How do I use the function keys on my Mac keyboard?

How to Enable Standard Function Keys
  1. On your Mac, click Launchpad > System Preferences.
  2. From there, click Keyboard, then click Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.
  3. Now, you'll need to press the Fn key in the lower left corner of your keyboard plus the corresponding function key to complete an action.
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How do you use the Fn key on a Mac keyboard?

To use the standard function keys, hold the Function (Fn)/Globe key when pressing a function key. For example, pressing both Fn and F12 (speaker icon) performs the action assigned to the F12 key instead of raising the volume of your speakers.
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Why are my function keys not working Mac?

To make Mac OS interpret F1, F2, and so on, as function keys, hold down the Fn key when you press a function key. For example, in an Adobe application that uses F1 as a keyboard shortcut, hold down Fn and press F1.
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How do I use the function keys on my keyboard?

On keyboards with an Fn key, hold down Fn and press the key to use the alternate commands.
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What are the F1 through F12 keys on a Mac?

What are the F1 through F12 keys on Mac?
  • F1 decreases display brightness.
  • F2 increases display brightness.
  • F3 launches Mission Control.
  • F4 opens Launchpad.
  • F5 decreases keyboard brightness.
  • F6 increases keyboard brightness.
  • F7 skips back audio.
  • F8 pauses and plays audio.
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Understanding the Function And Special Features Keys On the Mac Keyboard



How do I use F1 F12 key on Macbook Pro?

Go to the  Apple menu and open System Preferences. Go to Keyboard and under the Keyboard tab look for “Touch Bar shows:” Select “F1, F2, etc keys”
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How do you type F4 on a Mac?

Finally, some Excel shortcuts are just plain different on a Mac. For example, the shortcut for Edit Cell in Windows is F2, and on a Mac, it's Control + U. The shortcut to toggle absolute and relative references is F4 in Windows, while on a Mac, its Command T.
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How do I use function keys without pressing Fn?

Method 1. Toggle the Fn Lock key

All you have to do is look on your keyboard and search for any key with a padlock symbol on it. Once you've located this key, press the Fn key and the Fn Lock key at the same time. Now, you'll be able to use your Fn keys without having to press the Fn key to perform functions.
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How do I use F1 to F12 keys?

This can often be toggled with an “Fn Lock” key, which functions like a Caps Lock key. Toggle the Fn Lock on and the keys will function as if you're holding down the Fn key all the time, just as the Caps Lock key makes your letter keys function as if you're holding down the Shift key all the time.
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How do I lock and unlock the Fn key?

If the function lock key is present on your keyboard, simply press the key and the Fn key to lock Fn keys. To unlock Fn lock, repeat the action again. The Fn lock key is represented by a lock symbol and located under the Esc (Escape) key on most standard keyboards. Although some keyboards don't have the Fn key at all.
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How do I get F11 and F12 to control volume on Mac?

When you press the fn key together with F10 key it mutes the sound, repeat to unmute. Press fn/F11 to reduce sound and fn/F12 to increase sound. (These keys will vary according to OS X version).
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Which key is Fn on Mac keyboard?

Note. On most Mac keyboards, the Fn key is in the lower-left corner.
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How do I use function keys without pressing Fn on Mac?

Mac tip: Use the function keys without pressing “Fn”
  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen, then select System Preferences.
  2. Click the Keyboard icon, then check the box marked “Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.”
  3. Close the window to save your changes.
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How do you change Fn F2 to F2?

SO you have to get to press Fn+F2 to get the F2 key working like a real F2 key. But you can change this setting by going into the BIOS of you computer. For that, you must press the F10 key, just have you pressed the Power button when starting your computer. This will simply be an option to change in the menu.
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How do I switch function keys?

While holding the Fn key, tap the Fn lock key and then release both keys. Tap the F1 key and it will execute its secondary function. To unlock the Function keys, hold down the Fn key. While holding down the Fn key, tap the Fn lock key once and release both keys.
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Why function key is not working?

If the function keys are not working, the problem may be you have a function lock or F-Lock key that needs to be toggled. The F-Lock key is used to turn on or off the F keys ( F1 through F12 ) or secondary functions of the F keys. Some keyboards may label the F-Lock key as the Fn key.
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How do you fix your function keys not working?

How to Fix Your Function Keys
  1. Restart your computer.
  2. Interrupt your computer's normal startup (hit Enter at the launch screen)
  3. Enter your System BIOS.
  4. Navigate to the Keyboard/Mouse setup.
  5. Set the F1-F12 as the primary function keys.
  6. Save and Exit.
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How do you press the F keys on a 60 key keyboard?

The row of function keys across the top of the keyboard then just becomes the number row above the QWERTY block. Simply hold down the FN key and hit the number of the function key you want.
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How do you press F5 on a Mac?

It's one simple keyboard shortcut; Command + R is the Safari equivalent to F5 in a Windows browser. Note that if you want to refresh a webpage in Safari without loading cache, you can use Command+Option+R, or hold down the Shift key and then click the refresh button, or you can empty the Safari cache.
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How do you press F2 on a Mac?

The first way uses the fn key to display the function keys. In the Keyboard preferences, click the Keyboard tab and then choose Press Fn Key to Show F1, F2 etc. Keys. This adds the function keys to the touch bar when the Fn key on the keyboard is pressed.
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How do you press F11 on a Mac?

By default on MacBook / Pro / Air, and on the small keyboard for iMac, the F11 key is mapped to special functionality, like decreasing the volume. All you need to do is hold down the "fn" function key (bottom left corner of your keyboard) while pressing the F11 key to trigger the show-desktop command.
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How do you press F1 on keyboard?

Although this shortcut is pretty much handy, not all laptops come with the Fn lock key, notice the Fn lock icon or lock/unlock symbol on the F1, F2… keys or Esc key. Once you find it, press the Fn Key + Function Lock key simultaneously to enable or disable the standard F1, F2, … F12 keys.
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Why is F11 not working Mac?

Perhaps, you have accidentally changed the keyboard preference so that nothing happens when you press the F10, F11, and F12 volume keys on the Mac keyboard. You may have enabled the Fn keys in the settings. Let's take a quick check: Click the Apple logo > System Preferences.
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How do you use F4 touch bar on Mac?

One solution is to hold down the fn key (or Globe key depending on your keyboard) on the bottom left of the keyboard layout. This will make the original row of function keys appear on the Touch Bar, including the Escape key if your Mac doesn't have a physical one.
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