Turn NUM LOCK on at start-up

Anonymous
2009-12-27T01:45:17+00:00

How do you edit InitialKeyboardIndicators in the registry editor so num lock is on at start-up? One instruction I read said to change the value to 2.  The number that is already present is 2147483648 which I have no idea what it stands for!  Can anyone help me out here? Thanks

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2009-12-27T08:21:38+00:00

By default the numlock status is the same as it was in when you properly shut down the computer. If it was on when you shut it down it will be on when you again turn the computer on.

--

Richard Urban

Microsoft MVP

Windows Desktop Experience/Security

"BJ55" wrote in message news:b6f5c70d-a053-431 1-946d-ba9e8879f644...

How do you edit InitialKeyboardIndicators in the registry editor so num lock is on at start-up? One instruction I read said to change the value to 2.  The number that is already present is 2147483648 which I have no idea what it stands for!  Can anyone help me out here? Thanks

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Anonymous
2010-06-04T13:27:04+00:00

I haven't read through every reply, but just in case there has not been an answer for this, here is what you do.

By default, NumLock, CapsLock, and ScrollLock are set to off on power up in WindowsXP.  If you want to modify this to allow one or all of them to be on by default at power up, follow the below instructions.

  1. Click Start
  2. Click Run
  3. Type RegEdit
  4. Expand to HKEY_Users
  5. Expand .Default
  6. Expand Control Panel
  7. Expand Keyboard
  8. Find sting value InitialKeyboadIndicators. (By default this will be set to '0' which means Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps Lock are all turned off.)
  9. Double click the "InitialKeyboardIndicators" string value and make the following changes.
  • 0 - Turns off Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock
  • 1 - Turns on Caps Lock
  • 2 - Turns on Num Lock
  • 3 - Turns on Caps Lock and Num Lock
  • 4 - Turns on Scroll Lock
  • 5 - Turns on Caps Lock and Scroll Lock
  • 6 - Turns on Num Lock and Scroll Lock
  • 7 - Turns on Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock

Exit the Registry. When you restart, the new setting will take effect

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137 additional answers

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-08-18T14:20:37+00:00

    Yes. There is no way to keep NumLock on. It just doesn't work.

    On top of it I lost all my ASUS motherboard drivers. Win 10 doesn't read the DVD and there are no suitable drivers on the Web.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-08-25T04:48:57+00:00

    "By default the numlock status is the same as it was in when you properly shut down the computer. If it was on when you shut it down it will be on when you again turn the computer on."

    --

    Richard Urban

    Microsoft MVP

    Windows Desktop Experience/Security

    If nothing else, the answer provided by Microsoft MVP's certainly helps explain many of the user issues reported with each new OS release.  Even if the question was "Does having numlock on/off at time of system shutdown affect the status of numlock when system is powered up?" it would still be a poor answer as numlock status on power-up is independent on it's status on system shutdown performed by a user.  On start-up, numlock status is dictated by system settings default, and once logged on, the status is then dictated by user specific hkey reg setting that controls what happens after a user logs on.

    Since the original question keeps coming up as a top search, a complete explanation would be most helpful.  Considering the original question from "BJ55" can be considered to be a 2 part question, the answer should indeed contain 2 components.  Perhaps the following will be of help as it applies to Windows OS 7, 8, 8.1, and/or 10:

    "How do you edit InitialKeyboardIndicators in the registry editor so num lock is on at start-up?"

    I would recommend that a user enable Num Lock on startup using registry editor.  In doing so, it would first be best to create a backup of the registry and/or create a system restore point.  Once that is completed, follow these steps:

    1. Press Win + R and type in Regedit
    2. Navigate to registry key HKEY_USERS\Default\Control Panel\Keyboard
    3. Right click on the “InitialKeyboardIndicators”, select Modify and change Value data to 2.
    4. Exit Registry.

    ***"The number that is already present is 2147483648 which I have no idea what it stands for!  Can anyone help me out here?"***On many systems, you may see the default value data as 2147483648, which is a syntax string or simply a different computer instruction "language"; If this is the case, such as in BJ55's, enter a value of 2147483650 in it's place should work as well.

    Take care in ensuring you are following the correct path as described above as the "InitialKeyboardIndicators" lives in a few different locations.

    Admittedly, I am not a Microsoft MVP and may not understand how all this works, but I hope this helps.

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-08-25T23:20:06+00:00

    I used this process on August 18, 2015 and it works.  I seem to recall doing the same thing in WIN 8.1

    Be careful in looking for the correct name of Initialkeyboardindicators and carefully change the 48 at the end to 50 and save.

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