The function keys F1 to F12 explained

The row of keys along the top of the keyboard, F1 to F12, has no fixed meaning. Each program decides what they do. Over the years, though, most programs have settled on the same uses for several of them, and a few are well worth knowing.

What each key usually does

Keys	What it does
`F1`	Open help for the program you are in
`F2`	Rename the selected file or folder. In Excel, edit the cell
`F3`	Search: in File Explorer and browsers, find or find next
`F4`	In File Explorer, open the address bar list. In Excel and Word, repeat the last action or cycle dollar signs
`Alt` + `F4`	Close the active window
`F5`	Refresh the page or folder. In PowerPoint, start the slide show. In Word, open Go To
`F6`	Move between the parts of a window, such as the address bar and the page
`F7`	Check spelling, in Word, Excel and Outlook
`F8`	In Word and Excel, extend the selection
`F9`	In Excel, recalculate. In Outlook, send and receive
`F10`	Move to the menu bar. Shift + F10 opens the right-click menu
`F11`	Full screen on or off, in browsers and File Explorer
`F12`	Save As, in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. In browsers, open the developer tools

The five worth remembering

F2 to rename a file. Select it, press F2, type, press Enter. Press Tab instead of Enter and Windows moves on to rename the next file.
F5 to refresh a web page that looks out of date.
F11 to give a web page or a folder the whole screen, and again to come back.
F12 for Save As in Office programs, when you want a copy under a new name.
Alt + F4 to close whatever is in front.

Laptops: the Fn key

On most laptops, each top-row key does two jobs. One is the function key. The other is a control for the machine: brightness, volume, mute, aeroplane mode, the keyboard backlight. Small pictures on the keys show these.

Which job you get from a plain press depends on the laptop.

On many laptops, a plain press changes brightness or volume, and you must hold Fn to get F1 to F12. So renaming a file is Fn + F2, and refreshing is Fn + F5.
On others it is the other way round.

If a shortcut on this site that uses an F key does nothing, or changes the volume instead, try it again with Fn held down.

Fn Lock

Most laptops let you swap the two jobs, so that the F keys work without Fn. This is called Fn Lock.

The usual way is Fn + Esc. Many keyboards have a small padlock printed on the Esc key to show it.
Some laptops have the setting in their own keyboard app, or in the BIOS or UEFI set-up screen, under a name such as "Action Keys Mode" or "Function Key Behaviour".

People who use Excel, coding tools or other shortcut-heavy programs usually prefer the F keys to work directly. People who mostly browse and watch videos usually prefer the media controls.

On a Mac

The Mac's top row controls brightness, Mission Control, Launchpad, the keyboard light, media playback and volume. Holding Fn, or the globe key, gives the standard F1 to F12. A setting under System Settings, Keyboard, "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys" reverses this. Some MacBook models replaced the row with a touch strip, where holding Fn displays the function keys.

Useful ones on a Mac: Fn + F11 shows the desktop, and F3, or Ctrl + Up arrow, opens Mission Control.

In a browser

Keys	What it does
`F5`	Reload the page
`Ctrl` + `F5`	Reload and fetch everything again, ignoring saved copies
`F6`	Go to the address bar
`F11`	Full screen
`F12`	Open the developer tools
`F3`	Find the next match after a search
`F7`	Turn caret browsing on or off: moving through a page with a text cursor

In Excel

Excel uses the function keys more heavily than most programs: F2 to edit, F4 to fix references with dollar signs, F5 for Go To, F9 to recalculate, F11 to make a chart from the selected data, F12 for Save As. The Excel page has the full set.

While the computer is starting

Before Windows loads, certain keys open the computer's own set-up screens: often F2, F10, F12, Delete or Esc, depending on the maker. The right key is usually shown on screen for a moment at start-up. These screens control how the hardware behaves. Change settings there only if you know what they do.

When an F key does nothing

Try it with Fn held.
Check whether Fn Lock is on or off.
Make sure the right window is in front. A function key acts on the active program.
Remember that programs differ. F5 refreshes a browser and starts a slide show in PowerPoint.

This is an independent reference site. It is not connected with Microsoft, Apple, Google or any other maker of the programs named here. Product names belong to their owners and are used only to say where a shortcut works. Programs change; if a shortcut does not work for you, check the program's own help.