Every day we use the keyboard of our computer, be it a desktop or a laptop. The QWERTY keyboard has several special keys, which provide us with some functions on the computer. One of these keys that we can consider special or different is the shift key. It is a key that millions of people use every day on their computers, but that many people do not know what it is or what it is used for.
Next we are going to tell you everything you need to know about shift key on keyboard from our computer. If you want to know more about this key, its origin and what it can be used for on the PC, we leave you with all this information below. It may help you to discover more about this key.
What is the Shift key
The Shift key, also known as the shift key, it is a modifier key on computers. This key is represented on the keyboard by an up arrow icon. It is a key that falls within the category of so-called modifier keys, which are special keys, which when pressed together with another key on the keyboard, will then perform a special action.
The name of this key has its origin in the old typewriters. Since in typewriters you had to hold down that key if you wanted to be able to write a character or symbol that some of the keys had or if you wanted to write the letter that was pressed at that time in capital letters. The word Shift also means change in English, which is exactly what was originated when clicking on it while typing.
Today's computers, as was the case with typewriters in the past, have two keys of this type. There is a shift key on each side of the keyboard, no matter what type of keyboard you have. Either a normal keyboard, a compact one, a TKL type or regardless of the language in which that keyboard is found (depending on the country where the PC was sold). In all of them we are going to find that there are two keys of this type in it.
Location on the keyboard
The shift keys are located at the beginning and end of the second row of keys, if we start at the bottom of the keyboard. The first one is located on the left side of the keyboard just below the Caps Lock key. On the right it is located below the Enter key and the letter of the character Ç. Just above the Shift key located to the left of the keyboard we find the capital lock key. The one on the right may have a somewhat different location, since it is something that will depend on the type of keyboard we have (it is a complete one, a laptop or a compact one, for example).
In the case that you have a compact keyboard or laptop, the right Shift key is in some cases just above the arrow keys. If you have a full keyboard in this case, then that key can usually be found above the right Control key. The one that never changes its location is the left key, which will always be in the location we have mentioned, regardless of the type of keyboard you have.
Both keys are at all times represented by the same up arrow icon. So we're just going to have to find that icon on the keyboard, so that we can quickly identify the Shift key on it. It does not matter the type of keyboard or the language it is in, that same icon is used at all times to represent this key.
What is this key for
The main purpose of the shift key on our computer is to be able to write the capital letter of the letter that we have pressed at that moment. That is, when pressing this key and any of the letters on the keyboard at the same time, we will see that on the screen that letter will then be displayed in uppercase. This is something that will work with any of the letters on the keyboard. So we will not have problems in this regard.
If on our computer we have the caps lock activated at that moment, which is located just above the shift key on the left of the keyboard, then the key behaves in the opposite way to the previous one. That is, if we press a letter while pressing this shift key at the same time, then it will be displayed in lower case on the screen. As long as that caps lock is activated.
In addition to this option, this shift key also has more purposes. Since it is also a key that will be used to write the character that is located above the numbers or the character that is above the keys that are already written in character. That is, if we press this key and then the number 4 on the keyboard, on the screen we will be able to see that the dollar symbol ($) appears. The same will happen if other keys are pressed, such as 5 or 6, which will then show their corresponding symbols. Although we have the caps lock activated on the keyboard, if we press any of these keys, the symbols will be shown again, always and when we press shift at the same time.
Other utilities
The ones we have mentioned are the main functions of the shift key on our computer. The reality is that this is a key that has more utilities or functions, in addition to those above. For example, it is a key that we can use on many occasions to perform various shortcuts keyboard that will allow us to perform actions in a faster way. These shortcuts are done in combination with other keys in it. It is presented as a very useful option when using the keyboard on a daily basis, since it will allow us to perform many different actions in a faster way. In addition, we can download programs that will help us create our own shift key combinations, thus making shortcuts simpler and better suited to us, for example, allowing us to get more out of this key in the computer.
Also, another function of the shift key is to modify the function keys. Since in the keyboards that are launched today we only have up to F12 in terms of function keys, if we press Shift + F1, we can obtain F13 and so on. In this way the lack of those additional function keys on the keyboard is compensated in a really simple way at all times.
Lastly, this key is used to select a block of text or multiple files at the same time. If we click on a file while pressing the Shift key, we can select others as well. Also, it's even possible to + shift click on a file further down to select all intermediates, for example. In a text editor we are allowed to click + shift, so that then all the text from the cursor to where we click will be selected.
Shift key combinations
As we have mentioned in the previous section, this key gives rise to various combinations that allow us to perform shortcuts or certain actions in a faster way on our computer. Some of you may not know these combinations, so they will surely help you in your case. Some of the combinations that we can use today that involve the shift key of our computer are the following:
| [Win] + [Shift] + [↑] | Expands the window we are in to the full height of the screen, while the width of the window is unchanged. |
| [Win] + [Shift] + [↓] | Minimizes the current window to a symbol on the taskbar. |
| [Win] + [Shift] + [→] | Moves a window on the screen from left to right without changing its position relative to the screen margin. |
| [Win] + [Shift] + [←] | Scrolls a window on the screen from right to left without altering position or size. |
| [Win] + [Shift] + [S] | Take a screenshot. |
| [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Esc] | The task manager opens in Windows. |
| [Shift] + click on a program from the Start menu or taskbar | Open another instance of that program that you have open at the moment. |
| [Ctrl] + [Shift] + click on a program from the Start menu or the taskbar | Run the currently open program as an administrator. |
| [Shift] + [F10] | The context menu of the selected object opens. |
| [Shift] + [Insert] | Paste from clipboard. |