How to Tame the Caps Lock key

jhay — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 01:50:15 +0000

This little how-to guide is my submission to the Problogger.net’s Group Writing Project inviting bloggers to join in and write-up their own ‘how-to’ guides and tips about anything they fancy.

Back in August, I saw this news item about a ceo advocating and launching a campaign to remove the Caps Lock key from the keyboard.

I symphatize and agree with the reasons he has espoused as to why the Caps Lock key could be a hazard in our productivity and everyday PC usage, removing it from our keyboards altogether is somehow overreacting and neanderthal a solution.

Would you like to keep a finger constantly pressed down on the shift key while you type lines of text that need to be set in an all caps format?

The Caps Lock key is there for a purpose, a good purpose. It’s just a matter of wise usage and common sense to turn it into one of the most vital keys in our keyboards.

Today, I’m going to show a neat and simple way to tame your Caps Lock key and make it work for you rather the other way around.

This little guide would prove useful to all of us whom from time to time, would make the inadvertent mistake of pressing the Caps Lock key unknowingly, only to realise it has been accidentaly turned on once we see our texts screem to us on monitor screens.

The solution is a little neat function that is built-in to Windows XP and is called Toggle Keys.

You head on to Start>Control Panel>Accessiblity Options.

The Accessiblity Options window will appear, select the Keyboard tab and at the bottom you’ll find the Toggle Keys section.

1. Put a check on the Toggle Keys radio button. That would activate it.
2. Click Apply

3. Click OK and you’re all set.

From now on, everytime you hit or press on the Caps Lock key you’ll hear a beep sound from your PC. An active reminder to accompany the often missed led light on the keyboard that the Caps Lock key is on or off. It’s the same beeping sound you hear everytime your PC boots up when you start it.

It requires no additional software, not even an external speaker and its all built-in in your Windows XP.

Death to Caps Lock key? Oh please…tame it with the Toggle Keys.

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How to Tame the Caps Lock key