Old gold: The Fn key

On a Mac laptop the fn key affects what happens when you use the F keys across the top of your keyboard. Make it control hardware or software — it’s your choice.

Old gold: The Fn key
Mac Tip #324, 06 February 2008

As one of the organisers of Webstock 08 I don’t have time at the moment to write a brand new MacTip. So I thought that rather than skip a couple of weeks, I’d like to re-acquaint you with a couple of older Tips from the archive: Old gold.

This week’s visit is with The Fn key, Mac Tip #201/22-June-2005. I’ve edited it slightly to bring it up to date with 2008.

If you have a Mac laptop you’ll notice an fn key at the bottom left of your keyboard.If you’ve never noticed or used it before you might be surprised at what it can do.

First up, it affects what happens when you use the F keys across the top of your keyboard. Those are the keys labelled F1 through to F12.

Try pressing the F5 and the F4 keys (not at the same time). Does your computer make a sort of putt putt putt noise, getting louder or softer? If so then F4 and F5 are volume control keys.

The hardware features the F keys control are:

brightness: F1 and F2
volume: F3 (mute), F4 and F5
number lock: F6
video mirroring: F7
Spaces: F8
illuminate keyboard: F9 and F10 (only certain laptops)
Exposeé: F11
Dashboard: F12

Now open a new email or Word or other document and hold down the fn key at the same time as you press the F4 key. Chances are that whatever you last Copied or Cut is pasted in wherever the cursor is.

By default the F keys control hardware, but by holding down the fn key you’ve switched to software control.

To swap the default behaviour Open System Preferences … and select the Keyboard tab under Keyboard & Mouse. Check the box labelled ‘Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys’.

Now pressing F4 alone will paste the clipboard and to reduce volume you must also hold down the Fn key.

It’s your choice.

Tagged as: hardware, keyboard

See more from: Mac Tips

It's great to see you visiting again! Have you tried the free MacTips updates via RSS or email, MacTips on Twitter and our YouTube channel? There may be more Tips on this topic. We'd love your Comments too.

Tell us what you think.
Note: there may be a delay before your comment appears. I now approve all comments from new visitors, in an attempt to keep spam at bay.

* 4 comments… read them below and tell us what you think.

Norbert C. Ballauer 1 7 February 2008 at 13:25:08: Thank you Miraz, This tip couldn’t have come at a better time as I was given an old G3 iBook which I am running 104.11, I am not bedridden full time and I was wondering what the fn key was for.
God Bless You and keep up the good work. I’ll be looking for your tips as long the good Lord let me.

Norbert C. Ballauer 2 14 February 2008 at 12:55:15: Miraz, Sorry my miss spelling in the message above, it should have said I am now bedridden full time and the reason for getting the iBook G3, it is hooked up to my router so I can get information off my desktop G4.

Miraz Jordan 3 24 May 2008 at 08:26:25: Thanks for your comment Norbert. It’s wonderful to know I have loyal readers and that the Tips are useful. I aim to make practical tips for regular folks. :-)

I hope that iBook is behaving itself.

Cheers,

Miraz

ccc 4 30 June 2009 at 10:55:15: thanks.
i was looking for this exact bit of information.