How to Change Fn Key Settings in Windows 11

To change function key settings in Windows 11, use your laptop’s Fn Lock key combination (often Fn + Esc), the function key setting in the BIOS, or your PC maker’s app. Windows 11 Settings has no Fn key option, because the Fn key is handled by the keyboard itself. Fn Lock switches the top row between media keys (volume, brightness, mute) and the standard F1 to F12 keys.

These steps work the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10 laptops, since the setting lives in the keyboard or firmware rather than in Windows. Key combinations and menu names vary by brand and model.

Where the Fn Key Settings Are

Method	Where you change it	Best for	Stays after a restart?
Fn Lock	A key combination, usually Fn + Esc	Switching back and forth quickly	Usually, but some laptops reset it
BIOS or UEFI setting	Firmware setup, before Windows starts	Making F1 to F12 or media keys the permanent default	Yes
PC maker’s app	Lenovo Vantage, MyASUS, HP or Dell utilities	Laptops that moved the option out of the BIOS	Yes
PowerToys	Windows app from Microsoft	Remapping F1 to F12 (not the Fn key itself)	Only while PowerToys runs

Start with Fn Lock. If your laptop has no Fn Lock key, or the setting keeps resetting, use the BIOS or the maker’s app.

What the Fn Key Changes

The top-row keys on most laptops do two jobs. One is the standard function key, like F5 to refresh a page or F2 to rename a file. The other is a hotkey or action key, like mute or screen brightness, shown as a small icon on the key. Holding Fn switches a key to its other job.

Fn Lock, or a BIOS option usually called Hotkey Mode, Action Keys Mode or Function Key Behavior, decides which job you get when you press the key without holding Fn. Many laptops ship with the media actions as the default, which is why F5 might lower the volume instead of refreshing a web page.

If the brightness-down key has already reached its lowest level, there are ways to dim the screen further in Windows 11.

Option 1: Turn Fn Lock On or Off

1. Look for a key with a padlock and “Fn” on it. On many laptops it’s the Esc key, though some use F1, F12 or another key.
2. Press Fn + Esc (or Fn plus the key with the lock icon) at the same time.

3. Test a top-row key. Press F5 in a web browser: if the page refreshes, the F keys are now the default. If the volume or brightness changes instead, the media keys are the default.
4. Press the same combination again whenever you want to switch back.

Some keyboards show a small light on the Fn or Esc key when Fn Lock is on. Lenovo lists Fn + Esc as the Fn Lock toggle on ThinkPad laptops. On Microsoft’s standalone Surface Keyboard, you press Fn by itself, and a light on the key shows that the F keys are locked, according to Microsoft’s Surface Keyboard guide. Other keyboards may use a different combination, such as Fn + Caps Lock on some models, so check the key icons or your manual first.

Option 2: Change Function Key Behavior in the BIOS

If there’s no Fn Lock key, or Fn Lock resets every time you restart, change the default in the BIOS (also called UEFI, the firmware that runs before Windows). Save your work first, because the PC restarts right away.

1. Open Settings > System > Recovery.
2. Next to Advanced startup, select Restart now, then confirm. The PC restarts to a blue menu.
3. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings, then Restart. Your PC maker’s setup screen opens.

4. Find the function key option. Look on the Configuration, System Configuration, Advanced or Keyboard tab, using the arrow keys if the mouse doesn’t work.
5. Change the setting (see the table below for what each choice means).
6. Press F10, or choose Save Changes and Exit, and confirm. Windows starts with the new key behavior.

If you can’t reach the menu this way, how to enter BIOS in Windows 11 covers the startup keys each brand uses.

The same setting matters at startup, because some laptops need Fn held down before F12 or another key will open the boot menu in Windows 11.

Brand	Setting name to look for	Choose this for F1 to F12 without Fn
HP	Action Keys Mode (System Configuration)	Disabled
Lenovo IdeaPad, Yoga and others	Hotkey Mode (Configuration)	Disabled
Lenovo ThinkPad	F1-F12 as Primary Function (Config > Keyboard/Mouse)	Enabled
Dell	Function Key Behavior or Fn Lock Options on many models	Function Key or Standard
ASUS, Acer, MSI and others	Function Key Behavior, Hotkey Mode or similar	The option that names function keys

The labels work the same way on most brands. With Lenovo’s Hotkey Mode set to Enabled, pressing a top-row key runs its media action and Fn plus the key sends the F key. With it set to Disabled, the plain key sends F1 to F12 and you hold Fn for the media action, according to Lenovo’s How to use the function keys without pressing Fn.

Don’t use Load Defaults to undo a mistake in the BIOS, because it also resets other settings. Change the one option back instead, or choose Discard Changes and Exit.

Change Action Keys Mode on an HP Laptop

1. Shut down the laptop, then turn it on and immediately press F10 repeatedly to open BIOS Setup.
2. Use the arrow keys to open the System Configuration tab.
3. Select Action Keys Mode and press Enter.
4. Choose Disabled to make F1 to F12 work without Fn, or Enabled to make the media actions the default.

5. Press F10 and confirm to save and exit.

Menu names vary by model, and some HP business laptops use a key combination instead. The options for each model family are in HP’s How to lock or unlock the fn key page.

Option 3: Use Your PC Maker’s App

Some laptops put the setting in the maker’s app instead of the BIOS. On some Yoga models, such as the Yoga 900s and Yoga 910, the hotkey setting was moved out of the BIOS to Lenovo Vantage > My Device Settings > Input & Accessories.

The same maker apps usually handle RGB lighting too, so check them if you want to change the keyboard light color in Windows 11.

On other brands, open the support app that came with the laptop (search Start for MyASUS, HP, or Dell) and look in a section named Keyboard, Input, Hotkeys or Device settings. If the app isn’t installed, download it from the support page for your exact model.

On HP laptops, Action Keys Mode also decides whether the keyboard light key needs fn, which matters when you turn on the keyboard light on an HP laptop. The same applies to the brightness keys covered in how to adjust brightness on Windows 11.

Can You Change the Fn Key in Windows 11 Settings?

No. Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard has typing and layout options, but nothing for the Fn key. Windows Mobility Center doesn’t have one either, unless your PC maker’s software adds a tile there. Windows usually never sees the Fn key press, because the keyboard hardware handles it before sending a key to Windows.

What Windows can do is remap the F keys themselves. Microsoft’s free PowerToys app has a Keyboard Manager that can turn F1 to F12 (and F13 to F24) into other keys or shortcuts. Microsoft’s Keyboard Manager documentation says the Fn key itself can’t be remapped in most cases, and that remaps work only while PowerToys is running. For details, read about changing keybinds on Windows 11.

Check That It Worked, or Change It Back

Test without holding Fn:

• F5 in a web browser should refresh the page.
• F2 with a file selected in File Explorer should start renaming it.
• F1 in many apps opens Help.

If those keys change the volume or brightness instead, the media keys are still the default. To undo any change, press the same Fn Lock combination again, switch the same BIOS option back, or turn the option off in your maker’s app. Changing the function key mode has no effect on performance; it only changes what the top row sends.

If Fn Lock or Your Function Keys Don’t Work

1. Toggle Fn Lock with Fn + Esc (or your keyboard’s lock key), then test F5 in a web browser.
2. Check the BIOS setting described above. A BIOS update or reset can change it.
3. If Fn Lock works but resets after every restart, set the default in the BIOS instead. Lenovo also suggests updating the BIOS or its hotkey software in this case.
4. If the BIOS has no function key option, check your maker’s support site for a BIOS update or for the setting in its app.
5. Install your PC maker’s keyboard or hotkey software from its support site. Brightness and volume keys often depend on it.
6. Run Windows Update and check Advanced options > Optional updates for driver updates.

7. Try an external keyboard. If its F keys work, the problem is the laptop keyboard or its driver, and you’ll want to fix the keyboard in Windows 11.

Frequently Asked Questions