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I recently got a new keyboard - a Dell WK717. I'm very happy with the keyboard but I've discovered an oddity.

After switching, I've been made aware that I, apparently, make frequent use of pressing the fn-key in combination with the left or right arrow key to skip to either the beginning or end of the line which the cursor is currently on. This shortcut doesn't work with my new Dell keyboard.

The keyboard is connected to my laptop and making use of the same shortcut on the laptop's own keyboard works just fine - the same goes if I connect my old keyboard back up again. It's strictly the new Dell keyboard which doesn't respond the same way.

Dell's support is failing to understand my question and provide any kind of help.

Is there anywhere, where I can force this key combination to act the same way on my new keyboard?

Christian A. Rasmussen
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  • I use ctrl+arrows to jump to the next/previous word, and home/end keys to jump to start/end of lines, works in web browsers, text editors, bash terminals... – Xen2050 Jan 15 '19 at 06:45
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    I too use the ctrl + arrow keys - it's very handy, but skipping to either the beginning or end of a line is something else entirely.

    I realize that I can use the end and home keys - however, I think you'll agree that they are awkward to reach when typing compared to how convenient it is to just use the fn + arrow key combination.

    It's a habit that I'm having very hard to let go off - especially since it's only on my new desktop keyboard it's a problem. It works just fine on other keyboards as well as on the laptop itself, which really doesn't help me getting rid of the habit :)

     – Christian A. Rasmussen Jan 15 '19 at 06:58
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    Since this Fn button isn't quite standard I wouldn't rely on it in any way. – montonero Jan 15 '19 at 07:26
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    It's present on all the keyboards that I use. I do realize that this is a matter of habit - but it's a habit I'm quite fond of. So, if possible, I'd really like to be able to do it on my new desktop keyboard as well :) – Christian A. Rasmussen Jan 15 '19 at 07:35

4 Answers4

3

This may not be possible (or at least, not easy) on some keyboards, due to some key combinations using the Function key not being made available at the hardware level. See more information at Assign Home and End to Fn+arrows. To see if your keyboard does have that combination, you can capture and record the keypress in a program like AutoHotKey. The link above has information on how, but I found the first answer here easier to follow.

You might try remapping some other key combination instead. For one example, you could remap Ctrl plus Up/Down arrows instead, e.g. using AutoHotKey. For example, adding this to the AutoHotKey script does that:

; On Ctrl + Up, send home
^up::
    send {home}
    return

; On Ctrl + Down, send to end
^down::
    send {end}
    return

Additional less important info: If you want to add a shortcut for selecting text, you can do something like the following. However, I found this didn't always interact with programs in a way I liked, so I ended up removing it.

; On Ctrl + Shift + Up, send home & highlight text
+^up::
    send +{home}
    return

; On Ctrl + Shift + Down, send to end & highlight text
+^down::
    send +{end}
    return
Blue Raspberry
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0

Since it seems clear that your new keyboard does not support the functionality of the old, and that you find the Home/End keys to be too cumbersome, I suggest that you DuckDuckGo for the phrase Keyboard Remapper and download & install one. Problem solved.

Alternatively, since your keyboard manufacturer's support doesn’t seem to understand your problem, try using the phrase “how can I remap some keys of my keyboard?”.

Mawg says reinstate Monica
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0

I've been facing the same problem when I changed the laptop. Finally I used PowerToys (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/powertoys/) and reassigned the keys PgUp/PgDown to Home/End respectively. Not the same but it does the trick. I hope it helps.

Dave M
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Tarki
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-1

Seems like it can be done by doing a custom keyboard layout. Please find the details here: How can I restore Ctrl+<key> functionality in Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator? perhaps in combination with some of the tips shared here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4121760/remap-keyboard-combinations-not-just-single-registry-values

Christian A. Rasmussen
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  • Hi, welcome to SU! Please expand your answer to include the helpful parts of each link, in case either one goes dead. Thanks! – studiohack Jan 15 '21 at 13:43