mode setting.

What Do The F1 – F12 Keys Do?

As aforesaid, the following are all the functions or activities performed by the 12 Function keys in your Windows 11/10.

F1
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
F7
F8
F9
F10
F11
F12

F1

If pressed with the Windows key, it will open the Help menu.
The Control button will hide or display the Ribbon menu in Microsoft Word and Excel.

F2

If pressed with Alt and Ctrl keys, it will open the Document Library in Microsoft Office.
In Windows Explorer, F2 will allow you to edit the select file or folder name.
It also allows you to edit the Active cell in Excel.
If pressed with the Ctrl key alone, it allows you to display a print preview in MS word.

F3

It opens the Search feature in Windows Explorer.
To change the lower to upper case in Word, press it with the Shift key.
To open the Find feature in chrome and Firefox.
On an Apple computer running on macOS X, F3 opens Mission Control.

F4

It closes the Windows when used with the Alt key.
It also places the cursor on the address bar in Explorer.

F5

To start the slide show on PowerPoint.
For refreshing the Internet browser pages.
Pressing the Ctrl key will refresh the web page by clearing all the cache and downloading its content.
To open the Find and Replace in MS Office.

F6

To go to the next page in MS Word.
With the Shift and Ctrl keys, it will switch between the documents on MS Word.

F7

To do the spelling and grammar check on Word, press it with Alt.
With Shift, it opens up the Thesaurus in MS Word.

F8

To extend the mode for the arrow key in excel.
Enable Safe Mode in Windows.
In macOS, it displays the thumbnail image for all workspaces.

F9

To refresh a document in MS Word.
To send and receive the email in Outlook.
To insert the empty fields into MS Word, press the F9 Function key and Ctrl.
In macOS 10.3 or later, F9 displays a thumbnail for each Window in a single workspace.

F10

To open the Menu bar.
This key must be used with the Ctrl key to maximize the Window size.

F11

To exit and enter the full-screen mode in web browsers.
Use the Shift key to add a new spreadsheet in Excel.
In macOS 10.4 or later, hide all open Windows and show the Desktop.

F12

To open the Save As option in MS Word.
To save the Word document, use it with the Shift key.
To open the Word document, use the Ctrl key.
To print the Word document, use the Ctrl and Shift Keys.
To show and hide the dashboard in mac 10.4 or later.

These are the various functions of the F1-F12 Function keys in Windows.

Conclusion

So, here you go. You must have now understood how to lock and unlock the Function key in Windows. These keys come in handy for several purposes. Therefore, you should know these little details about them. Otherwise, there is also no harm in knowing a little about the device you use regularly.

You can save a lot of time with the help of these keys as they alone perform different functions, and when pressed together, they perform another function.