You and I have already learned. Now it's time to learn the keyboard. In order to write a letter or a request in an Internet search engine, we cannot do without a keyboard. In addition, if your mouse does not work, you can use the keyboard. It is enough to know a few simple commands. Real programmers and hackers don't use a mouse at all. For them, the main instrument is the keyboard. Perhaps you, too, will work like this someday, but for now we will learn the basics of working on the keyboard.

Key layout

The entire keyboard, depending on its functions, can be visually divided into several groups:

• Function keys (F1-F12)- used to perform special tasks. If you press the same key again, the action is canceled. F1 key - opens help for the program you are currently in;
• Alphanumeric- These are keys with letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols.
• Control keys- These include keys HOME,END,PAGEU.P.PAGEDOWNDELETE And INSERT.
• Cursor keys– used to move the cursor around documents, web pages, edit text, etc. Control keys (modifiers) (Ctrl,Alt,CapsLockWin,Fn) - used in various combinations and individually.
• Number keys– for quickly entering numbers.
• Edit keys– Backspace, Delete.

Keyboard layouts may vary slightly. Often modern keyboards also have multimedia keys. Such as turning the sound on/off, volume control, going to the mailbox, etc.

Keyboard key assignments

Each key performs a specific action:

• Spacebar- the longest key on the keyboard. It is located at the very bottom in the middle. In addition to its main function, do
  space between words, it also deletes the “selected” object.
• Esc- cancels the last action (closes unnecessary windows).
• Print Screen-takes a screenshot. This screenshot can be pasted into Word or Paint. This photograph of the screen is called a “screenshot”. This key also prints the contents of the screen.
• Scroll Lock- serves to scroll information up and down, but this button does not work on all computers.
• Pause/Break-suspends the current computer process, but also does not work on all computers.
• Insert- serves to print text on top of what has already been printed. If you press this key, new text will be printed, erasing the old one. To cancel this action, you must press the Insert key again.
• Delete(on the keyboard it is often abbreviated Del) - deletion. Deletes characters located to the right side of the blinking cursor. Deletes “selected” objects (lines of text, folders, files).
• Home- go to the beginning of the filled line.
• End- jump to the end of the filled line.
• Page Up- turns the page forward.
• Page Down- turns the page back.
• Backspace- deletes characters located to the left of the blinking cursor while typing text. And it returns to the previous page in browsers and in Explorer windows, replacing the “back” arrow in the upper left corner.
• Tab- tab stops the cursor at a specific location on a line.
• Caps Lock- switch between upper and lower case letters.
• Shift- briefly pressing this key gives a capital letter. In order to type a capital letter, you must first press the Shift key and hold it down while pressing the desired letter. The Shift key can be pressed both on the right and on the left, whichever is more convenient for you.
• Alt- to switch to the opposite language (from English to Russian and vice versa) – you need to press the Alt key and without releasing it the Shift key. Pressing and holding the AltGr (right Alt) key is used to move to the second level of the keyboard.
• Ctrl- right and left. Opens up additional program features.
• Nut Look– includes an additional numeric keypad.
• Enter- information input key, confirms the command “yes”, or moves to the next line.
  Cursor keys - (up), (down), (right),
  (left). Using these arrows, you can move not only through the text you are typing, but also through open pages of sites and programs.

"Hotkeys

You've probably heard this expression. " Hot“They are called because when you press a combination of these keys, you can quickly call up some program or menu.

Each program has its own set of such keys. There is no need to memorize them. If you constantly work in some program, then it makes sense to memorize them. We will gradually study many of these combinations.

In many program windows, when you open any menu, next to a particular command, keyboard shortcuts are indicated for calling the same command.

Keyboard shortcuts

Typically such combinations are indicated with the sign + (plus). For example, Win+E. This means that you must first press the key Win, and then the key E.

The letters are meant to be Latin, regardless of what layout you have at the moment.

The most necessary actions on the keyboard

• In order to switch to another language, you must press the key simultaneously Shift + Alt or Shift + Ctrl.
• To print capital letter, you must hold down the key Shift and click on the desired letter.
• To print all text in capital letters only, press Caps Lock and let go. And to switch back to small letters, press this key again.
• To type a comma, you must press the key Shift and the comma key. They are usually nearby, on the right.
• The point in the English layout is located next to, to the left of the point in the Russian layout.
• To quickly call up the menu Start, you can press the key Win. It usually has a window icon (Windows logo) on it.
• Key Fn designed for laptop. If you press it and any of the keys F1- F10 , you can enable or disable additional features. Usually on the keys F1- F10 there is a little icon drawn that shows what exactly this key does.

For now, this knowledge about the keyboard is enough for you. Find each key on your keyboard and try it out.

Let's look at the meaning of some keys on the keyboard: Caps Lock, Tab, Esc (Escape), Num Lock, Del (Delete), Ins (Insert), Scroll Lock, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, up, down, left and to the right.
In the upper right corner of the keyboard with the 101st key there are three indicator lights (in other words, three lights):

• Caps Lock – capital letter mode,
• Num Lock – number locking mode,
• Scroll Lock – scroll lock mode.

The above modes are turned on and off by pressing the keys of the same name: Caps Lock, Num Lock (abbreviated as Num Lk), Scroll Lock (abbreviated as Scr Lk).

On laptops with fewer keys, the Caps Lock key is located in the same place as on a 101-key keyboard. The Num Lock key is usually located with F11, and the Scroll Lock key is usually located with F12.

To enter Num Lock or Scroll Lock mode, press the Fn key, which is located in the lower left corner, and, without releasing it, press the Num Lock or Scroll Lock key, depending on which mode is required.

Let's take a closer look at these three modes.

Caps Lock, Tab, Esc

1) Key Caps Lock(translated as “fixation of capital letters”) on the left.

If you do not press Caps Lock (i.e. the light is not on) and go into a text editor (for example, Word or Notepad), then when entering text, all letters (both English and Russian) will be displayed in small letters.

If you press Caps Lock (the light, or rather, the indicator light is on), then when entering text, the letters will be displayed in capitals (capital). In this mode, when you press the Shift key, lowercase (small) letters will be displayed (the exact opposite action of what is done in normal mode, when the Caps Lock light is not lit).

Caps Lock mode (or capital letter mode) is convenient when entering text consisting of such letters. To enter one large letter, it is more convenient, of course, to press the Shift key and, without releasing it, press the key with the image of the corresponding letter.

Key Tab(tab) is located above the Caps Lock key. When editing texts, Tab is usually used to move to the next tab stop, that is, after pressing Tab, the cursor moves immediately to a specified number of positions. In other programs, its functionality may change, for example, Tab can switch between query fields, etc.

Key Esc(Escape – “to run away, escape”) is located above the Tab key and is used mainly to cancel an action.

Num Lock, Del (Delete) and Backspace

2) Key Num Lock(translated as “fixing numbers”) is located on the right side of the keyboard.

It is responsible for the operation of the small numeric keypad in two modes: if the Num Lock indicator is on (i.e., pressed the Num Lock key), then the small numeric keypad operates in the mode of entering numbers from 0 to 9 and periods.

If the Num Lock indicator is not lit, then the small numeric keypad operates in cursor control mode (up, down, right, left arrows, Home, End, PageUp, PageDown). More about the Num Lock key

Key Delete("delete") or Del is usually used to delete characters to the right of the cursor. Key Backspace("step back") or a long left arrow above the Enter key usually deletes the character to the left of the cursor.

I know that some users prefer the Delete key when deleting characters, and some prefer the Backspace key. It's all a matter of habit.

Key Insert("insert") or Ins is typically used to switch between two character input modes:

• input with character expansion (insert mode) and
• input with the replacement of previously typed characters, that is, new text is entered, while the “old” text is automatically erased (replacement mode).

In MS Word 2007, insert/replace mode is disabled by default. Apparently, this was done on purpose, since accidentally pressing the Insert key led in earlier versions of Word to turn on the overwrite mode, when the old text was deleted and new text was entered in its place.

To enable insert/replace mode in MS Word 2007, click the Office button (round in the upper left corner). In the window that opens, click the “Word Options” button. Then select the “Advanced” tab, in the “Editing Options” section, check the box next to “Use the INS key to switch insert and replace modes.”

Home, End, PageUp, PageDown and arrow keys

As noted above, the Home, End, PageUp, PageDown, up, down, left and right arrow keys are called cursor keys. Clicking on them, as a rule, leads to moving the cursor in the desired direction or to “flipping through” what is on the screen.

If you press the key Home, the cursor moves to the beginning of the line. Pressing a key End, the user will move the mouse cursor to the end of the line.

Keystroke PageUp(“page up”) causes the contents of the screen to scroll, for example, when editing a document to page up. If you click on PageDown(“page down”), you can move the mouse cursor down an entire page.

Scroll Lock

3) Scroll Lock(top right on the keyboard) - widely used in the early 80s, when there was no mouse manipulator.

When the “Scroll Lock” mode was enabled, the cursor keys performed the function of moving the screen (up, down, left, right).

When the Scroll Lock mode is disabled, then the cursor keys work in the usual mode for us - changing the cursor position (up, down, left, right). Now you can see the action of this button, for example, . If you start Excel and press Scroll Lock, then the cursor keys will move the table, not the individual selected cell.

In general, the Scroll Lock key in different programs can work the way it is programmed.

Computer Literacy Exercises

1) Enter Russian and English letters in a text editor with the Caps Lock indicator on. Repeat the same while holding down the Shift key. Pay attention to which letters are displayed: lowercase or uppercase.

2) Now print with the Caps Lock indicator turned off. Then we type while holding Shift. When are lowercase and when are uppercase letters entered?

3) Look at the Num Lock operating mode. When the small numeric keypad operates in the mode of entering numbers 0, 1, ..., 9 and dots. And when does it operate in cursor control mode?

4) Copy the text of this assignment into a text editor on your computer. Place the cursor in the middle of the text. And check how characters are deleted using the Delete and Backspace keys. When are characters deleted to the left of the cursor, and when to the right of it?

5) Test the Insert key. If you have Word 2007, then you may need to first make the necessary settings to enable this mode. Place the cursor in the middle of the text. Click Insert and enter text. What happens in this case: inserting characters or replacing them (deleting old ones and entering new characters in their place)?

6) You can check the little-used Scroll Lock key. You won't need a mouse here. We go into Excel spreadsheets, enter, for example, the number 100 into the cell in the middle. Press the Scroll Lock key. In this case, you can use the arrows (up, down, left, right) to move around the table. It turns out to be a keyboard analogue of how a mouse works when moving inside an Excel window.

7) Look in a text editor at the action of the Home, End, up, down, left, right arrow keys within two or three lines. Also check the action of PageUp, PageDown - within two or more screen pages.

8) Copy a few lines into a text editor. Place the cursor at the beginning of the text and press the Tab key. If everything was done correctly, then the text should start with the “red line”.

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F1—calls up Windows Help or the help window of the active program. In Microsoft Word, the Shift+F1 key combination shows text formatting;

F2—renames the selected object on the desktop or in the Explorer window;

F3—Opens a search window for a file or folder on the desktop and in Explorer. The Shift+F3 key combination is often used to search backwards;

F4 - opens a drop-down list, for example, the address bar list in the 'My Computer' window or in Explorer. Keyboard shortcuts Alt + F4 in Windows is used to close applications, and Ctrl + F4 to close part of a document or program (for example, tabs);
F5—refreshes the active window of an open web page, desktop, explorer, and so on. In Microsoft PowerPoint, F5 starts the slide show from the beginning, and the key combination Shift+F5 starts from the current slide;

F6—switch between screen elements in a window or
on the desktop. In Explorer and Internet Explorer - move between the main part
windows and address bar;

F7—checks spelling (in Word, Excel);

F8—when loading the operating system, selects the boot mode.
In the Word editor, enables advanced text selection.
Selecting a fragment from the initial to the final cursor position occurs without holding down the Shift key.
Pressing F8 again highlights the word closest to the cursor.
The third is a sentence containing it.
The fourth is a paragraph. Fifth - document.
You can remove the last selection by pressing the key combination Shift+F8.
You can disable the mode using the Esc key;

F9-- in some programs updates the selected fields;

F10—activates the full menu, and the key combination Shift+F10 activates the context menu;

F11—switches the window to full screen mode and back, for example, in Internet Explorer;

F12—goes to selecting file saving options
(File -> Save As).

On a standard PC/AT keyboard, the alphanumeric block consists of 47 keys and includes keys for entering letters, numbers, punctuation, arithmetic, and special characters. The effect of these keys depends on the case (lower - upper) in which these keys are pressed.

The control keys Shift, Ctrl, Caps Lock, Alt and AltGr (right Alt) are also called modifier keys, since they are intended
to change the actions of other keys.
Shift (read “Shift”) is an uppercase key (non-fixed switching). Used in conjunction with other keys, such as the alphanumeric block keys for typing capital letters and uppercase characters.
Additionally, the Shift key is used as a modifier in keyboard shortcuts and mouse clicks. For example, to open a link in a separate window in a browser, you need to click on the link with the mouse button,
while holding down the Shift key.

Ctrl (read “control”) - used in combination with other keys, for example:
Ctrl+A—on Windows, selects all text in the window;

Ctrl+B—in the MS Word editor, switches the font to “bold-normal”;

Ctrl+C—in programs with WinAPI, copies text to the buffer, and in console programs, ends the command;

Ctrl+F—in many programs, opens the search dialog;
Ctrl+I—in the MS Word editor, switches the font to “italic-normal”;

Ctrl+N—in programs with a multi-window interface, opens a new empty window;

Ctrl+O—in many programs, it opens a dialog for opening an existing file;

Ctrl+P—in many programs, sends text to print or opens a print dialog;

Ctrl+Q—in some programs exit it;

Ctrl+R—in browsers, refreshes the contents of the window;

Ctrl+S—in many programs saves the current file
or calls a save dialog;

Ctrl+T—opens a new tab in browsers;
Ctrl+U—in the MS Word editor, toggles text underlining;

Ctrl+V—in programs with WinAPI, pastes the contents of the clipboard;

Ctrl+W—in some programs, closes the current window;

Ctrl+Z—in many programs, undoes the last action;

Ctrl+F5—in browsers, updates the content;

Ctrl+Home—in programs with a text field, moves to the beginning of the document being edited;

Ctrl+End—in programs with a text field, moves to the end of the document being edited;

Ctrl+—in Total Commander, navigates to the root directory of the disk.

Alt (read “Alt”) - used in conjunction with other keys, modifying their action. For example:
Alt+F4—closes all programs;

Alt+F7—in some programs, opens a search dialog;

Alt+F10—in some file managers, opens a directory tree;

Alt+Tab—in Windows, navigates to the next running window;

Alt+letter—in some programs, calls menu commands or opens menu columns.

Additionally, the keyboard shortcuts Alt+Shift or Ctrl+Shift are commonly used to switch keyboard layouts.
Capslock (read “Capslock”) - switch to uppercase mode (fixed switching). Pressing the key again cancels this mode. Used when typing text in CAPITAL letters.
The Esc control key (read “Escape”), used to cancel the current operation or last change, minimize an application, go to the previous menu or screen, or remove a selection, is located in the left corner of the keyboard next to the function key block.

In the Windows operating system, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Esc opens the Task Manager.

Tab (read “Tab”) - in text editors, enters a tab character and works with indentations, and in graphical interfaces moves focus between elements. For example, moving between the desktop, Start button, Quick Launch, taskbar, and system tray.

The AppsKey action is equivalent to right-clicking the mouse and brings up a context menu for the selected object.

Enter line feed key - used to enter a line feed when typing text, selecting a menu item, issuing a command or confirming an action, and so on.
Backspace (read “Backspace”) - in text editing mode, deletes the character to the left of the cursor, and outside the typing area - returns to the previous screen of the program or web page in the browser.

Delete (read “Divide”) - deletes the selected object, selected text fragment
or the character to the right of the input cursor.

The Insert key (read “Insert”) is used to switch between insertion modes (the text appears to move apart) and replacement modes (new characters replace existing text) when editing text.

The Ctrl+Insert key combination replaces the “copy” command, and Shift+Insert replaces the “paste” command. In the Total Commander and FAR Manager file managers, the key is used to select a file or folder.

PrtScn (print screen) (read “Print screen”) - takes a screenshot and places it on the clipboard. In combination with the Alt key, the image is copied to the buffer
current active window.
The ScrLk (Scroll Lock) service key (read “Scroll Lock”) blocks scrolling and when activated with the cursor keys, the contents of the entire screen are shifted, which is very convenient when editing large tables, for example, in Excel.

Pause/Break (read “Pause” or “Break”) - pauses the computer. In modern operating systems, this key is only relevant when the computer boots.
The up, down, right and left arrows refer to the cursor keys and allow you to navigate through menu items and move the input cursor in the corresponding direction by one position. When combined with the Ctrl key, the arrows move a greater distance. For example, in Microsoft Word, Ctrl+ moves the cursor one word to the left.
Using the Shift key selects a block of text.

The Home and End keys move the cursor to the beginning and end of the current line of a document or list of files.

What hotkeys are useful to know?

The Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination is indispensable when the computer freezes; it calls up the “Task Manager”, with which you can end a process, cancel a task, or shut down the computer.

Alt + Tab keys allow you to switch between open windows. A panel with all open applications appears in the center of the screen, and when selecting the active window, you need to hold down the Alt key and press the Tab key several times.

The combination Alt + Space (spacebar) opens the window system menu, with which you can restore, move, maximize, minimize and close the window without using the mouse.

Alt + Shift or Ctrl + Shift - switch keyboard layout.

Using Win + D you can minimize all windows and show the desktop, and the Win + M keys minimize all windows except dialog windows.

Win + E opens the My Computer folder.

Win + F - opens a window to search for a file or folder.

In this lesson I want to tell you about the purpose of keys, when you look at them it is not immediately clear what should happen when you press them. These, of course, are not alphanumeric keys, everything is clear with them - what is drawn will be displayed when pressed. True, on some alphanumeric keys, three symbols are drawn, and it is also not immediately clear how to display any of them. I will also tell you in this lesson how, using which keys and in which modes to display each of the symbols drawn on the key.

Let's take a look at a regular keyboard.


I highlighted in red the keys with which everything is more or less clear; these are symbolic keys (letters, numbers, signs). The only thing I will dwell on in more detail in terms of these keys is how to display all the symbols drawn on these keys, but a little lower.

But the meaning of the keys highlighted in blue is most likely not clear to beginners. And so now I will describe the meaning of each such key separately.

I'll start from the top left corner.

"Esc" key. Reads like "Escape".


This key usually CANCELS an action. For example, if you right-click on the desktop and open the screen properties window, then pressing the “Esc” key will instantly close this window. In any game, pressing the “Esc” key will most likely exit to the game menu, and if you press this key again, the game will continue. In any browser (Internet Explorer, Opera, FireFox, etc.), when entering the address of a site, pressing the “Esc” key will return you to the original address value, to the home page address. And so on.
Just remember – THE “Esc” KEY CANCELS THE PREVIOUS ACTION!

Keys "F1-F12".


These are function keys, i.e. when you press these keys SOME ACTION IS HAPPENING. These actions are different in different programs. Typically these keys are used as hot keys or in combination with other keys. For example, in most programs, the “F1” key is a call for help, help.
The key combination “Alt+F4” in Windows closes the current window. In any browser, the “F5” key is a page refresh.

"Print Screen/SysRq" key. Reads like "Print Screen".


Using this key you can do SCREENSHOT. Those. in fact, when you press this button, no visible actions occur, but in fact, the picture of the photographed screen goes into memory (clipboard), from where it can then be retrieved by pasting it into any graphics editor, for example “Paint” or “Photoshop”. By the way, if you press this key together with the “Alt” key (highlighted in green), i.e. “Alt+PrintScreen”, then not the entire screen will be photographed, but only the active window!

Scroll Lock key. Read as "Scroll Lock".


The essence of the action of this button is that when this button is turned on (this is indicated by the corresponding indicator light), using the cursor keys (arrow keys, Page Up, Page Down) you can move the screen image, not the cursor. In general, I found the use of this button only in ExcelE, where it really works.

Pause/Break key.


Typically, from the moment you turn on your computer until Windows loads, you only have time to see the Windows boot screen on the screen. But in fact, at the time of boot, some information about the system is displayed on the screen (availability of RAM, hard drive capacity, etc.), so that HAVE TIME TO SEE For this information, you need to press the “PAUSE” button; to continue, you can press any button. In general, this button in combination with the “Ctrl” key was actively used at one time in DOS applications for INTERRUPTS program operation. Now the function of this button is performed by the TASK MANAGER.

Num Lock key.


This key INCLUDES NUMERIC KEYPAD located on the right side of the keyboard. If this key is turned on (as indicated by the indicator light), then the numeric keypad will work like a calculator, i.e. When pressed, numbers will be displayed.

If this key is turned off (the indicator is not lit), then the number keys will work in a different mode. The “1” and “7” keys will work like the “End” and “Home” keys - moving the cursor to the end and beginning of the line. The “3” and “9” keys will work as the “Page Up” and “Page Down” keys - moving the cursor one screen up and down. The keys “2”, “4”, “8”, “6” will work as arrow keys, i.e. in cursor control mode.

In addition, if you set SPECIAL FEATURES for the mouse in the CONTROL PANEL, then when the “Num look” key is turned off, you can control the mouse cursor using the keys “4” - left, “6” - right, “8” - up, “2” - down.

In general, I recommend that you use the numeric keyboard, especially if you often work with numbers, for example in 1C or ExcelE.


"Page Up" and "Page Down" keys.


Using these keys you can scroll up and down the screen. Keys highlighted in blue only work if the Num Lock key is turned off (the indicator is off). These keys can and should be used in any text editor, any browser, in general, anywhere where the information does not fit on one screen in height.

Home and End keys.


Using these keys, the cursor moves to the beginning (Home key) and the end (End key) of the line. Or to the beginning and end of the list (in Explorer). Keys highlighted in blue only work if the Num Lock key is turned off (the indicator is off).

By the way, if you press the “Home” key together with the “Ctrl” key (highlighted in green), you will go directly to the first (topmost) page. And if you press the “End” key together with the “Ctrl” key, the transition will be carried out immediately to the last (bottom-most) page.

"Insert" or "Ins" key.


The "Insert" key switches between INSERT and REPLACE modes. In mode INSERTS, if you type between two words, the right word will move to the right and new text will be inserted after the left word. Like this: “left” “center” “right” - I inserted the word “center” between the words “left” and “right”. And in mode REPLACEMENTS the right word will be overwritten - replaced by the inserted word.
Like this: “left” “center”, i.e. the word “right” will be completely erased.
Sometimes you just want to disable this key, because... When typing text in WordE, you can accidentally click on this button and turn on the replacement mode, and at the moment of editing the already typed text you don’t notice how what you typed is overwritten. Therefore, I recommend that you sometimes pay attention to the status bar in WordE, there is an indication of the “Insert” key. In addition, in WordE you can disable this key altogether, but this is not covered in this lesson.



This key is also used in combination with the “Ctrl” and “Shift” keys (highlighted in green).
Key combination “Ctrl+Insert” - copying selected text. Same as “Ctrl+C”.
Key combination “Shift + Insert” - inserts selected text. Same as “Ctrl+V”.

"Delete" or "Del" key.


Using the "Delete" key you can DELETE one character to the right in any text. Or delete all selected text. Or delete a file or folder. By the way, if you delete a file using the “Shift+Delete” key combination (the “Shift” keys are highlighted in green), the file will be deleted bypassing the trash can, i.e. it will no longer be possible to restore it from the recycle bin.

The key highlighted in blue only works if the Num Lock key is turned off (the indicator is off).

In addition, the "Del" key is used in combination with the "Ctrl" and "Alt" keys (highlighted in green). When you press the key combination “Ctrl+Alt+Del”, the “Task Manager” will open.

Cursor keys - arrows.


Using these keys CURSOR MOVES. The cursor is a blinking vertical bar in text editors or a highlighted rectangle in any file manager.

Keys highlighted in blue only work if the Num Lock key is turned off (the indicator is off).

The cursor keys can be used in combination with the Shift and Ctrl keys (highlighted in green). This is especially useful in text editors.

The key combination “Shift+right/left arrow” - selects one character from the right/left.
The key combination “Ctrl + right/left arrow” - moves the cursor one word to the right/left.

The key combination “Shift+up/down arrow” - selects one line up/down.
The key combination “Ctrl + up/down arrow” - moves the cursor one paragraph/line up/down.

BackSpace or Left Arrow key. Reads like "Backspace".


With this key you can DELETE one character to the left or the entire selected text.
In file managers, this button is used to move one level (one folder) up. In photo viewing programs - go back one photo.

The key combination “Alt+BackSpacr” - cancels the previous action. Same as “Ctrl+Z”.

Enter key. Read as "Enter".


There are two Enter keys on the keyboard. If you often work with numbers on the numeric keypad, I recommend that you use the “Enter” key, which is located on the right, bottom part of the keyboard.

The Enter key is used to CONFIRMATIONS any actions, to open files, to launch programs, to move to a new line.

Shift keys. Read as "Shift".


Shift key is used TO SWITCH REGISTER characters. Those. if the "Shift" key is pressed, then the letters will be printed in capitals. Like this: SHIFT KEY.

Additionally, the Shift key is often used in combination with the Ctrl and Alt keys. For example, the key combinations “Ctrl+Shift” or “Alt+Shift” switch the keyboard layout.

"Ctrl" keys. Read as "Control".
Alt keys. Read as "Alt".


I combined the meanings of these keys because... they really are the same. These keys are used TO EXPAND FUNCTIONALITY other keys, i.e. "Ctrl" and "Alt" keys are used IN COMBINATIONS with other keys to perform any actions.

"Context menu" key.


Using this key THE CONTEXT MENU IS CALLED, exactly the same as if you pressed the RIGHT mouse button. The menu will correspond to the program you are working in, i.e. active program. Or if you press this button while on the “Desktop”, a menu corresponding to the active element of the Desktop will open.

Windows or Win key.


When you press this key, the main Windows menu opens - the START button menu.
In addition, this key is used in Windows in combination with other keys, making it easier and faster to launch any programs or perform any actions.

For example, the key combination “Win+D” minimizes all windows.
Key combination “Win+E” - launch “Explorer”. And so on. I will make a separate lesson about key combinations.

Spacebar key.


This key is used FOR SEPARATION between themselves symbols, words, i.e. to insert a space character - indent.

By the way, if replace mode is enabled (using the “Insert” key), the “Space” key works like the “Delete” key, i.e. erases the character on the right.

Sometimes the Spacebar is used to confirm some action, i.e. like the Enter key.

Caps Lock key. Pronounced "Caps Lock".


The "Caps Lock" key is used in the same way as "Shift" TO SWITCH REGISTER characters. Those. If the Caps Lock key is turned on (the corresponding indicator is lit), then the letters will be printed in capitals. Like this: CAPS LOCK KEY.

Tab key. Reads like "Tab".


Using this key you can create a “red line” in text editors, i.e. When you press this button, several space characters are inserted at once.

Using this button you can bypass all contextual elements of the active window. This can be useful when the mouse suddenly stops working or is not there at all for some reason. To make it clearer, go to Explorer and press the “Tab” key. You will see how the cursor jumps from one context element to another.

The Tab key is also used in combination with the Alt key to switch tasks in Windows.

Now, as I promised, I’ll tell you how to display all the symbols drawn on a key.
For example, I’ll take the “?” key located near the right “Shift” key.


There are already four characters per key. The secret is in the “Shift” key and the keyboard layout.
Those. to display "." (dots) the Russian keyboard layout must be enabled.
To display “,” (comma), you need to press this key together with the “Shift” key in the Russian keyboard layout.
To display “/” (slash), you need to switch to the English layout and press this key. To display "?" (question mark) you need to press this key together with the “Shift” key in the English layout. That's the whole secret.

The same goes for other keys that have several symbols on them. For some special national symbols, you need to switch to the national layout accordingly.

The keyboard with which we type text has quite a lot of buttons. Each of these buttons is needed for something. In this lesson we will look at the keyboard buttons and remember those that are useful to us for working with text.

Keyboard keys

Key Esc. Its full name is Escape (pronounced "Escape") and it means "Exit". With this button we can close some programs. This applies to a greater extent to computer games.

In the same row as Esc there are several buttons whose names begin with the Latin letter F. They are designed to control the computer without using a mouse. That is, buttons F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, F12 are needed in order to use the keyboard alone to do the same thing that we do with the mouse (open and close folders and files, change their name, copy, and so on). But knowing what each button does is not necessary—most people have been using computers for decades and have no idea about any of these buttons. And you can also ignore them.

Just below there is a row of buttons with numbers and signs (! " " No.; % : ? *, etc.).

To print a sign instead of a number, press the key with the desired sign while holding down the Shift button.

If the character printed is not the one you want, try changing the alphabet (bottom right).

On many keyboards, the numbers are also on the right side.

They are laid out exactly like on a calculator and are more convenient for many people.

It happens that these numbers don't work. You press the key with the desired number, but it does not print. This means that the numeric portion of the keyboard is turned off. To turn it on, you need to press the Num Lock button once.

Let's move on to the most important part - the central part of the keyboard keys. These are the keys that are used to type text.

As a rule, each button has two letters - one foreign, the other Russian. In order to type the letter of the desired language, it must be selected at the bottom of the screen.

The computer “selects” the letters of the alphabet that is installed on it.

You can also change the alphabet by pressing two buttons at once:

Shift And Alt

Shift And Ctrl

How to print a capital letter

In order to type a capital letter, you need to hold down the Shift key and, together with it, click on the desired letter.

How to type a period and a comma

If the Russian alphabet is installed, then in order to print a dot, you need to press the last key in the bottom letter row. It is located in front of the Shift button.

To type a comma, press the same button while holding Shift.

When the English alphabet is selected, to print a dot you need to press the key that is located before the Russian dot. The letter "Y" is usually written on it.

And the comma in the English alphabet is located where the Russian letter “B” is written (before the English dot).

The Tab button is needed to indent the beginning of a sentence. This indentation is also called a paragraph or red line. Click at the beginning of the text and press the Tab key. If the red line is adjusted correctly, the text will move slightly to the right.

Below the key that makes the red line is the Caps Lock key. It is used to print large letters.

Press Caps Lock once and release it. Try typing a word. All letters will be printed in capitals. To cancel this feature, press the Caps Lock key again and release it. Letters, as before, will be printed small.

The long bottom button on the keyboard is called the space bar. It is needed to create spaces between words.

On the top right side is the Backspace button. Often there is simply an arrow drawn on it, pointing to the left.

This button is needed to erase letters. It removes those letters that are printed in front of the flashing stick (cursor). The Backspace button is also used to raise text higher.

Below the key for deleting text is the Enter key.

It is designed to lower the text and move to the next line.

Let's look at the buttons that are located between the alphabetic and numeric keyboards. These are buttons such as Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down and arrow buttons. They are needed in order to work with text without the help of a mouse.

You can use the arrows to move the blinking cursor (flashing stick) across the text.

The Delete button is used to delete. True, unlike the Backspace key, which we talked about earlier, Delete deletes letters after the blinking cursor.

The Home button moves the blinking cursor to the beginning of the line, and the End key moves it to the end.

The Page Up key moves the blinking cursor to the beginning of the page, and the Page Down (Pg Dn) key moves the blinking cursor to the end of the page.

The Insert button is needed to print text over what has already been printed. If you press this key, new text will be printed, erasing the old one. To cancel this, you need to press the Insert key again.

All of these buttons are optional and are rarely or never used by people.

Your keyboard may also have Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause/Break buttons.

The Scroll Lock key is almost always completely useless. That is, it simply does not work. And in theory, it should serve to scroll information up and down - just like the wheel on a computer mouse does.

The Pause/Break key almost never works either. In general, it is designed to pause a running computer process.

But the Print Screen button may be useful to us. She takes a photo of the screen. Then we can paste this screenshot into Word or Paint. This photograph of the screen is called a screenshot.

In this article we looked at keyboard keys. Many of them you will most likely never need. But there are some keyboard keys that you will use quite often.

Keyboard buttons to remember

If you press this button and, without releasing it, any letter, it will be printed large. If you want to print the symbol: No. ! () * ? “+, etc., and not a number, then you need to press and hold the “Shift” button together with the number on which the symbol is drawn.

After pressing this button, all letters will be printed in capitals. To return to small letters, press the Caps Lock button again.

Indents (red line).

Space. Using this button you can add space between words.

Moves down a line. To do this, you need to place a flashing stick (blinking cursor) at the beginning of the part of the text that you want to move down, and press the Enter button.

Deletes the character before the blinking cursor. In other words, it erases text. This button also moves the text up a line. To do this, you need to place a flashing stick (blinking cursor) at the beginning of the part of the text that you want to move to the top, and press the “Backspace” button.

All other keyboard buttons, except letters, numbers and symbols, are used extremely rarely or never at all.