How to Fix Your Keyboard Typing Numbers Instead of Letters

You are typing on your laptop computer and, out of the blue, some of the keys start off registering as figures and symbols alternatively of letters. What is heading on? Most possible, the answer lies with your Num Lock crucial. Here’s why—and how to correct it.

What is Num Lock?

Num Lock, small for “number lock,” is a attribute of Computer keyboards courting back to the pretty initial IBM Pc in 1981. To conserve space on the keyboard, IBM made a decision to make keys on the numeric keypad do double responsibility as equally quantity keys and cursor keys. To switch modes involving them, IBM released the Num Lock important.

Listed here is an instance of a standard numeric keypad spot on a desktop keyboard.

With Num Lock turned on, the numeric keypad on a desktop Pc operates like an introducing device keypad with quantities and symbols (this sort of as *, /, and +) that depict mathematical operations. With Num Lock turned off, the keypad registers as cursor keys (like up and down arrow) and some enhancing keys (these kinds of as House and Insert).

What is Diverse About Num Lock on a Notebook?

Most laptops really don’t have devoted numeric keypads, so Num Lock will work in another way on them. Rather of switching cursor keys into numbers, it converts a portion of the QWERTY letters on the keyboard into a digital numeric keypad.

Right here is an case in point a keyboard made by Acer for a Home windows 10 notebook. When you push the Num Lock vital (witnessed here highlit in a crimson rectangle), 15 of the keys swap modes into a simulated numeric keypad. When you force them, they sign up as the symbol highlit in the pink circle.

Your laptop computer will most most likely glance different than this, but a lot of makers use some variation of employing keys on the proper aspect of the keyboard as a numeric keypad with Num Lock.

As a end result, if you strike the Num Lock critical by accident on a laptop, you may have a trouble that seems to be like this.

In this scenario, you are typing figures as a substitute of letters mainly because the Num Lock crucial is turned on. Here’s how to transform it off.

How to Transform Off Num Lock on a Laptop

The initially phase to turning off Num Lock is to uncover the Num Lock important on your laptop’s keyboard. Its place can change wildly by notebook manufacturer, but it is ordinarily situated in the higher-suitable corner of the keyboard.

Appear for a tiny key that claims some variation of “Num Lock,” “NumLk,” or even a compact lock image with a number 1 inside.

For example, right here is the Num Lock key’s site on an Acer laptop.

In this circumstance, the Num Lock critical doubles as the F12 important, and it defaults to remaining Num Lock.

Some laptops may well need you to maintain down a Purpose important (generally labeled “Fn”) whilst pushing Num Lock to toggle it on or off.

Also, some laptop computer keyboards may well have an indicator light-weight showing no matter whether Num Lock is turned on or off. For example, this YouTube movie exhibits the area of the Num Lock critical and its indicator gentle on a Sony VAIO notebook keyboard.

Your laptop will fluctuate. If you have difficulties finding your Num Lock key, try browsing for a mixture of your producer name + “laptop” + “numlock important location” on Google, and you could uncover a internet sites with instructions particular to your laptop computer. For instance, Google “lenovo laptop computer numlock essential spot,” and you will find data about the Num Lock vital on several ThinkPad laptops.

Blocking Potential Num Lock Incidents

Now that you know about the Num Lock key, you can conveniently convert it off if you at any time accidentally locate you typing numbers once more. If you’d like to obtain an audible alert when you force the Num Lock crucial, comply with this guideline to make your computer engage in a seem when you variety the Num Lock essential, so you are going to know if you pressed it by accident. There is also a way to see a notification in your Undertaking Bar if you flip on Num Lock.

Fantastic luck, and content typing!