How Do I Lock and Unlock the Fn Key?
Dell laptop keyboards with a Function key give you two sets of commands.
But they cannot do both at the same time.
The behavior of the Functions keys can be controlled byFn Lock Optionsfound within the BIOS or UEFI controls.
Note:
Newer Dell computers come with UEFI.
ThisUnified Extensible Firmware Interfacehas a more user-friendly interface compared to the legacy BIOS.
The instructions and screenshots below refer to the UEFI mode of booting into Windows.
To enter UEFI, pressF2when the Dell logo appears.
Press every few seconds until the messagePreparing to enter Setupappears.
On the UEFI options screen, locatePOST Behavior.
If you don’t see this option, look instead forKeyboard.
Press+next toPOST Behavior, then selectFn Lock Options.
The Fn Lock is enabled by default.
On the right, go for the check box forFn Lockif its unchecked.
There is no dedicated Fn Lock key on most Dell laptops to deactivate the F1 to F12 Function keys.
What Does Function Lock Do?
When Function Lock is on, you dont have to hold down the Function key to trigger the action.
The Function keys have standard functions associated with them.
For instance, press the F5 key in Chrome, and the active web page will refresh.
Toggle off the Function Lock, and the F1-F12 keys will be disabled.
For instance, F5 would then increase the media playback volume.
For instance, Fn+F5 would refresh the web app page.
To play games which use the F1-F12 keys, turn on the Function Lock again.
The toggle feature makes it easy to swap the roles.
First,enter the BIOS setup utility.
Then, selectConfiguration>HOTKEYS Modeand deactivate the hotkeys option.
back up your changes before exiting.
