How To Use Function Keys On Chromebook

A Chromebook'due south keyboard is slightly different from the regular Windows or macOS keyboards. If you are dislocated about where things are on your Chromebook keyboard, this mail service shows you lot how to become started with it and discusses what the various symbols and keyboard settings mean.

The Diverse Symbols on Your Chromebook Keyboard

In this section we have a look at the various symbols yous'll find on your Chromebook keyboard, starting with the tiptop row of keys that supplant the usual role keys you lot may expect to detect there.

1. Top Row of Keys

The top row on your Chromebook's keyboard includes the following symbols from left to right.

Esc: exits the current screen.
Back Pointer (<-): returns to the previous page, screen, or app.
Frontward Arrow (->): skips to the adjacent page in a browser or screen in apps like Settings.
Refresh : reloads the current page in your browser or rotates the screen when used with Shift + Ctrl.
Fullscreen: enables or disables total-screen style for the current window.
Show Windows : (depicted by a box aslope ii bars.) shows all the open up windows on your Chromebook or takes a screenshot on Chromebook when used with Ctrl.
Decrease Effulgence : this push button lets you lower your Chromebook's screen brightness.
Increase Brightness: increases your Chromebook'south brightness.
Mute : silences the sounds on your Chromebook.
Decrease Volume : lowers the volume.
Increase Volume: increases the Chromebook'due south book.
Power : lets you sign out or powers your keyboard off an on, depending on your Chromebook.

two. Other Special Keys

Search: between the Tab and Shift keys, you volition find the Search fundamental (too known as the "Everything" fundamental). It opens the Chrome Os app drawer or a search box, depending on the Chromebook model.

Tip: if you've connected an external Windows keyboard to your Chromebook, yous tin apply the Windows key between the Ctrl and Alt keys to open up the search box.

Google Banana : On Pixelbooks, you volition find the Google Assistant key betwixt the Ctrl and Alt keys. Utilise t-his to open Google Banana on your Chromebook.

1. Enable Caps Lock

A dedicated Caps Lock central is missing on the Chromebook keyboard. Notwithstanding, you can hands actuate the function by using a keyboard shortcut.

Press the Search + Alt keys on your keyboard to enable Caps Lock. Use the combination of the aforementioned keys to disable it.

If, however, yous don't similar using keyboard shortcuts or desire a dedicated key for Caps Lock, you tin can remap the Search key to role as a Caps Lock central as shown below.

Open "Settings" on your Chromebook.
Go to "Device → Keyboard."

Chromebook Keyboard Caps Lock Keyboard Settings

Click on the drop-down box adjacent to "Search" and select "Caps Lock" from the listing.

Now, the Search key on your keyboard will role as the Caps Lock key. Use information technology to enable or disable the "Caps Lock" function.

2. Remap Keys

Simply equally nosotros remapped the Search key to Caps Lock, we tin can remap other keys like Ctrl, Alt, Escape, and Backspace to perform other functionalities, such every bit opening Google Assistant, switching Ctrl to Alt, and so on. You can besides disable a key altogether.

Become to "Settings → Device → Keyboard."

Click on the drop-down box adjacent to the required key and select the desired function.

3. Enable Function Keys

Just every bit on other keyboards, you can have part keys on your Chromebook every bit well. This is possible past turning your Chromebook's shortcut keys in the top row into Function keys. The keys between Esc and Power/Lock will piece of work as F1 through F10. You can apply these keys every bit role keys in two ways.

Note: for F11 and F12, press the Search + - keys and Search + + keys respectively.

The get-go method works temporarily. Press the Search key and any of the keys in the top row to apply them as function keys.
Alternatively, you tin change it so that you won't have to ever use the Search cardinal. For that, go to "Settings → Device → Keyboard" once again. Enable the toggle for "Treat height-row keys as office keys."

To use the Chromebook shortcuts in the meridian row when function keys are enabled, printing the Search central along with the shortcut push. Basically, the Search key acts as a toggle betwixt shortcut and function beliefs on the Chromebook keyboard.

four. Type Special Characters

Every bit on other keyboards, press Shift to admission a special character cardinal. For instance, if yous want to blazon "@", printing Shift + 2.

However, not all special characters are included on your Chromebook keyboard. To type special characters, such em dash, subscript, superscript, etc., follow these steps.

Press Ctrl + Shift + U in an input field. You will encounter a trivial underlined "u" on your screen next to the give-and-take once you pressed the above iii keys.

Blazon in the Unicode entry for the special grapheme followed by the Enter key. That will convert the underlined "u "to the desired special character.

Unicode values for popular special characters:

Em nuance: 2014
En dash: 2013
Subscript: 208X (where 10 is the subscript value)
Superscript: 207X (where Ten is the superscript value)

You tin check the full list of Unicodes on Wikipedia.

5. Type Emojis

Apply the Search + Shift + Space shortcut to open the emoji panel on your Chromebook. This works on Chrome OS 92+.

You can also receive emoji suggestions while typing in supported apps. Go to "Settings → Languages" and search for Suggestions.
Enable "Emoji suggestions."

Note: for on-screen keyboards, the emoji suggestions will appear in the keyboard's suggestion bar.

six. Suit Keyboard Brightness

If your Chromebook has a backlit keyboard, you tin can change its effulgence using keyboard shortcuts. Printing Alt + Increase Brightness/Subtract Brightness to heave or reduce the effulgence of your backlit keyboard.

7. Enable Motorcar-Echo for Your Keys

Suppose you lot demand to type a alphabetic character or a number repeatedly. Usually, you lot'd have to press that key multiple times to attain this effect. If that sounds tedious, enable the machine-repeat feature for your Chromebook keyboard. It volition allow you to hold a cardinal without lifting your finger to type it repeatedly. For example, if you hold the thousand key, you will get "mmmmmmmmm" until you lift the finger.

You tin can enable this through "Settings → Device → Keyboard → Enable auto-repeat." You will also detect the ability to adjust the delay and repeat rates.

8. Enable Autocorrect

Follow these steps to right your spellings while you type:

Go to "Settings → Advanced → Linguistic communication and inputs → Inputs and keyboards."

Chromebook Keyboard Auto Correct Language

Click on the pointer next to your input language under "Input methods."

Nether "Physical keyboard," click on the drib-down box adjacent to "Auto-correction" and select the aggressiveness of the corrections.

9. Navigate through Pages

If y'all have a faulty mouse or touchpad, y'all can use the pointer keys of Chromebook's keyboard to navigate through the text on your screen. This is possible with the help of the Caret browsing feature. When enabled, you will see a blinking text cursor on your screen. Utilise the arrow keys on the keyboard to ringlet in any direction.

Caret browsing also comes in handy if you lot want to re-create text without using your mouse.

Go to "Settings → Advanced → Accessibility."

Enable the toggle for "Navigate pages with a text cursor."

Printing Shift + Upwardly/Down to select the desired text. Employ the Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste the text.

10. Enable On-Screen Keyboard

Chromebooks support an on-screen keyboard as well. Yous can use it to type or handwrite text or add together emojis.

Go to "Settings → Advanced → Accessibility → Manage accessibility features."

Scroll down to the "Keyboard and input section." Plough on the toggle next to "Enable on-screen keyboard."

Tip: the on-screen keyboard will automatically open when you use Chromebook in tablet fashion.

xi. Chromebook Keyboard Shortcuts

Here are some popular and useful keyboard shortcuts that come up in handy:

Open up Job Manager: Search + Esc
Full screenshot: Ctrl + Show windows
Partial screenshot: Ctrl + Shift + Show windows
View Clipboard Items: Search + Five
Open Google Assistant: Search + A
Lock screen: Search + L
Rotate screen 90 degrees: Shift + Ctrl + Refresh/Rotate
View all windows on your desk: Alt + Tab
Zoom in: Ctrl + +
Zoom out: Ctrl + -
Split screen to left: Alt + [
Splits screen to correct: Alt + ]

See All Keyboard Shortcuts

To view all keyboard shortcuts, utilize Ctrl + Alt + ? or Ctrl + Alt + /, depending on your device. Doing so will open up a pop-up window that includes all of the available shortcuts. Utilize the search at the top to find the desired shortcut.

If the above shortcut doesn't let you view all the shortcuts, become to "Settings → Device → Keyboard → View keyboard shortcuts."

Oftentimes Asked Questions

1. How can I enable speak-to-type on a Chromebook?

Go to "Settings → Advanced → Accessibility." Enable the toggle for "Enable dictation."

2. How tin I gear up a Chromebook keyboard if it's not working properly?

If your Chromebook keyboard isn't working properly, start by restarting your device. If that doesn't fix it, hard reset your Chromebook by pressing the Refresh + Power buttons together for iii to five seconds. Also check the diverse keyboard settings and input languages too.

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