Why do keyboards have a num lock

Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Updated on May 25, Tweet Share Email. Laptop keyboards vary and may have different configurations. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Email Address Sign up There was an error.

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Software Engineering. Web Technology. Cyber Security. C Programming. In Apple computers, the num lock is known as the clear key, and it has a slightly different purpose. Clear keys are used in full-size keyboards that have separate numeric keys and are commonly used for numeric inputs and not for cursor control.

As keyboard sizes have grown and became able to accommodate separate numeric keypads and arrow keys, the need for the num lock has decreased, but they are still included in most modern keyboards for convenience and simply because people are used to having that function.

However, on certain keyboards, especially laptop keyboards, the num lock key has been replaced with a combination key. By: Justin Stoltzfus Contributor, Reviewer. By: Satish Balakrishnan. Dictionary Dictionary Term of the Day.

Gorilla Glass. Techopedia Terms. If you have a laptop with a numeric pad, the Num Lock key is in the same location as the keyboard shown above. However, most laptop keyboards do not have a numeric pad to help keep the laptop more compact. Laptops without a numeric keypad have a Num Lock key on another key around the Backspace key as shown in the picture. If a laptop uses two keys as one key, you must press the Fn key with the second key you want to use.

In our example picture, the Scr Lk, Pause, and Break are all blue and a different color than the other keys. To use these keys, press the Fn key and the key with the blue text you want to use. With PC laptops there's no standard placement for the Num Lock. Your laptop may not have the same configuration as shown in the picture.

However, all PCs follow the same steps mentioned above. Once the Num Lock key is pressed, it stays on until it is pressed again. Some smaller keyboards, such as those that are on a laptop, don't have a Num Lock key.