Basic Windows Tutorials - Keyboard Functions in Windows

Enter: The Enter key works very much like the "Return" key on a typewriter. However, do NOT press enter after every line when you are typing a document. Windows knows when you are reaching the end of a line, and will automatically go to the next line. If you do press enter after each line, and then attempt to change the font or size of the document, you'll see some strange results! Pressing enter also usually agrees to a question that Windows asks you, similar to pressing an "OK" button, or a "Yes" button.

Tab: Similar to a typewriter, the Tab key will insert indentation into a document. It also jumps from box to box when entering a form online, or in Windows.

Insert: The insert mode toggles between the Insert Mode, and the Overwrite Mode. The Insert Mode will insert text where the cursor is when you type. For example, if you earlier typed the phrase "Windows is Fun", then moved your cursor between "is" and "Fun" and typed "REALLY", the result would be "Windows is REALLY Fun." However, Overwrite Mode simply writes over anything in its path. In our last example, the word "Fun" would have been written over by "REALLY", making the sentence read "Windows is REALLY."

Num Lock: If you look at your Numeric Keypad (that group of keys to the right with all the numbers on it), you'll see that there are arrows and words under most of the numbers. When Num Lock is turned on, you can use those keys to enter numbers (instead of using the row right above the keyboard letters). When Num Lock is turned off, you can use the arrows and commands printed below the numbers.

Home / End / Pg Up / Pg Down: Often the Home key is used to move your cursor to the beginning of a line, and the End key is used to move it to the end of a line. Page Up and Page Down are slightly misleading. Often, the Page Down key won't move your cursor from Page 2 to Page 3, like you would think it would. Instead, they often move the cursor up/down one "screen-length", meaning that if you push the Page Down key, the top of the screen becomes what was just after the bottom of the screen before you pressed the key. That's hopelessly confusing, so try it out yourself. I personally use these four keys very often to navigate quickly around a document.

Next Tutorial: How to Back Up Your Hard Drive

Other Windows Tutorials

All Courses on Learnthat.com