IBM PC keyboard

*{{key press|[[Delete key|Delete]]}} deletes the character after the cursor, or the selected items.

*{{key press|[[Delete key|Delete]]}} deletes the character after the cursor, or the selected items.

*{{key press|[[Insert key|Insert]]}} originally toggled between text insertion and overwrite modes. Importantly, it is involved along with Ctrl and Shift keys in keyboard shortcuts for copy ({{key|Ctrl|Insert}}) and paste ({{key|Shift|Insert}}) according to the [[IBM CUA]] user interface guidelines; the IBM CUA shortcuts are still widely supported by most current PC operating systems, and many PC users who learned those shortcuts between the late 1980s and the early 1990s may still find them more natural, convenient, or ergonomic than their "modern" Ctrl+X/C/V counterparts, given the close proximity of the Ctrl, Shift and Insert keys to the cursor movement keys. This particular role of the Insert key is often overlooked by modern-times documentation, if not hardware design, which tend to attribute to "Insert" only its more obvious, but much less frequently used and somewhat obsolete, original function.

*{{key press|[[Insert key|Insert]]}} originally toggled between text insertion and overwrite modes. Importantly, it is involved along with Ctrl and Shift keys in keyboard shortcuts for copy ({{key|Ctrl|Insert}}) and paste ({{key|Shift|Insert}}) according to the [[IBM CUA]] user interface guidelines; the IBM CUA shortcuts are still widely supported by most current PC operating systems, and many PC users who learned those shortcuts between the late 1980s and the early 1990s may still find them more natural, convenient, or ergonomic than their "modern" Ctrl+X/C/V counterparts, given the close proximity of the Ctrl, Shift and Insert keys to the cursor movement keys. This particular role of the Insert key is often overlooked by modern-times documentation, if not hardware design, which tend to attribute to "Insert" only its more obvious, but much less frequently used and somewhat obsolete, original function.

*{{key press|[[Print Screen]]}} originally printed a text image of the screen. (On modern computers, {{key|Ctrl|Print Screen}} usually takes a screenshot.) With the Alt key, it switched to [[SysRq]], a different keycode.

*{{key press|[[Print Screen]]}} originally printed a text image of the screen. (On modern computers, {{key|Ctrl|Print Screen}} usually takes a screenshot.) With the Alt key, it switched to {{key|[[SysRq]]}}, a different keycode.

*{{key press|[[Num Lock]]}} toggles the state of the [[numeric keypad]]. When off, the keypad acts as arrow and navigational keys. When on, it is a 10-key number pad similar to a standard calculator. Preferences vary so much that a favorite default for this key can often be configured in the BIOS. The key continues to exist on keyboards with separate arrow keys to accommodate those who still prefer the toggleable keypad.

*{{key press|[[Num Lock]]}} toggles the state of the [[numeric keypad]]. When off, the keypad acts as arrow and navigational keys. When on, it is a 10-key number pad similar to a standard calculator. Preferences vary so much that a favorite default for this key can often be configured in the BIOS. The key continues to exist on keyboards with separate arrow keys to accommodate those who still prefer the toggleable keypad.

*{{key press|[[Scroll Lock]]}} is little-used. IBM documentation described it as "inactive", and the key's purpose was a mystery even to keyboard manufacturers.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vy3cBZkjbZgC&pg=RA2-PA347 | title=Key Tronic's Soft Touch | work=PC Magazine | date=January 1983 | access-date=21 October 2013 | author=Sandler, Corey | pages=347}} In modern software, typing text usually causes previous text to scroll off the top of the screen or window. Some old programs could disable this and restart at the top of the window when scroll lock was pressed. The advantage is that the entire screenful of text does not shift, making it easier to read. Scroll Lock was also used to lock the cursor on its line and scroll the work area under it. In spreadsheets such as [[Microsoft Excel]], it locks the cell pointer on the current cell, allowing the user to use the arrow keys to move the view window without moving the cell pointer. On some consoles (such as the [[Linux console]]), it prevents scrolling of messages until another key combination is pressed. Many hardware [[kvm switch|KVM switches]] use Scroll Lock to switch between the devices they control.

*{{key press|[[Scroll Lock]]}} is little-used. IBM documentation described it as "inactive", and the key's purpose was a mystery even to keyboard manufacturers.{{cite news | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vy3cBZkjbZgC&pg=RA2-PA347 | title=Key Tronic's Soft Touch | work=PC Magazine | date=January 1983 | access-date=21 October 2013 | author=Sandler, Corey | pages=347}} In modern software, typing text usually causes previous text to scroll off the top of the screen or window. Some old programs could disable this and restart at the top of the window when scroll lock was pressed. The advantage is that the entire screenful of text does not shift, making it easier to read. Scroll Lock was also used to lock the cursor on its line and scroll the work area under it. In spreadsheets such as [[Microsoft Excel]], it locks the cell pointer on the current cell, allowing the user to use the arrow keys to move the view window without moving the cell pointer. On some consoles (such as the [[Linux console]]), it prevents scrolling of messages until another key combination is pressed. Many hardware [[kvm switch|KVM switches]] use Scroll Lock to switch between the devices they control.