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17045
August 6th, 2019 09:00
Switching Fn and left Ctrl keys
Hi guys. Is there anyway I could swap the Fn and left Ctrl key on my Inspiron 15 3000 laptop. Please let me know if there is a way to do such switching. Thank you.
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jphughan
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August 6th, 2019 10:00
There isn’t. The Fn key is interpreted by the system firmware rather than the OS, so that swap would require something like a BIOS option to support. Lenovo offers this on their ThinkPad systems, but that’s because the ThinkPad keyboards are backwards relative to the rest of the industry, including Lenovo’s own IdeaPad systems. ThinkPads have the Fn key in the lower-left corner while other laptops (and all desktop keyboards) have the Ctrl key there, so Lenovo added the swap option in their ThinkPad BIOS to make it easier for people coming to ThinkPads from basically any other system. Dell’s keyboards have the standard key arrangement to begin with, and since I use the Ctrl key much more than the Fn key, I find it very handy to be able to feel for the lower-leftmost key on the keyboard and know that I’m pressing Ctrl.
ssGuo
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November 9th, 2021 00:00
No, I think You need to survey how many requests from buyers by using Google, actually there are many many ...
I find on Dell's keyboard, the Ctrl key on the low-left is too difficult to use when I need Copy/Paste by using shortcuts like Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V, truely.
jphughan
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November 10th, 2021 05:00
@ssGuo There are many many requests for a lot of things. How many other laptop manufacturers can you find who are making keyboards with Fn in the lower-left corner position? I’m not saying it’s the optimal layout, but it’s the industry standard. If we wanted the optimal keyboard layout, we should all be pushing laptop manufacturers to be using DVORAK keyboards rather than QWERTY.
beepbeepbeep
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November 13th, 2021 23:00
Macbook keyboards also have Fn in the lower left. They also, like the Lenovos, allow you to change the Ctrl/Fn mapping.
Why can't Dell get with the picture?
I have 3 laptops (Lenovo Carbon X1, Macbook Pro, and now a Dell work laptop) and only the Dell has the keyboard setup this way, and only the Dell doesn't allow you to change it.
chetanguru
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June 19th, 2025 14:34
The Fn behavior can be changed by the below 2 methods:
Try one of the following combinations:
Fn + NumLock
Fn + ~ key (it’s the one before a 1 on most US keyboards)
Fn + Esc
Change the Fn behavior from the BIOS menu.
After you open the BIOS menu, go to Function Key Behavior.
Then select Function Key First (if it doesn't work, repeat and select Multimedia Key First).