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wakalixes

updated

9 years ago

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wakalixes

5 Posts

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19728

July 10th, 2017 19:00

XPS 13 9360 - Swap Fn and Ctrl keys?

Hi Forum,

New XPS 13 owner here a little frustrated by the keyboard.

I can't find any way in the BIOS to swap Fn and Ctrl keys.  I can't seem to do it in Linux either, because the Fn key appears to be invisible to the OS.  For example, if I run xev and press the Fn key, nothing happens.

The reason I want to do this is that I keep hitting Fn-C instead of Ctrl-C.  The left Ctrl and C keys are further apart on the XPS 13 keyboard than they are on a desktop keyboard!

Do any of you guys have any suggestions?  

  • wakalixes

    5 Posts

    16904

    4

    Posted July 11th, 2017 22:00

    I have convinced myself that remapping Fn to Ctrl and left Ctrl to Fn is impossible unless Dell releases a BIOS update that allows for it.

    I cannot be the only person to want this.

    Dell, is it possible that a Fn/Ctrl key swap feature could be added to the BIOS?

  • 16904

    0

    Posted August 17th, 2017 10:00

    You are not the only one that wants this!

    I hate that I have to use both my hands to use my Home/PgUp/PgDown/End keys. Such a nuisance. There's got to be a registry hack that someone knows...

  • 17177

    2

    Posted February 13th, 2018 13:00

    Press Fn + Esc. This toggles the Fn-Lock. See also https://askubuntu.com/questions/88063/how-to-invert-fn-keys-on-dell-laptop.

  • KeithAC

    3 Posts

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    Posted February 14th, 2018 01:00

    @ichbindannmalwegmann wrote:

    Press Fn + Esc. This toggles the Fn-Lock. See also https://askubuntu.com/questions/88063/how-to-invert-fn-keys-on-dell-laptop.


    This has nothing to do with the question, which is about putting the Ctrl and Fn keys where they should be, not where Dell has placed them. It's particularly annoying if you want to do a Ctrl-Shift combination, which on sensible keyboards is a middle and ring finger combination, where they line up sensibly. On the Dell laptop, it is really awkward with the keys being above each other. If the Dell were the only keyboard I had ever used, I would probably get used to it, but it isn't and it is hard to unlearn several decades of use, and remember to swap between this aberrant behaviour and normal whenever I use a different PC, which I do for work.

  • thekeymon

    2 Posts

    16864

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    Posted April 8th, 2018 09:00

    You are not alone, I also want this! 

  • thoughton

    7 Posts

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    Posted June 3rd, 2018 13:00

    I would also very much like an option for this in the bios, albeit in my case for the 9370.

  • kaiwk

    1 Message

    16055

    3

    Posted July 18th, 2018 19:00

    Yes, I want this very much! That's why I buy Thinkpad X1 instead of Dell XPS too.

    I think Ctrl is very frequently pressed, but Fn is not, so, clearly Ctrl should be easily pressed by little finger.

    I registered this account just for this.

  • Marc245

    1 Message

    15827

    0

    Posted August 8th, 2018 11:00

    Same story on the XPS 15. Why on earth are there no dedicated keys for Home/End/PgUp/PgDn? It is such a pain to not have them. They are probably the most used keys after arrows, enter and space. Btw Enter is so narrow too... And still there is plenty of space left all around the keyboard, so why? Why?

    Anyway, I would very *very* much like to be able to use the right ctrl key (the one next to the arrows) as Fn key so that I can type Home/End/PgUp/PgDn single-handedly and somewhat go around this serious omission.

  • fredw1

    1 Message

    15273

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    Posted September 24th, 2018 10:00

    I'm also not happy. On most keyboards, and on an external with the XPS, Ctrl+Home goes to the top (beginning) of a document. Likewise, everywhere except with the XPS keyboard, the Page Up and Page Down keys work without another key being pressed. Without the Fcn key, they move three lines at a time. 

  • kytosai

    2 Posts

    2818

    3

    Posted August 8th, 2019 08:00

    I want this feature. Dell please add setting swap fn and ctrl key