It’s available in Boot Camp with some laptops, although Apple doesn’t specify which.Īn independent developer did create a Num Lock app-called simply NumLock-that would invoke the feature within Mac OS X it hasn’t been updated in a few years, and I haven’t tested it in Mojave. It shouldn’t be possible to invoke this mode accidentally, as it shouldn’t exist.
The PowerBook and some early MacBooks had numeric keypad symbols overlaying part of the main keyboard.Īpple stopped supporting Num Lock via F6 quietly back in 2008. But U, I, O, P, J, K, l, semicolon, M, command, period, slash take on keypad functions. With this mode invoked, you could still type 7, 8, 9, and 0 and have those characters appear, as they’re still mapped to the same position. The pseudo-keypad layout relied on sets of four keys starting with 7, 8, 9, 0 and going down three rows to M. (There was sometimes a unique Num Lock key, sometimes it doubled with a Clear key and Shift, and sometimes it was a function to invoke, like through F6 on a Mac.) Lacking a numeric keypad, Num Lock turned part of the main keyboard into a pseudo-keypad. On certain laptops, including older Macs, Num Lock had a different function. IBM doubled up: It added a Num Lock key that flipped the numeric keypad to act as arrow keys to move a cursor around a screen-based interface, before computer mouses. Some IBM computer keyboards didn’t have separate arrow keys, but they did have a numeric keypad for fast number entry. The Num Lock key was a product of the intermediate age, where mechanical and digital met. Then, press the Option key five times each time you want to switch between controlling the mouse pointer and typing."If you continue to experience issues with your keyboard keys not working properly, read this Apple KB Article for more resolutions.Early 84-key IBM keyboards had a numeric keypad that doubled as arrow and other keys for text-screen-based interactions. If you would like to control the mouse pointer with the keyboard and also use the keyboard for typing, enable "Press the Option key five times to turn Mouse Keys on or off" in Universal Access preferences. The following keys will continue to operate normally when Mouse Keys is enabled: Esc, Function keys, Eject, Delete, Tab, Shift, fn, Control, Option, Command, and the arrow keys.
#Why keyboard wont type pro
(Keyboards with no numeric keypad or Num Lock key include: Apple Wireless Keyboard (2007), the built-in keyboard on MacBook (Late 2007) or newer, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro (Early 2008), or newer.) Note: If you are logged on to a user where Mouse Keys is already disabled, but your keyboard is not responding properly, toggle the radio buttons for Mouse Keys "On" then "Off" to restore normal functionality.Additional information provided in this Apple KB Article: "When Mouse Keys is enabled with one of these keyboards, you can use the keys 7,8,9, U, I, O, J, K, L, M, and '.' (period) to control movement of the mouse pointer and mouse clicking, but other numbers, letters, and keys cannot be used. Note: You may also check/uncheck the box for "Press Option key five times to turn Mouse Keys on or off". Click the "Off" radio button next to Mouse Keys.
Click the Mouse & Trackpad settings tab.ģ. Open System Preferences and click on the Universal Access preference pane.Ģ. To check your System Preference settings, or to enable/disable Mouse Keys: 1. The setting could have been activated while syncing from a MobileMe account that had the preference enabled, migrating a user from another computer using Migration Assistant that had the preference enabled, or by pressing the Option key five times (if that setting is enabled in System Preferences). Mouse Keys can be enabled a number of different ways.
These symptoms may also exist if you log in to a user account on a Mac where a different user account has Mouse Keys enabled. If you find that you are unable to type letters or numbers on your keyboard, it is very possible the Mouse Keys function has been enabled. Read further to get a resolution to this issue. Written by Joe AimonettiSome users may experience issues with their keyboards not working as expected-possibly due to the Mouse Keys function being enabled on their Mac.