The Num Lock Key – What Is It And How Do You Use It?

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The Num Lock key is a keyboard key that, when pressed, turns the number keys on the top of the keyboard into arrow keys.

The Num Lock key was originally designed for use with IBM’s Selectric typewriters in 1963. At that time, typewriter keyboards did not have dedicated arrow keys, and numeric input was instead entered by pressing a combination of two modifier keys together with a letter key. To make this process easier, IBM added an extra key to their typewriters which would toggle between letters and numbers; pressing it once would activate numeric mode, pressing it again would return to letter mode.

The Num Lock key remained largely unchanged when personal computers began to become popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s; as they too lacked arrow keys, users were still required to use combinations of modifier keys together with letter or number keys to input directional commands. With the introduction of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in these machines, however, arrow keys became a standard part of PC keyboards. The presence of a dedicated Num Lock key became increasingly unnecessary, and as a result it was omitted from some newer keyboard models.

What Is NumLock Key In Keyboard?

The NumLock key is used to convert part of the main keyboard to act as a numeric keypad rather than letters. When enabled, NumLock lets you use the 7-8-9, u-i-o, j-k-l and m keys as a numeric keypad.

num lock key

How Do You NumLock On A Laptop?

NumLock is a keyboard function that allows you to use the number keys on the right side of the keyboard as regular keys. To enable NumLock, press and hold the Fn key and then press the NumLock key. (On some laptops, this key is also labelled “NumLk” or “NmLk.”) The NumLock light will turn on to indicate that it is activated. To disable NumLock, press and hold the Fn key and then press the NumLock key again.

Where Is Num Lock On Dell Laptop?

The Num Lock key is located in the lower left corner of the keyboard, next to the Ctrl key.

How Do I Turn Off Num Lock Permanently?

There are a few ways to turn off Num Lock permanently. One way is to edit the registry. To do this, hold the Windows key and press R to bring up the Run dialog box. Type “regedit” and press Enter. Navigate to the following location in the registry:

HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard

Change the value of InitialKeyboardIndicators from 2 (Num Lock on) to 0 (Num Lock off). Another way is to use a command line tool called nvclock. To do this, open a command prompt and type “nvclock -d”. This will disable Num Lock.

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Sanjeev Singh

Sanjeev is the tech editor at DeviceMAG. He has a keen interest in all things technology, and loves to write about the latest developments in the industry. He has a passion for quality-focused journalism and believes in using technology to make people's lives better. He has worked in the tech industry for over 15 years, and has written for some of the biggest tech blogs in the world. Sanjeev is also an avid photographer and loves spending time with his family.