What to do fn does not work. Fn does not work on a laptop: causes and all ways to solve the problem

fn on the keyboard of any laptop, including devices from ASUS, plays an important role, allowing you to control additional features using the function keys. In case of failure of this key, we have prepared this manual.

Most often, the main cause of problems with the key fn is a recent reinstallation of the operating system. However, in addition to this, there may be failures in the operation of drivers or physical damage to the buttons and the keyboard as a whole.

Reason 1: Disabling Keys

In most cases, on ASUS laptops, the function keys are turned on and off by using the following combinations:

• Fn + Num Lock;
• Fn+Insert;
• Fn + Esc.

Try to use the indicated keyboard shortcuts, at the same time checking the performance fn.

Reason 2: BIOS settings

In the case of ASUS laptops, you cannot disable or enable the function keys through the BIOS, but you can configure their operation. If you have a laptop fn does not work correctly, our instructions may well help.

After the done actions, the key fn will become mandatory when accessing the function keys of the laptop. If the described actions did not bring the expected result, you can proceed to the following causes of the malfunction.

Reason 3: Lack of drivers

Most often, the main reason for the inoperability of a key fn on an ASUS laptop is the lack of suitable drivers. This may be due to the installation of an unsupported operating system, or a system failure.

1. Click on the link provided and on the page that opens, enter the model of your laptop in the text field. You can find this information in several ways.



2. From the list of results in a block Product click on the found device.



3. Use the menu to switch to the tab "Drivers and Utilities".



4. From the list "Specify OS" select the appropriate system version. If the OS is not in the list, specify a different version, but the same bitness.



5. Scroll down the list to the block "ATK" and if necessary, click on the link "Show all".



6. Next to the latest version of the package "ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities" press the button "Download" and save the archive on your laptop.



7. Next, install the driver automatically, after unzipping the files.
   

   Note: On our website you can find instructions for installing drivers for specific models of ASUS laptops and more.

In a situation with drivers from another system, there should be no errors. Otherwise, try installing the package in compatibility mode.

ASUS Smart Gestures

Additionally, you can download and install the driver ASUS Smart Gestures in the same section on the official ASUS website.

Now it remains only to restart the laptop and check the performance fn.

Reason 4: Physical breakdown

If none of the sections of this manual helped you to fix the problem, the cause of the malfunction may be a broken keyboard or specific keys. fn. In this case, you can resort to cleaning and checking the connection contacts.

Fatal injuries are also possible, for example due to physical impact. The problem can be solved only by completely replacing the keyboard with a new one, depending on the laptop model.

It would seem that the laptop keyboard is no different from the keyboard of a regular PC. However, there is a certain difference: only on this compact device there is an Fn button. It exists to improve user efficiency. Fn helps you quickly turn on bluetooth, Wi-Fi, send mail, change screen brightness, volume level, etc. If the Fn key does not work on a laptop, this significantly “cuts down” the user's capabilities.

Enabling the Fn key opens up a ton of options for the user

Location

The Fn button on almost all devices is located in the lower left corner of the keyboard. This key has long taken its permanent place on the devices of various world-famous brands of technology. It is located before or after the Ctrl button. As practice shows, such placement of a key for users is very convenient.

How it works and what "Fn" means

"Function" - it is from this word that the name of the key we are interested in comes from. With its help, you can perform many operations, but in combination with other buttons. They are called shortcut buttons. The key combination is different for each specific model, but the principle of their operation is the same. For example, on a Lenovo laptop, the Fn button can give the following results:

• Fn + right arrow / left arrow - change the volume;
• Fn+Insert - option to disable or enable Scroll Lock;
• Fn + F6 - connect a laptop mouse (touchpad);
• Fn + F5 - turn on bluetooth;
• Fn + F4 - change the monitor extension;
• Fn + F3 - used when working with the projector; this combination makes it possible to switch the monitor display to the projector;
• Fn + F2 - option to turn off / on the monitor;
• Fn+F1 - sleep mode;
• Fn + down / up arrow - decrease or increase the brightness of the monitor;
• Fn + F12 - track back;
• Fn + F11 - track forward;
• Fn + F10 - stop in the media player;
• Fn+F9 - pause/resume;
• Fn + Home - (works in media files) - pause.

By learning these combinations, you can get the most out of your laptop keyboard without even using a mouse.

Disable/Enable Fn

Usually the button is activated when you press NumLock + Fn, but this does not always work. Often, to enable the Fn button on a laptop, you have to delve into the BIOS.

Using BIOS

There is nothing complicated here, the procedure looks like this:

1. Go into the BIOS (you must press Esc, F2 or Del at the time of device startup).
2. Go to Setup Utility.
3. Find the System Configuration menu.
4. Enable the Fn option (Action Keys Mode tab).

Driver installation

The most effective way to enable the Fn key is to check the keyboard drivers. When installing a "broken" OS for individual components of a laptop, the wrong "firewood" is often installed. Experienced experts recommend downloading drivers only from the official pages of manufacturing companies. On official resources, you can easily find Fn key drivers for HP, Sony, LG, Lenovo, Acer, DNS, Toshiba, Dell and many others.

Using utilities

Sometimes no changes occur even after following the recommendations described here. In this case, special utilities can help. You can find a lot of programs on the network to enable the Fn key, many of them are provided for free.

So, for Sony devices, the Vaio Control Center and Sony Shared Library utilities have been developed, for Samsung devices, Easy Display Manager is ideal (usually this program is supplied on a disk in one kit with the purchased equipment). On a Toshiba laptop, it is better to install the Flash Cards Support Utility or Hotkey Utility.

There is also universal software, thanks to which the Fn button will turn on on any device - this is the Magic Keyboard utility.

Nothing helped? Clean your keyboard!

Perhaps the problem is mechanical damage to the keyboard. Liquid could spill on it (most often it is coffee or tea) or dust is to blame. The issue will have to be solved not by a program method, but by “treatment” from the outside. It is not necessary to carry the device to a service center, you can try to fix everything on your own. Each key on the laptop is fixed in its socket, and if you make a little effort, you can carefully remove it (just pry it with a screwdriver). All buttons consist of a lift, pad and spring, these three components are connected with a latch. After removing the problem key, clean the pad, then return everything back.

The functions of the Fn button can be easily assigned to other keys that you are not used to using. It's a little weird, but effective.

If the keyboard was flooded with tea, the tracks may be damaged - in this case, the equipment will have to be sent to a service center.

OS bit depth

Sometimes it is also impossible to eliminate a system violation by installing drivers. This happens if the device you purchased is designed for a 64-bit OS, and you installed 32. Such difficulties arise quite often, the issue can only be resolved by reinstalling Windows to the required version.

Results

As you can see, the Fn button allows you to speed up the on / off of various functions, which means that life is much easier, but on some laptops it may not initially function. You can enable the key in several ways: dig around, install a special utility, clean the keyboard, perform the Fn + NumLock combination, or install OS 64x. We are sure that one of the methods presented here will help enable the treasured key. Write which of the methods was the most effective for solving your problem.

Few laptops boast a large full-sized keyboard, especially with a number of additional function keys. Most often, laptop developers, 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. Without these function keys, working with a laptop is difficult, since they allow you to quickly add / decrease brightness, increase / decrease 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 ease of use of the computer. In this article, we will look at what to do if the FN button does not work on the keyboard.

Why does the FN button on the keyboard not work?

If we exclude the possibility that the FN button does not work due to a mechanical failure, we can assume two options - problems with Windows or problems with the BIOS. The most common causes of failure are:

There are a huge number of laptops on the market from various manufacturers. Methods for solving the problem with a non-working FN key will differ for different laptops. Below in the article we will give the main algorithms of actions that will help correct 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 models of computers 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 releases a huge number of products and their website is quite complicated, 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 drivers section.

It is worth noting one feature of Lenovo drivers. 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 responsible 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 Lenovo official website.

If the problem is not related to Windows and drivers for the operating system, then you need to check the BIOS settings. Depending on the laptop model, you can find the "HotKey Mode" or "Fn and Ctrl Key Swap" options 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 do not have BIOS settings 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 convenient and pleasant site, which makes it easy to find the necessary set of drivers for a specific laptop model. To do this, go to the site, in the "Select a 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 run the installation of the Launch Manager application (located in the "Application" section). If that doesn't fix your FN key not working issue, download and install Acer Power Manager as well.

Please note: After installing Launch Manager, the program will start automatically when you boot your computer. 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, do the following:

After installing all the required applications, restart your computer and check if the FN key works properly.

It is worth noting that the BIOS in HP laptops provides the ability to configure 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 pressing FN. This is configured in the "System Configuration" section with the "Action Keys Mode" item.

FN button not working on Dell laptop

If a Dell laptop user is experiencing the FN key not working, they also need to install a set of drivers that depend on the function key. 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 not working 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 downloaded 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 may be due to incorrect BIOS settings. The situation here is similar to HP laptops, that is, you can change whether you need to press the FN key to use F1-F12 or multimedia buttons. This setting is located in the "Advanced" section in 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 uninstalled) drivers. The problem with finding drivers for portable computers of a Japanese company is due to the fact that Sony Vaio is no longer officially produced. However, the Sony website retained all the necessary software to keep the company's computers in working order.

Our today's article is devoted to laptops, or rather the Fn button on a laptop. Many people ask quite natural questions related to this key. After reading this topic, you will learn what the Fn key is for and where it is, how to turn Fn on or off. In general, everything about this mysterious Fn button is here.

In the modern world, laptops, netbooks, ultrabooks sit firmly in our lives. They are multifunctional, compact, practical. Many who have moved from a computer to a laptop will never return to bulky PCs. Laptops can be used everywhere: in transport, at home, on the street, in other public places. To improve this versatility of laptops, the Fn key is needed. Let's try to answer many popular questions related to this button. But first things first.

Where is the Fn button on the keyboard?

The Fn key in almost all laptops is located in the same place - this is the lower left corner of the keyboard. For various popular brands of electronics such as HP, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, LG, the Fn key has taken a permanent place on the keyboard. The difference for some is only in whether this button is before or after the Ctrl key. This arrangement of this key is very convenient for users.

What is the Fn key for and how does it work?

So, we will tell you why this button was created and how this button works. The very name of the Fn key comes from the first vowels of the word F u n action. On your laptop keyboard, you may see keys that have symbols and inscriptions in a different color. Basically it is red or blue. These keys are called shortcut keys. With their help, you can control the media player on your laptop, work with the screen brightness and battery saving mode, enable or disable wireless network access, and adjust the volume. You can also put your laptop into sleep mode. All of these functions will only work in combination with the Fn key.

Fn key on a Lenovo laptop

It is difficult to answer the question of where and what combination for each individual device. For each brand of laptops, the shortcut keys are different. But the principle of their work is absolutely the same for all major brands of HP, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, LG. And they differ slightly. I will describe the functionality of the Fn button for a Lenovo laptop.

So, holding down the Fn button in combination with hot keys, we get:

• Fn + F1 - put the computer into sleep mode.
• Fn + F2 - turn on / off the monitor.
• Fn + F3 - switch the display to the connected monitor module, projector.
• Fn + F4 - monitor extension.
• Fn + F5 - enable wireless communication modules: wireless network adapters, Bluetooth.
• Fn + F6 - enable / disable the touchpad - laptop mouse.
• Fn + F9, Fn + F10, Fn + F11, Fn + F12 - work with the media player - resume / pause, stop, track back, track forward, respectively.
• Fn + Home - pause in media files.
• Fn+Insert - enable/disable Scroll Lock.
• Fn+up arrow/down arrow - increase/decrease monitor brightness.
• Fn + left arrow / right arrow - decrease / increase the volume for media players.

As you can see, the functionality of our key is very large, knowing these combinations will allow you to use your computer keyboard very efficiently without resorting to the mouse.

How to enable or disable the Fn key?

In order to enable or disable the Fn key on a laptop, you can use several methods. The first way is to use the Fn+NumLock key combination. Pressing these keys at the same time will disable the Fn button, pressing again will activate the key. This method may not work on all laptops.

In some cases, the Fn key is enabled or disabled via Bios. To do this, you need to enter the Setup Utility, then follow the System Configuration and the tab Action Keys Mode Disabled or Enabled this function Fn.

If the Fn key does not work on a laptop

If the above two methods don't work or the Fn key doesn't work at all. Then you need to use programs for the Fn-key. There are a lot of such programs on the Internet. In order to make it easier to decide which programs are suitable for your brand of laptops, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with a short list of such programs.

For Samsung laptops - Easy Display Manager (the CD with the program comes with the laptop). This program is freely available on the Internet.

For Sony laptops, you should use the following programs - Sony Shared Library, Setting Utility Series, Vaio Event Service, Vaio Control Center.

For Toshiba laptops - Hotkey Utility, Value Added Package, Flash Cards Support Utility.

Also, for many laptops, the universal Magic Keyboard program is used.

Drivers for the Fn key

If your button still does not work, then you should check the drivers for your keyboard, or rather for the Fn key. Such “firewood” should come with a laptop (be sure to check when buying), or they can be downloaded from the Internet. Download from the Internet follows from the official pages of laptop manufacturers. So on the official sites there are Fn button drivers for Sony, Lenovo, Samsung, HP, DNS, Dell, Toshiba, Acer, Asus, LG.