How to Disable the Fn Key on a Laptop, Brand by Brand

Press Fn and Esc together. On most Lenovo, Dell, ASUS, Acer and MSI laptops that flips the top row between F1 to F12 and the volume and brightness icons. HP and Surface work differently, and each brand’s section below has its own shortcut and BIOS setting. Press F5 in a browser to check: if the page reloads, you have your F keys.

Nothing turns the Fn key itself off. It is a hardware modifier, so what people call disabling it means choosing which job the top row does by default. Windows cannot help much either: HP says the key is controlled by hardware, and Microsoft’s PowerToys Keyboard Manager says it cannot be remapped in most cases. Each setting below is the choice that makes F1 to F12 work without Fn, and the other option puts things back.

Do not trust the words “Fn Lock” either, since they mean opposite things by brand. Acer’s Fn Lock on gives you media keys, a ThinkPad’s Esc light on gives you standard F1 to F12, and MSI’s light varies by model. Go by what the keys do.

Lenovo

Press Fn+Esc. The light on the Esc key shows FnLock’s state, and on a ThinkPad a lit Esc means standard F1 to F12. On many IdeaPad and Legion models you can set the default in the BIOS instead:

1. Restart and press F2 repeatedly at the Lenovo logo. If the top row is in hotkey mode, that may be Fn+F2.
2. Go to Configuration > Hotkey Mode and press Enter.
3. Choose Disabled. The F keys then work directly, and Fn gets you the icons.
4. Select Exit > Exit Saving Changes.

Lenovo’s Vantage app also has keyboard settings, under Device > Input & Accessories.

HP

Fn+Esc is not the answer on an HP notebook: it normally opens the HP System Information window. The setting you want is Action Keys Mode, which is what HP’s support guide, “How to lock or unlock the fn (function) key”, uses on most models.

1. Shut the laptop down completely, then turn it on and tap F10 repeatedly until BIOS Setup opens.
2. Go to the System Configuration menu and select Action Keys Mode.
3. Choose Disabled. Fn is then needed for the icons, and F1 to F12 work on their own.
4. Press F10 to save, then restart.

A few business models differ. ProBook 440, 450 and 470 G5 and EliteBook 830, 840 and 850 G5 toggle with Fn and the left Shift key pressed together. ProBook 440, 450 and 470 G4, EliteBook Folio G1 and Fortis machines use Advanced > System Options > Launch Hotkeys without Fn Keypress. Older G1 business notebooks keep a Fn Key switch under Advanced > Device Configuration, which you reach by pressing Esc at start-up and then F10.

Dell

Press Fn+Esc, which Dell’s XPS manual gives as the way to turn off the media functions. Answers on Dell’s forum describe the shortcut as a temporary change, with the start-up default set in the BIOS. Press F2 at start-up to get there. The name depends on the model:

• Latitude, Vostro and some XPS: POST Behavior > Fn Lock Options. Tick Fn Lock and choose Lock Mode Standard for traditional F1 to F12. Dell’s Latitude note covers the same page.
• Other XPS and Inspiron models: Function Key Behavior, set to Function Key. On some Inspirons it sits on the Advanced tab.

An XPS 13 owner on Dell’s forum found those two lock labels swapped, so test the keys after you save. Some Dell laptops have a quicker route in Windows: press Windows+R, type mblctr and press Enter, then look for a Function Key Row tile in Mobility Center.

ASUS

Fn+Esc works where the Fn key has a small light in its upper right corner, which is how ASUS says to check. Without that light, your model has no such switch. ROG forum staff confirmed the Zephyrus G16 GU605MY is one of them.

The MyASUS app holds the same setting on laptops with ASUS System Control Interface V2 or later. Open MyASUS, go to Device Settings, then Input Device Settings, and find the Fn function key option. Choose F1-F12. On business laptops with ExpertWidget it is under Settings > General, where Standard Fn Key gives you the normal F keys. ASUS’s support pages list no BIOS setting for this.

Acer

Look at your Esc key. A small “fn” and a padlock mean Fn+Esc works, and Acer’s guide says Fn Lock off is the state where F1 to F12 act as function keys. Otherwise use the BIOS:

1. Press F2 repeatedly as the laptop powers on.
2. On the Main tab, arrow down to Function Key Behavior and press Enter.
3. Select Function Keys.
4. Press F10 and confirm with Yes.

Acer warns that many newer Aspire, Nitro and Predator laptops have a pared-down BIOS without this option, in which case the shortcut is all you have.

Microsoft Surface

Press Fn on its own. Its light comes on when the top row is locked into F1 to F12, and pressing Fn again unlocks it, as Microsoft’s Surface keyboard page explains. Microsoft also says some Surface devices let you change what the top row does in the Surface app: open the app, select your keyboard or laptop at the bottom, then choose Customize keyboard. Update the app if that option is missing. Microsoft Q&A volunteers report that consumer Surface models have no permanent Fn setting in the firmware.

MSI

Press Fn+Esc to switch between the quick launch functions and the normal F keys. The light on the Esc key shows the state, but MSI’s manuals disagree on which way round from one model to the next, so test it.

If your complaint is that Fn and the Windows key seem to have changed places, that is a separate setting. MSI’s key swap page puts it in MSI Center, under General Settings. You can also set it in the BIOS: press Del during start-up, open Advanced, and change Win/Fn Key Swap.

Getting into the BIOS without guessing the key

Windows can restart straight into the setup screen on any of these brands, which saves you hammering a key at start-up. In Windows 11, go to Settings > System > Recovery and choose Restart now next to Advanced startup. Then pick Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart. Microsoft’s own instructions give the same route.

Desktop keyboards with an F Lock key

On a separate keyboard, look for a key marked F Lock. Microsoft explains that on its keyboards the light on means standard F1 to F12, and the light off means the alternate commands. Its All in One Media Keyboard uses Fn and Caps Lock pressed together instead.

When your laptop has no setting at all

Some models offer neither a shortcut nor a BIOS option. You then hold Fn when you need an F key. PowerToys can remap F1 to F12 to something else, but it cannot change what Fn does, so it will not get you out of this.

A newer BIOS sometimes adds the missing option: one Acer Spin owner on Acer’s forum found it after updating, while others updated and found nothing. We would not update the BIOS just for this, because a failed flash can stop the laptop starting, and that is a poor trade for a nicer F5.