What's the use of the 'fn' key in the keyboard?

Question

What's the use of the fn key in my laptop? btw, it's a macbook pro.

Answer 1

To use a keyboard shortcut, or key combination, you press a modifier key with a character key. For example, pressing the Command key (the key with a symbol) and the "c" key at the same time copies whatever is currently selected (text, graphics, and so forth) into the Clipboard. This is also known as the Command-C key combination (or keyboard shortcut).



A modifier key is a part of many key combinations. A modifier key alters the way other keystrokes or mouse clicks are interpreted by Mac OS X. Modifier keys include: Command, Control, Option, Shift, Caps Lock, and the fn key (if your keyboard has a fn key).



Here are the modifier key symbols you can see in Mac OS X menus:



(Command key) - On some Apple keyboards, this key also has an Apple logo ()

(Control key)

(Option key) - "Alt" may also appear on this key

(Shift key)

(Caps Lock) - Toggles Caps Lock on or off

fn (Function key)

Answer 2

Unlike other modifier keys such as Ctrl, Shift and AltGr, the microcontroller inside the keyboard typically sends out a different keycode depending on whether the Fn key is depressed. This allows the keyboard to emulate a full sized keyboard, so that specialised keymaps do not need to be created; the operating system can use standard keymaps designed for a full sized keyboard. Because the operating system has no notion of the Fn key, the key can not be remapped in software, unlike all other standard keyboard keys.



In many designs, pressing F-Lock or Fn key itself does not generate a scancode. However, if it does, the key may be remapped by modifying the interrupt handler in BIOS that maps scancodes to characters, a technique that has proven successful on Lenovo laptops.



In addition to being mapped to standard keyboard keys like Scroll Lock and Num Lock, the Fn key combinations may also be mapped to control system interfaces to change the LCD brightness, VGA output, or speaker volume on most laptop computers.

Answer 3

its like the shift key call the funtion key its for all the blue keys