Disable F1,F3, Etc Hotkeys in Windows 7 Enterprise

Anonymous
2009-12-11T23:09:04+00:00

I am trying to figure out if there is some built in way to disable the built in hotkeys in windows 7 enterprise? For instance, when I hit F1 it pops up the help window in windows, or a new tab in firefox with firefox help, f3 opens search window etc. I use these keys for many other things, this is really a problem for me.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2010-10-29T00:49:07+00:00

IT' actually really simple if You have vista or windows 7. Just in start search bar write "mobility" and look in search results for " Windows mobility center". A window will open. find Fuction key in that and select "Function Key" instead of "multimedia"(or any thing else) and that's it.

  THIS LOCKED MY F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 AND SO ON KEYS. I GOT THIS FROM ANOTHER WEBSITE FROM SOMEONE ELSE THIS SHOULD HELP YOU NIGTHER SMITTER

Was this answer helpful?

80+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

49 additional answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2009-12-14T00:05:15+00:00

    Maybe I was not clear, let me try again. If you press the F1 key for example, the help window appears. This is true in any application. In windows, it displays windows help, in firefox, it opens a new tab with firefox help. The f1 key is globally bound to the "open help window" function. This is obviously very annoying as all of the f keys are prime real estate that windows should not be taking by default. Is there no way to unbind the F keys from their new assignments in windows 7? If this is unclear, go to your desktop, and press f1 and f3 a few times each, you will see what I mean.

    Was this answer helpful?

    7 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2009-12-14T03:18:28+00:00

    Nikhil, that doesn't help at all, you are just swapping one evil for another in that way. You are saying the only way to unbind it from the default, which is open help, is to rebind it to do something else, and only that other thing? That is equally useless. I am looking for a way to UNBIND F1 from any default or singular function. I want my F keys back!

    Anyone else have a solution? Or has windows 7 condemmed my F keys to obsoletetion?

    Was this answer helpful?

    4 people found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2010-09-15T17:24:51+00:00

    I want to post my 2 cents on this and see if anyone can correlate a similar experience.  I like to play video games when I get time to myself and one of the games that I play is Worlds of Warcraft.  I use the F-Keys to chose specific players that I need to target to cast a healing spell or a cleansing spell of some kind.  I recently installed WoW on my windows 7 machine a couple of days ago and every time I hit any of the F-keys my computer would put up the help dialog box and interrupt my raid or it would pop up a dialog asking me how to configure multiple displays.

    This is a HUGE issue for me.  I don't want to use Windows 7 any more.  Vista did not have this problem, when I had my app open, when I hit F1 it would target myself in raid group, or f2 it would target the next guy down in the raid group, etc.

    I don't know why this isn't working - seems like the function key shortcuts are programmed in such a way that what they do takes precidence over what you want it to do in a different application.  I will check the hot keys when I get a chance and see if perhaps there is something in the WOW control interface that allows me to change the function of what the f keys do - change it from whatever the default might be - but this is a serious serious serious problem and I cannot use my machine to play this game and be efficient.  I am a healer and I embarassed myself as we wiped in a simple 5 man instance (and I have a 6k gearscore)

    FIX IT PLEASE!!!!  MICROSOFT!!!!  THANKS!

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2009-12-12T07:04:29+00:00

    Hi

    you can change the keys like F1,2,  but cannot change windows hot keys,

    if you want to change, select the application in start menu<right click <properties<short cut key<press key of your wish<it prompts for Administrator permission click yes, click ok.

    you can not use windows default shortcuts to other applications , unless the application has been designed accordingly. you may have to use other shortcuts.

    but you can disable full Win+hot keys , it will be disabled totally, and can not use for other application

    Windows Key Shortcuts - Enable or Disable.

    Regards

    Nikhil

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments