A keyboard is an input device that uses finger-sized buttons called keys to enter or manipulate data (text or numbers) on a computer or other device.
After all, what is a computer keyboard? You must have used a keyboard. Because if you have used a computer or a laptop, then the keyboard must have been used for your typing. But there will be many of you who do not have complete knowledge of the keyboard.
So today I thought, why not provide you with complete information about the type of keyboard so that all your doubts can be cleared? So then, without further ado, let’s start by knowing what a computer keyboard is called.
What is Computer Keyboard?
Keyboard is an input device. It is mainly used to enter commands, text, numerical data and other types of data in the computer. A user uses input devices such as computer keyboard and mouse to interact with the computer. After this the entered data is converted into machine language so that the CPU can understand the data and instructions coming from that input devices.
Full form of Computer Keyboard
K – Keys
E – Electronic
Y – Yet
B – Board
O – Operating
A – A to Z
R – Response
D – Directly
Types of Computer Keyboard
There are many different types of keyboard layouts which are manufactured according to the region and language. Today I am going to tell you about those types.
QWERTY: This layout is used the most in the world, and it has been named according to the first 6 letters, which you can see in the earlier top row. It is often used in all countries. It is used so much that many people think that this is the only type of keyboard available.
AZERTY: It has been developed in France, according to the other variations of the QWERTY layout, and it is also considered the standard French keyboard.
DVORAK: This layout is designed to reduce finger movement so that typing can be done faster and faster than on QWERTY and AZERTY keyboards.
If I talk about now, then the keyboards that are used at present are mostly “QWERTY” only.
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Computer keyboard button information
Many letters, numbers, symbols and commands are located in the shape of buttons, and the rightmost of them belong to some specific category. So if you happen to know which category the key belongs to, then you can easily know about its function.
Some keyboards have special keys, while some do not, but all keyboards have the same alphanumeric keys.
Alphanumeric Keys
All keyboards have a set of keys called alphanumeric keys. This term “alphanumeric” means either letters or numbers, but does not contain symbols or command keys. These number keys are present in two different parts of the keyboard:
One above these letters and the other on the right of these letters. These number keys, which appear above the letters, are double symbol keys. If you press the Shift button and hold the number, then whatever symbol is in that number key will be typed. On the top row of the keyboard, there are letters such as “Q, W, E, R, T, and Y“. That’s why the keypads on smartphones are called QWERTY Keypads.
Punctuation Keys
Punctuation keys are called those which relate to the punctuation marks. For example, “comma key,” “question mark key,” “colon key,” and “period key.” All these keys are located on the right side of the letter keys. Like the number keys, if you hold the punctuation key and press shift, then you can use another function.
Navigation Keys
On the keyboard, the navigation keys are visible between the letter keys and the numbers keys. They are also on the right side of the keyboard. Navigation keys mainly have four arrows: up, down, right, and left. These keys move the cursor like a mouse on the display screen. With this, you can use these navigation keys to scroll through the website’s history.
Command Keys and Special Keys
Command keys are called keys that give commands such as “delete,” “return,” and “enter.” It depends on your keyboard whether special keys are present in it or not. For example, to turn the volume up and down, to move the videos back and forth, etc. Other special keys are “caps lock key,” “shift key” and “tab key.”
Shortcut keys of Computer Keyboard
Ctrl + A is used to select all the content of the page.
Ctrl + C is used to copy the selected text.
Ctrl + N opens a new blank document in the opened software.
Ctrl + O is used to open a new file.
Ctrl + P is used to print the open page of the document.
Ctrl + S Use this shortcut to save the document.
Ctrl + U underline the selected text.
Ctrl + V pastes the copied item.
Ctrl + X removes the selected text or simply cuts it.
Ctrl + Y Repeats the previous action.
Ctrl + Z is used to reverse (undo) its last action.
Ctrl + D bookmarks the open page in the Internet browser.
Ctrl + F Opens the find box on the open document.
Ctrl + I converts the selected text into italics font.
Ctrl + K is used to insert a hyperlink in the selected text.
Alt + F opens the file menu option in the opened program.
Alt + E opens the option of edit menu in the opened program.
Alt + F4 closes the opened program.
Alt + Tab can switch the different applications or programs that are opened.
Ctrl + End reaches the end of the opened document.
Ctrl + Del deletes the selected item.
Ctrl + Ins copies the selected item.
Ctrl + Home reaches the beginning of the opened document.
Ctrl + (Left arrow) Moves one word at a time to the left.
Ctrl + (Right arrow) Moves one word at a time to the right.
Shift + Ins pastes the copied item.
Shift + Home highlights from the current position of the cursor to the beginning of the line.
Shift + End Highlights the cursor from the current position to the end of the line.
Ctrl + Shift + Esc opens the task manager of the window.
Types of Keys of Computer Keyboard
Here, I will inform you about the different types of keys located on the computer keyboard and will also tell you about their use. On a normal keyboard, the keys are divided into the following six categories on the basis of function: whose description is something like this.
#1 Typing Keys
These keys are used the most. These keys include both types of keys (alphabet and numbers); they are collectively called alphanumeric keys. Typing keys also include all kinds of symbols and punctuation marks.
#2 Function Keys
Function keys are at the top of the computer keyboard. They are written on the keyboard from F1 to F12. Function keys are used to perform a particular task. They have different functions in each program.
#3 Control Keys
These keys are used alone or with other keys to perform a certain task. On a normal keyboard, most of the Ctrl keys, Alt keys, Window keys, and Esc keys are used as control keys. Apart from these, keys like Menu key, Scroll key, Pause Break key, PrtScr key, etc. are also included in the control keys.
#4 Numeric Keypad
We can also call them calculator keys because a numeric keypad has almost the same number of keys as a calculator. They are used to writing numbers.
#5 Navigation Keys
Navigation keys have keys like Arrow keys, Home, End, Insert, Page Up, Delete, Page Down, etc. They are used to move around in a document, webpage, etc.
#6 Indicator Lights
There are three types of indicator lights on the keyboard. Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps Lock. When the first light is on in the keyboard, it means that the numeric keypad is on, and if it is off, it means that the numeric keypad is turned off. Second, the light tells us about the uppercase and lowercase of letters.
When it is turned off, the letter is in lowercase, and when it is on, the letter is in uppercase. The third, which is known as Scroll Lock. It prompts us about scrolling.
How many buttons are on the computer keyboard?
Key/Symbol Explanation
WindowsPC keyboards have a Windows key that looks like a four-pane window.
CommandApple Mac computers have a command key.
MenuPC keyboards also have a Menu key that looks like a cursor pointing to a menu.
EscEsc (Escape) key
F1 – F12Information about the F1 through F12 keyboard keys.
F13 – F24Information about the F13 through F24 keyboard keys.
TabTab key
Caps lockCaps lock key
ShiftShift key
CtrlCtrl (Control) key
FnFn (Function) key
AltAlt (Alternate) key (PC Only; Mac users have Option key)
SpacebarSpacebar key
ArrowsUp Down Left Right Arrow keys
Back SpaceBack space (or Backspace) key
DeleteDelete or Del key
EnterEnter key
Prt ScrnPrint screen key
Scroll lockScroll lock key
PausePause key
BreakBreak key
InsertInsert key
HomeHome key
Page upPage up or pg up key
Page downPage down or pg dn key
EndEnd key
Num LockNum Lock key
~Tilde
`Acute Back quote grave grave accent left quote open quote or a push
!Exclamation mark Exclamation point or Bang
@Ampersat Arobase Asperand At or At symbol
#Octothorpe Number Pound sharp or Hash
£Pounds Sterling or Pound symbol
€Euro
$Dollar sign or generic currency
¢Cent sign
¥Chinese/Japenese Yuan
§Micro or Section
%Percent
°Degree
^Caret or Circumflex
&Ampersand Epershand or And
*Asterisk mathematical multiplication symbol and sometimes referred to as star.
(Open parenthesis
)Close parenthesis
–Hyphen Minus or Dash
_Underscore
+Plus
=Equal
{Open Brace squiggly brackets or curly bracket
}Close Brace squiggly brackets or curly bracket
[Open bracket
]Closed bracket
|Pipe Or or Vertical bar
\Backslash or Reverse Solidus
/Forward slash Solidus Virgule Whack and mathematical division symbol
:Colon
;Semicolon
“Quote Quotation mark or Inverted commas
‘Apostrophe or Single Quote
<Less Than or Angle brackets
>Greater Than or Angle brackets
,Comma
.Period dot or Full Stop
?Question Mark
Keyboard all keys detailsFinal Words
I sincerely hope that I have given you complete information about what a computer keyboard is and I hope you people have understood how many buttons are on the keyboard.
We request all of you readers to also share this information with your neighbors, relatives, and friends, so that there will be awareness among us and everyone will benefit a lot from it. I need your cooperation so that I can pass more new information to you guys.
How many keys in computer keyboard?There have been many different manufacturers over the years, so the number of keys varies from model to model. Most companies use the computer keyboard with a total of 104 alphanumeric keys as a de facto standard.
Original IBM PC Keyboard (1981) – 83 keys
Updated IBM PC Keyboard (1984) – 84 keys
AT Keyboard – 84 keys
AT Enhanced Keyboard – 101 keys
US Traditional Keyboard – 101 keys
Enhanced European Keyboard – 102 keys
Windows Keyboard – 104 keys
Windows-based Laptop Keyboard – 86 keys
Windows-based multimedia Keyboard – varies by how many special keys are present
Press ALT +F4 and then Enter to shut down computer.
Who invented computer keyboard?Christopher Latham Sholes and Samuel W were an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard.
How to restart computer with keyboard?Press “Ctrl + Alt + Del”
How many keys are in Numeric Keypad?Most desktop computer keyboards have a numeric keypad, and if you count all the numbers and symbols, it has 17 keys, while Apple keyboards have 18 keys. Due to the small screen of laptops, they usually do not have a numeric keypad.
How many symbols are there in the keyboard?An English QWERTY keyboard has about 40 symbols (e.g., @, #, $, and % which are not letters and numbers) over 28 keys. This difference is because some keys have more than two symbols.
