How Many Keys Are on a Keyboard? Detailed Explanation

You might be somewhat surprised by how big a keyboard is when you first take it out of the box.

You might not even know what each key does because they are so numerously spaced along their surface.

You might also ponder whether any keys are missing from your keyboard.

The experience of using a keyboard can be greatly improved by being aware of the ideal number of keys and their functions.

This guide will explain how many keys should be on your keyboard and what each one does.

How Many Keys Are on a Keyboard?

Typically, a keyboard has 104 keys.

The number pad and navigational keys might not be present on all keyboards.

If they do exclude them, there won’t be as many keys on the keyboard as 104.

Also possible are keyboards with more than 104 keys.

For example, specialized keyboards made for gaming may have extra keys that can be connected to specific game buttons.

Others can take you directly to the search bar, your home screen, or your email.

But typically, a standard keyboard has 104 keys.

IBM/PC Keyboards

• 83 keys on the first (1981) IBM PC keyboard
• 84 keys on the AT keyboard
• 84 keys on the updated IBM PC Keyboard, 1984.
• 101 keys on the AT Enhanced Keyboard
• 101 keys on a traditional US keyboard
• 102 keys on the Enhanced European Keyboard
• 104 keys on the Windows keyboard
• 86-key laptop keyboard for Windows
• There are various special keys on the keyboard for Windows multimedia software.

Apple Keyboards

• 109 keys on the Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
• 78 keys on the Apple Wireless Keyboard
• 78 keys on the Apple MacBook Air laptop

Miscellaneous Keyboards

Other keyboard designs, like those used in Brazil, Korea, and Japan, may have more keys than 104. There may be several hundred extra keys on keyboards that have dedicated keys for controlling a CD drive or Media Center features. Some keyboards can be referred to as programmable or gaming keyboards because they have programmable keys.

110 to 115 keys are common on programmable keyboards, media keyboards, and gaming keyboards. The extra functionality they give computers and their users determines how many keys they have.

How Many Keys Are on the Numeric Keypad?

The numeric keypad on most desktop computer keyboards has 17 keys on PC keyboards and 18 keys on Apple keyboards.

On some laptop keyboards, there is a numeric keypad; on others, there isn’t. There is typically a numeric keypad on laptops with screens larger than 15 inches. Smaller-screen laptops frequently lack a numeric keypad.

Note

Some PCs may be connected to an external USB numeric keypad. On an external USB numeric keypad, any number of keys can be found. The numeric keypad page shows one with 31 keys available as an example.

There are 12 buttons on this keypad, which can be used as a phone keypad or a security keypad. The digits 0 through 9, along with the pound (#) and asterisk (*) keys.

What Different Types of Keys Does a Keyboard Have?

Even though you might think that every key on the keyboard is the same, they all have unique names or classifications.

As a result, it is simpler for producers or sellers to identify problems with a particular keyboard region.

The various keyboard key types are listed below.

1. Alphanumeric Keys

Alphanumeric keys are some of the most frequently used key types on a keyboard.

Each letter and number you use in writing every day is represented by one of these keys.

Additionally, they contain the keys for capitalization, spacing, and punctuation.

They are called “alphanumeric” because they include the letters and the numbers that run along the top of the letters.

In relation to typewriters, this kind of key arrangement.

The floor plans were identical.

Keeping the keys in the same location made sense when typewriters were replaced by computers.

2. Control Keys

You can use these keys to manage specific computer functions.

They frequently go together with other keys.

For instance, you could press CTRL and ALT to delete something or launch the task manager.

On computers, the Windows key is a control key as well.

The Windows menu, where you can search for items on your computer, appears quickly after tapping it.

ESC is yet another key in the control key family.

You can exit various programs by pressing this button.

3. Function Keys

The function keys are a row of keys that you might or might not use frequently.

These are the keys that run above the numbers.

They have names like “F1,” “F2,” and so on.

Below the numbers, there could occasionally be blank space or an image.

These stand in for keys that, when pressed, carry out specific tasks.

To control the volume of your speakers, for instance, you might press one.

Your screen’s brightness could be managed by another.

Each of them has unique functions that you can also carry out on your computer.

However, because the keys are close at hand, you can control some things much more quickly.

However, it’s not always easy to get the function keys to work.

Sometimes pressing the key is not enough.

For instance, sometimes you have to press and hold the FN key to use the function keys.

It’s possible that nothing would happen if you pressed a function key without also depressing the FN key.

Usually, you can change that setting on the computer to stop needing to press the FN key.

But sometimes it’s a good idea to leave settings alone, especially since one of the function keys can be used to switch the computer to airplane mode.

The last thing you want to do is write a lengthy email or message only to unintentionally delete everything by pressing the airplane functional key.

Shortcuts for some common computer tasks are offered by function keys.

4. Navigation Keys

The navigation keys are much more than just a way to scroll up and down a screen.

However, one of their main applications is paging up and down or controlling a character in a video game.

On your keyboard’s right side, there is a group of keys known as the navigational keys.

They are the upward, downward, left, and right pointing arrows.

Along with the other keys, they comprise the Home, Insert, Page Up, Delete, End, and Page Down keys.

These are all navigation-related keys.

The majority of the time, they are employed in document writing or editing.

For instance, pressing the Page Up key will allow you to quickly advance one page.

Instead of dragging or scrolling with your mouse to the top of the page to reach the next one, you can do this.

You can quickly add another page or character to a document by pressing the Insert key.

Some of the navigational keys are multipurpose.

Looking at the key can frequently reveal what else they are capable of.

Some of them have symbols that show what additional functions they have.

Since they can speed up viewing or writing documents, the navigation keys are frequently overlooked.

5. Numeric Keypad

The numeric keypad is the final component of a keyboard.

The far rightmost row of your keyboard contains this group of keys.

Their primary goal is to accelerate and simplify basic math and number entry.

You can find the sum by typing the numbers you need to add or subtract quickly.

The keypad’s functions include multiplication and division.

However, the keypad isn’t always turned on.

On occasion, you may need to activate it by pressing the computer’s Num Lock key or another key.

Additionally, the number keypad has some navigational keys.

If you want to page up or down, you can do so without using the directional keys.

You can quickly and easily solve mathematical equations using the numerical keypad.

6. Indicator Lights

Additionally, the indicator lights on your keyboard are a crucial component.

You ought to possess three.

The light in the indicator section will turn on when you press the lock button on your keyboard.

It serves as a reminder that you have a specific lock activated.

You’ll most frequently use your Caps Lock when typing.

This key activates Caps Lock when it is pressed.

As suggested by the name, it capitalizes every letter you press on the keyboard.

If you want to send someone a furious message or type vehemently, it can be useful.

Otherwise, it’s typically best to turn off Caps Lock.

Press the Caps Lock key once more to turn it off.

Additionally, the indicator light ought to go out.

While typing, you can disable Caps Lock by pressing and holding the shift key.

The capital letters will be forced to return to lowercase as a result.

While doing so, you must continuously press and hold the Shift key.

What Are Some Keyboard Shortcuts?

Even though you can always click and press keys to complete certain tasks, some shortcuts can speed up the procedure a little.

You can expedite some processes to make your life a little easier by being aware of the right key combinations to press.

The following are some common keyboard shortcuts that you might want to memorize.

1. Undo

The Undo shortcut is arguably one of the most well-known in the PC world.

Unintentionally typing something is probably something you’ve done at least once.

It’s possible that you copied something and pasted it in the wrong place.

You frequently need to highlight the error and delete it whenever you make a mistake.

This can be challenging, particularly if the error involved graphics rather than plain text.

Fortunately, there is a quick fix for your error on the keyboard.

The Undo shortcut is what it is called.

The action you just performed can be quickly reversed by holding down the CTRL key and pressing the Z key.

By pressing CTRL and Z quickly, you can quickly undo any accidental pasting.

A quick CTRL and Z press will make your brush disappear if it became a little erratic while you were creating digital art.

It’s an effective feature that can considerably simplify your life.

Always keep in mind that not all programs offer an undo feature.

But those who do, they make it simple to correct any errors you’ve made.

2. Cut, Copy, and Paste

If you have to retype something that you’re copying from somewhere else, one of the ways that your productivity can abruptly stop is.

You might decide to type the entire article out word for word if you’re trying to show a friend a section of it, for instance.

Learning the shortcut for copying or cutting and pasting is a much simpler way to accomplish that.

It’s important to understand the differences between copy and cut.

Cutting something means taking a line of text and completely removing it from its original source.

This is not possible on websites, but it is possible on documents that you are working on.

If you want to completely transfer the data from one location to another, this is the best option.

If you require that data to remain in its original location, it is not ideal.

That’s because cutting the text causes it to be moved from its original position.

Copying is a little different because it duplicates the text rather than deleting it.

Duplication is another word for copying.

The text that you chose is essentially duplicated.

You can paste the information elsewhere using the copy and cut functions.

You move the data from its previous location to the new location when you paste it.

Unless the program you are pasting into has a character limit, everything you cut or copied gets transferred over.

If that’s the case, you might encounter difficulties.

Even though most programs have a cut, copy, and paste feature, using it is much faster if you are aware of the keyboard shortcuts.

Pressing the X key while holding down the CTRL key is the quick way to cut something.

To paste a text or URL somewhere else, you must first highlight it.

Holding down the CTRL key while pressing the C key is the quick way to copy something.

Once more, you should choose the text or URL that you want to copy.

Finally, holding CTRL while pressing the V key allows you to quickly paste something.

All of the data that you copied or cut will be pasted.

Transferring data or links is incredibly quick and simple with the help of these shortcuts.

3. Find

You might be surprised by how helpful the Find feature can be.

People frequently underuse it.

Your computer can quickly search text for the keyword you enter using the Find function.

For instance, you might use the Find key to find a particular passage within a lengthy document. This will help you find it more quickly.

Simply enter your search terms, and the page will highlight all the keywords that match it.

You might want to know where a text mentions healing, for instance, if you’re studying it for a tabletop game.

You can press the Find function on your computer, then type in the word “healing.”

Your criteria’s exact matches will be highlighted throughout the text.

You can change words quickly as well.

Although find is usually a built-in feature on computers, finding things can be a hassle.

The keyboard shortcut is much quicker to use.

Press the CTRL key while holding it down, followed by the F key to use the shortcut.

You’ll get the Find option.

From there, all you have to do is type in the word or words you’re looking for.

After that, it will search the text for you and display all of the instances that match what you typed.

It’s best to use the Find shortcut to quickly search through information to find what you’re looking for.

4. Select All

Selecting everything is a very useful last keyboard shortcut.

Moving each file one at a time can be time-consuming, for example, if you have many files that you want to move from one folder to another.

Moving music files elsewhere follows the same rules.

Selecting everything and moving it all at once will move everything much more quickly.

You won’t need to move each file by yourself, but the process may take longer as a result.

Instead, while your computer transfers all the files for you, you can go get some water or use the restroom.

The ability to select all is also provided by your computer, but it can occasionally be cumbersome.

Simply pressing a few keys on your keyboard is much simpler.

You only need to hold down the CTRL key while pressing the A key to activate the Select All keyboard shortcut.

First, place your mouse close to the text you want to select, and everything should become highlighted.

After that, all you have to do is right-click or drag the files to complete your task.

Making some tasks more efficient can be accomplished by using the Select All function.

Conclusion

Other than entering search terms into the Internet, keyboards can be used for a variety of other tasks.

They can quickly crunch numbers for you or carry out particular tasks for you.

Using keyboard shortcuts makes carrying out those tasks even simpler.