Laptop designers can assign just about any task to one of the 12 function keys on a typical keyboard, or to one of the special-purpose buttons on particular models. This article shows some typical assignments from laptops from three major manufacturers: Hewlett-Packard (HP), IBM (now manufactured by and sold by a company called Lenovo), and Toshiba.
Some of the function keys aren't assigned to particular tasks on every model of every machine, and some manufacturers seem to take a perverse pleasure in using a scheme that's completely different from any other maker's. The last column is left open — feel free to print out this table and write in the assignments from your own laptop. (Neatness counts!)
Function Key
| HP*
| IBM*
| Toshiba*
| My Machine
|
Fn+F1
| Open Help and Support Screen
| —
| Initiate security mode; blanks screen and goes to password log-in if enabled
| |
Fn+F2
| Open print window
| —
| Display power use window and allow mode selection
| |
Fn+F3
| Open default Internet browser
| Turn off LCD display; press any key to turn on LCD
| Initiate standby
| |
Fn+F4
| Switch the image among displays
| Initiate standby; press F4 to resume
| Initiate hibernation
| |
Fn+F5
| Initiate Standby
| —
| Cycle through power-on display modes including LCD, external monitor, and multiple devices
| |
Fn+F6
| Initiate QuickLock**
| —
| Decrease screen brightness
| |
Fn+F7
| Decrease screen brightness
| Switch between LCD and attached external monitor
| Increase screen brightness
| |
Fn+F8
| Increase screen brightness
| Turn screen expansion on or off
| Enable/disable WiFi system
| |
Fn+F9
| Play, pause, or resume audio CD or DVD
| —
| Disable/enable touchpad
| |
Fn+F10
| Stop an audio CD or DVD
| —
| Turn cursor key overlay on or off
| |
Fn+F11
| Play the previous track or chapter in audio CD or DVD
| —
| Turn numeric keypad overlay on/off
| |
Fn+F12
| Play the next track or chapter in audio CD or DVD
| Turn on hibernation mode; to resume, press power button for <4 seconds
| Turn scroll lock on/off
| |
Fn+Esc
| Display system information
| —
| Enable/disable volume mute
| |
Fn+PgUp
| —
| Turn ThinkLight on or off
| —
| |
Fn+Home
| —
| Increase screen brightness
| —
| |
Fn+End
| —
| Decrease screen brightness
| —
| |
Fn+spacebar
| —
| Magnify desktop and maximize application windows
| —
| |
