How to Lock and Unlock the Fn Key in Windows

The Fn key on your keyboard acts as a hidden modifier, activating additional functions on the F1 - F12 keys. If you find yourself constantly needing those functions, here are some easy ways to lock (or unlock) the Fn key on Windows.

1. Lock or unlock the Fn key with the keyboard

On some keyboards, the Esc key acts as the Fn (Function) lock key, usually indicated by a small padlock icon above the Esc key. To lock the Fn key on these keyboards, press the Fn and Esc keys at the same time.

The lock icon will light up to indicate that the Fn key is locked. To unlock it, press the Fn key and Esc again.

2. Lock or unlock the Fn key from the BIOS menu

The BIOS menu on your PC allows you to change a variety of system settings, such as boot order, hardware configuration, and power management options. Here's how you use it to lock or unlock the Fn key:

• Use your preferred method to boot your PC into the Windows Recovery Environment.
• Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options .
• Click UEFI Firmware Settings and press Restart on the following screen.
• Once the BIOS menu opens, go to System Configuration and select Action Key Mode .
• Turn off Action Key Mode .
• Also, in the Advanced tab , go to Function Key Behavior .
• Select the Function Key option to lock it.
• Press F10 to save changes, then click Yes when the prompt appears.

If you don't plan on using the Fn key, you can also disable it using the KeyTweak app .

3. Lock or unlock the Fn key via Windows Mobility Center

Windows Mobility Center is a useful tool for configuring common settings like PC brightness and volume. You can also use it to lock or unlock the Fn key. Note that this method may not work if you don't have the Function Key Row in Mobility Center.

• Open Windows Mobility Center using the search menu.
• Locate the Function Key Row section .
• To lock the Fn key, select the Function key option from the drop-down menu. To unlock it, select the Multimedia key option .

Why should you lock or unlock the Fn key?

The F1 - F12 keys at the top of the keyboard can perform two functions. Individually, they perform one action, but can perform different actions when pressed together with the Fn key.

When using the secondary function, you have to press the Fn key along with any function key every time you want to perform a particular action. But if you don't want to do that, use any of the above methods to permanently lock the Fn key.