Sometimes displayed as Ins, the Insert key is a located on most computer keyboards near or next to the backspace key. The Insert key toggles how text is inserted by either inserting the text in front of other text or overwriting text to the right of the cursor as you type.
Where is the Insert key on the keyboard?
Below is an overview of a computer keyboard with the insert keys highlighted in blue on the main keyboard as well as the numeric keypad. For the Insert key to work on the number pad, the Num Lock key must be turned off.
93 rows Sep 04, 2019 Alt Code Shortcuts for Mac to Insert Symbols. Here is the complete list of. Part 1: What is the Insert Key on Mac Keyboard? Shift + Fn + Return.
Mac keyboard shortcuts. On keyboards made for Windows PCs, use the Alt key instead of Option, and the Windows logo key instead of Command. Some keys on some Apple keyboards have special symbols and functions, such as for display brightness, keyboard brightness, Mission Control, and more. On the MacBook Air keyboard the Ins key is simulated by pressing Fn+Return together. So the paste combo becomes Shift+Fn+Return! So the paste combo becomes Shift+Fn+Return! Tags: Mac, tips.
Where is the Insert key on Apple keyboards?
If you have an Apple computer, Apple laptop, or Apple keyboard, the Insert key is replaced by the Fn key. To simulate an Insert key on an Apple keyboard, press the keyboard shortcut Fn + Enter.
Where is the Insert key on a PC laptop keyboard?
The Insert key on a laptop is often part of another key around the Backspace key as shown in the picture. If a laptop is using two keys as one key, you must press the Fn key with the second key you want to use. In our example picture, the Scr Lk, Pause, and Break are all blue and a different color than the other keys.
To use these keys, press the Fn key and the key with the blue text you want to use. With our example picture, if you needed Insert you'd press the Insert key by itself and to use Pause press and hold the Fn key and the Pause key at the same time.
NoteWhen it comes to PC laptop's, there is no standard placement for these keys. Your laptop may not have the same configuration as shown in the picture. However, all PC's follow the same steps mentioned above.
Where is the Insert key on a Google Chromebook?
On Google Chromebooks, you can simulate an Insert key or enter overwrite mode by pressing the Search key and the period key at the same time.
Example of using the Insert key
For example, in a word processor, if the I-cursor is placed in front of any text, nothing is overwritten as you type. However, if the Insert key is pressed and the I-cursor changes to a block cursor or enters overtype mode, as you type, the text is overwritten.
In the example animated picture, you can see each mode in action. In the Overtype mode, when 'test' is being typed, it overwrites (replaces) 'Computer' to become 'test ter' with the text being overwritten.
NoteNot all programs allow you to change the insert method with the Insert key. If the cursor does not change when you press the Insert key, text input mode toggling it is not supported.
Insert mode and insert cursor
In the example image to the right, you can see the different cursors (I-beam cursor on the top and block cursor on the bottom). In the top portion, if we were to type 'test ' in front of 'Computer Hope example,' it would become 'test Computer Hope example.' However, if we pressed the Insert key to change the insert method, the result would be different. Typing 'test' in this instance (bottom portion of the image) would make the text 'test ter Hope example' because the first part of the text would be overwritten.
What is the point of the Insert key?
Today, the Insert key's function is most often used as a shortcut key. For example, pressing the Shift+Ins key on the keyboard it is another way to paste text on a computer. The Insert key is also another way to make corrections to existing text. Instead of moving the cursor to an error, pressing backspace, and then typing the correction, you could move the cursor in front of an error, press Insert, and then overwrite the error.
TipBecause many programs do not use the Insert key, you can also use the key for any custom keyboard shortcuts. For example, we use PureText and the shortcut key Windows key+Ins to paste unformatted text in any program.
Related Insert key pages
Control keys, Insert, Insert mode, Keyboard terms, Overtype mode
You may wonder what those function keys running along the top of the keyboard do. These function keys are labeled F1 through F12/F19 (how many you have depends on your keyboard), along with an Escape key and an Eject key that looks like a triangle on top of a horizontal line. By default, every Mac has already assigned commands to the F8 through F12 function keys
F8: Displays thumbnail images of all workspaces.
F9: Displays thumbnail images of all windows in a single workspace.
F10: Displays all open windows of the currently active program (the program that has one of its windows on “top” of any other windows).
F11: Displays the Desktop.
F12: Displays Dashboard, which are simple programs such as a calculator or calendar.
The other keys — F1 through F7 and (possibly) F13 through F19 — don’t do much of anything in most programs. Because these function keys aren’t very useful, laptop keyboards and the latest Apple keyboards often assign hardware controls to these seldom-used function keys. For example, pressing the F1 and F2 function keys might change the brightness of the screen, whereas pressing other function keys might adjust the volume.
Insert Button On Mac Keyboard
If it turns out that you have a program that actually puts one of these function keys to use — meaning you really want to press the function key as a function key rather than as a way to control hardware stuff like monitor brightness or speaker volume — you must first hold down the Fn key and then press the function key you want. Holding down the Fn key tells your Mac, “Ignore the hardware controls assigned to that function key and just behave like a normal function key.”