By Anthony Farina

Have you ever noticed those F keys in the top row of your keyboard? Did you know that they can do some useful things? I’ll be explaining what some of the most useful features of these buttons are so that you can use your computer more efficiently!

  1. F1 – Help (Universal)
    Just about every program has a help program. F1 can be pressed to bring up a help window for the active program running. You can type in a question about the topic you need help with and it will be able to assist you.
  2. F2 – Rename (Windows)
    The F2 key will allow you to rename a file, folder, or shortcut. First, select the item you want to rename and then click F2. The item’s name should appear to be highlighted blue. Start typing the new name and then press enter when you are done.
  3. F3 – Find on page (Browser)
    The find feature of Internet browsers is very useful when trying to identify key words on a long webpage. F3 is a quick way of bringing up the find tool. Once pulled up, type in the keyword you want to search for and the word will be highlighted throughout the page.
  4. F5 – Find and Replace (Word)
    Find and replace is helpful for finding a word you’ve used over and over again in a document and replacing it with another word. You can use the F5 button, go to the “Replace” tab, type the word you want to replace into the “Find what:” tab, type in the replacing word in the “Replace with:” field, and click the “Replace all” button.
  5. F5 – Refresh page (Browser)
    Sometimes refreshing the page in a browser is important to update changing information displayed. Press F5 the next time you need to refresh a website. This is faster than manually clicking the refresh button on the toolbar of the browser.

Hopefully now you can fully appreciate the functionality of the function keys. They help keep your fingers on the keyboard so you don’t have to use your mouse and navigate the screen. This often takes longer to do; keeping your hands on the keyboard and knowing these shortcuts will help you be more efficient in using your computer!

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