The Fn button on a laptop, in combination with other keys, allows you to quickly perform some actions: change the screen brightness, turn on / off wireless modules, etc. Therefore, if Fn does not work on your laptop keyboard, then it must be turned on. This can be done in several ways, including changing BIOS settings, as well as installing drivers and special utilities.
Enabling Fn
Most often, the Fn key on a laptop does not need to be turned on, as it works by default. However, on some laptop models, to activate the Function button, you must press the Fn + NumLock combination, after which other hotkey combinations will become available.
Instead of Fn + Num Lock, you can use the Fn + Esc combination (if a small lock is drawn on the Esc key) or the special FnLock button.
BIOS setup
If the Fn + Num Lock combination or other combinations on the keyboard do not enable the Function button, try making it work through the BIOS.
To enable an option, step on it using the arrows on your keyboard and press Enter. Select "Enabled".
Installing the software
If the laptop has an unlicensed system, you allowed Windows to install the drivers on its own, or you used the Driver Pack, then try downloading and installing the hotkey software from the official website of the laptop manufacturer. Let's see what needs to be done using the ASUS laptop as an example.
For ASUS, these are ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities. Vaio Control Center and Sony Shared Library applications have been developed for Sony laptops, Easy Display Manager will be running on Samsung, and Hotkey Utility on Toshiba.
If the laptop is running Windows 10 and there are no drivers for the Fn button on it, then select Windows 8 with the appropriate bit depth and download the software for the previous version of the system. After installing the drivers, the function key should work. 
If there is nothing on the official website, try using the universal utility Magic Keyboard. It fits almost all laptop computers. But the priority should be "native" software.
Keyboard test
If you spill liquid on the keyboard, or if it was subjected to mechanical shock from being dropped or bumped, the Fn button may not work due to physical damage. In principle, you can diagnose and try to fix the problem at home. Each button on the laptop keyboard sits in a separate slot. Using a small screwdriver, you can gently remove the button, clean the socket and put the button back in place. 
However, one must be careful with mechanical intervention. If you are worried about damaging the keyboard, contact the service center. But before taking the laptop to the specialists, be sure to check all the software ways to enable the Function button, because it would be foolish to go to the service just because you forgot to unlock the Fn key with some simple combination, which is written about in the laptop operating instructions.
Acer laptop keyboard key assignments, about this and not only, today I will tell you on the blog for novice users.
Hello everyone! I decided to devote this small article to another popular on the open spaces of the Russian net laptop Acer... It all started with the fact that Yandex quite often began to "throw" "foreign" visitors to me.
The visitor was interested in the answer to the question Acer laptop keyboard, and he with enviable persistence sends them to the article keyboard and. So on the first day of 2015, I decided to fix his mistake.
Moreover, my sister uses exactly Acer laptop, with whom I often have to "communicate" in cases of his refusal.
So I'll probably start with photo of the Aser keyboard itself, because the location of some service and additional keys is not in the usual place.
Acer laptop key assignments
Below is a transcript of the so-called "Shortcut keys" of the Acer laptop:
Fn + F1-Shows help shortcut keys;
Fn + F2-Acer eSetting;
Fn + F3-Acer ePower Management;
Fn + F4-Standby mode;
Fn + F5- display switch (to display or external monitor);
Fn + F6-shutdown the screen to save power;
Fn + F7-enable off tachpad (touch panel);
Fn + F8-enable to turn off the built-in laptop speaker;
Fn +-increase the sound level;
Fn + ↓- decrease in sound level;
Fn + →-increase the brightness of the screen;
Fn + ←-decrease the brightness of the screen;
Acer laptop tachpad problems
If you have problems with acer laptop touchpad, then first of all you need to update the driver, and then enable it using the Fn + 7 keyboard shortcut.
In case of refusal of "additional buttons", you should install applications to work with them. It's called Acer Launch Manager, and you can do this on the website of the laptop manufacturer.
To do this, simply:
- go to the Acer.ru website:
- then we find -> Support -> Drivers and manuals;
- choose the required laptop model;
- the version of the installed OS;
- open the Applications section and load the required program.
You can also try disconnecting the laptop battery for a few minutes, then reconnecting and restarting.
And on this positive note, my story Acer laptop keyboard key mapping finished.
And if you are interested in a topic, then this can be done simply by clicking on the link.
Few laptops boast large, full-size keyboards, especially with a number of extra function keys. Most often, laptop designers, in order to save space, place additional function keys on the F1-F12 line and add an FN button so that users can use them. It is difficult to work with a laptop without these function keys, since they allow you to quickly increase / decrease the brightness, increase / decrease the sound and perform other necessary actions.
Many users, after reinstalling the Windows operating system and in other situations, have to face the problem when the FN button does not work. Accordingly, the ability to control the function keys is lost, which directly affects the convenience of using the computer. As part of this article, we will look at what to do if the FN button does not work on the keyboard.
Why doesn't the FN button on the keyboard work?
If we exclude the possibility that the FN button does not work due to a mechanical failure, we can assume two possibilities - problems with Windows or problems with BIOS. The most common causes of failure are as follows:
There are a huge number of laptops on the market from various manufacturers. The solution to the problem with a non-working FN key will differ for different laptops. Below in the article, we will provide the basic algorithms of actions that will help fix the situation on laptops of popular brands.
FN button not working on Lenovo laptop
One of the most popular laptop brands in the world is Lenovo. If the FN key does not work on one of the computer models of this brand, you need to go to the official website of the developers in the drivers section and download the necessary software. Since Lenovo produces a huge number of products and their website is rather complex, we recommend that you enter the query "your laptop model + drivers" in the search engine. One of the first will be a link to the official Lenovo resource in the section with drivers.
One feature of Lenovo drivers is worth noting. A large number of them are presented on the company's website, while it is not always clear which set should be downloaded for a particular laptop model. Let's take a short tour of the available sets:
It is worth noting that Lenovo laptop owners often complain about a problem when only the keyboard shortcuts for turning Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on / off do not work. In such a situation, you need to separately download drivers for wireless networks, which can also be found on the official Lenovo website.
If the problem is not related to Windows and the drivers for the operating system, then you need to check the BIOS settings. Depending on the laptop model, you will find the options "HotKey Mode" or "Fn and Ctrl Key Swap" in the BIOS.
FN button not working on Asus laptop
If the FN key does not work on an Asus laptop, it means that the necessary drivers are not installed on the computer or changes have been made to startup. For the FN key to work, 2 conditions must be met:
Most often, Asus laptops lack settings in the BIOS that allow you to enable / disable or change the operation of the FN key.
FN button not working on Acer laptop
Acer boasts an extremely user-friendly and pleasant website that allows you to easily find the required set of drivers for a specific laptop model. To do this, you need to go to the site, in the "Select device" section, indicate the exact modification number of your laptop and select the version of the operating system (pay attention to the bit depth). Next, a list of available drivers will appear.
For the FN key to work, a set of drivers for the chipset must be installed, and you must also start the installation of the Launch Manager application (located in the Application section). If that doesn't fix the problem with the FN key not working, also download and install Acer Power Manager.
Please note: After installing Launch Manager, the program will start automatically when your computer boots. If you remove it from startup, then the FN buttons may not work.
FN button not working on HP laptop
To find drivers for a specific HP laptop model, you need to do the following:
After installing all required applications, restart your computer and check if the FN key is working properly.
It is worth noting that the BIOS in HP notebooks provides the ability to customize the FN key. The user can set the option that the FN button will always be pressed, that is, the F1-F12 keys will work if you press FN, and the function buttons without holding FN. This is configured in the "System Configuration" section by item "Action Keys Mode". 
FN button not working on a Dell laptop
If a Dell laptop user encounters an issue with a non-functional FN key, they also need to install a set of drivers that the function key depends on. From the official Dell website, you will need to download and install the following applications: Dell Foundation Services - Application, Dell QuickSet Application and Dell Power Manager Lite Application.
Please note that if the FN key issue in question occurs on a laptop running one of the older Windows operating systems (such as Vista or XP), then you will also need to download and install the Dell Function Keys application.
All the drivers listed above must be loaded for a specific laptop model in the correct version of the operating system. This will require:
Also, problems with the FN key on Dell laptops can be due to incorrect BIOS settings. The situation here is similar to HP laptops, that is, you can change it, you need to press the FN key to use F1-F12 or multimedia buttons. This setting is located in the "Advanced" section of the BIOS and is called "Function key Behavior". 
FN button not working on Sony laptop
Sony Vaio laptops are also prone to an issue where the FN button stops working due to incorrect (or not installed) drivers. The problem with finding drivers for laptop computers of the Japanese company is related to the fact that Sony Vaio is no longer officially produced. However, the Sony website retained all the software necessary to keep the company's computers in working order.
The fn (Function) function key on a laptop in combination with the f1 - f12 buttons activates a specific action: increase or decrease the screen brightness, sound volume, switch to standby mode, or lock the keyboard. This is not the entire list of possible actions that can not only simplify the workflow, but also interfere with the user. The shortcut key combination for each individual device depends on the laptop model. The only thing where there is no limiting difference is the principle of their work, activation and deactivation.
How do I disable the fn button?
You don't need to have tremendous programming knowledge to know how to work with the fn button. It is enough to follow the instructions of the instructions and follow its points in the given order:
- Press the power button to turn on the laptop.
- Press the F10 or Esc key to launch the BIOS application. Initially, the installation update procedure should be carried out.
- Open the System Configuration tab using the left and right direction arrows.
- Go to the tab of the mode of functional buttons "Action Keys Mode".
- Activate the menu with the enter button.
- Select the disable mode Disabled.
- Press the F10 key to save the changes and start the laptop reboot process.
After disabling the fn mode on the laptop, pressing the f1 - f12 keys will provoke the execution of the functions that were originally assigned to them. To access the multimedia settings, press and hold the fn combination with the desired f1 - f12 button.
How do I enable the fn button?
In order for the fn button on the laptop to perform its intended purpose, it is necessary to do all the above instructions, but only instead of the Disabled mode in the Action Keys Mode tab, activate Enabled.
Some laptop models have the Fn + NumLock hotkey combination. Pressing these buttons at the same time will deactivate Function, reapplying them will turn fn back on.
In the case when the methods described by us do not work, it is advisable to resort to downloading specially developed programs and installing certain utilities (drivers). For example, the Easy Display Manager software, which is freely available on the Internet, will tell you how to disable fn on a Samsung laptop. As a rule, it is also included on the installation disc that came with the laptop. Sony computers require Setting Utility Reries, Sone Shared Library or Vaio Event Service software. The universal Magic Keyboard software is also suitable for many laptops.
Most laptops have a separate Fn key, which, in combination with the keys in the top row of the keyboard (F1 - F12), usually performs laptop-specific actions (turning Wi-Fi on and off, changing the screen brightness, etc.), or, conversely, without it. pressings work these actions, and pressing - the functions of the F1-F12 keys. A common problem for laptop owners, especially after updating the system or manually installing Windows 10, 8 and Windows 7, is that the Fn key does not work.
In this manual, in detail about the common reasons why the Fn key may not work, as well as about ways to fix this situation in Windows for common brands of laptops - Asus, HP, Acer, Lenovo, Dell and, most interestingly, Sony Vaio (if you are some other brand, you can ask a question in the comments, I think I can help).
Reasons why the Fn key does not work on a laptop
To begin with - about the main reasons why Fn may not function on a laptop keyboard. As a rule, they encounter a problem after installing Windows (or reinstalling), but not always - the same situation may arise after disabling programs at startup or after some BIOS settings (UEFI).
In the overwhelming majority of cases, the situation with a non-working Fn is caused by the following reasons
- There are no specific drivers and software from the laptop manufacturer for the function keys to work - especially if you reinstalled Windows and then used the driver pack to install the drivers. It is also possible that there are drivers, for example, only for Windows 7, and you have installed Windows 10 (possible solutions will be described in the section on troubleshooting).
- The Fn key requires the manufacturer's utility to be running, but this program has been removed from Windows startup.
- The behavior of the Fn key has been changed in the BIOS (UEFI) of the laptop - some laptops allow you to change the Fn settings in the BIOS, they can also change when you reset the BIOS.
Most often, point 1 is the cause, but then we will consider all the options for each of the above brands of laptops and possible scenarios for fixing the problem.
The Fn key on an Asus laptop
A set of software and drivers ATKPackage - ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities, available for download on the official Asus website, is responsible for the operation of the Fn key on Asus laptops. In this case, in addition to the installed components, the hcontrol.exe utility should be in the startup (added to startup automatically when installing ATKPackage).
How to download Fn key and function key drivers for Asus laptop
After that, you may need to restart the laptop and, if everything went well, you will see that the Fn key on your laptop is working. If something went wrong, below is a section on typical problems when fixing broken function keys.
HP Laptops
For full operation of the Fn key and its associated function keys in the top row on HP Pavilion and other HP notebooks, the following components are required from the official website
- HP Software Framework, HP On-Screen Display, and HP Quick Launch from Software Solutions.
- HP Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Support Tools from Utility - Tools.
However, for a specific model, some of the above items may be missing.
To download the necessary software for your HP laptop, search the Internet for "Your_Laptop_model support" - usually the first result is the official page on support.hp.com for your laptop model, where in the "Software and drivers" section, just click "Go" , and then select the version of the operating system (if yours is not in the list, select the closest one in chronology, the bit depth must be the same) and download the necessary drivers.
Additionally: in BIOS on Asus laptops, there may be an item to change the behavior of the Fn key. Located in the "System Configuration" section, the Action Keys Mode item - if Disabled, then the function keys are triggered only when Fn is pressed, if Enabled, then without pressing (but to use F1-F12, you need to press Fn).
