Top 5 Fun Ways to Use the F4 Key in Windows 10

Function keys serve as shortcuts to perform certain actions, such as refreshing a page or saving a file. Like all function keys, you can find the F4 key at the top of most computer keyboards.

Although often used with the Alt and Ctrl keys, you can use the F4 key for actions specific to your Windows 10 PC. If you are curious about the capabilities of the F4 key, read below.

1. Launching the address bar on Internet Explorer

You can use the F4 key to open the address bar in Internet Explorer in Windows 10.

Step 1: Launch the Internet Explorer application on your PC.

2nd step: Press F4 for the address bar to open and you will see a list of recently visited web pages under the address bar.

2. Repeat the last action on Microsoft Word

Just like you use Ctrl + C to copy items, you can use F4 to repeat this last action (Copy, Paste, Delete or whatever) in Microsoft Word.

Step 1: Launch the Word application on your PC. It can be a new Word document or an old file.

2nd step: On the Word file, do any action. i.e. write a sentence, insert an icon, draw a shape, etc.

Step 3: Click the F4 key and the last action performed should be repeated.

3. Repeat the last action on Microsoft PowerPoint

It’s like the F4 function shown above, but it’s for Microsoft PowerPoint.

Step 1: Launch the PowerPoint application on your PC. It can be a new PowerPoint document or an old file.

2nd step: On the PowerPoint file, do any action i.e. insert picture, paste text, embed transition, etc.

Step 3: Click the F4 key and the last action performed should be repeated.

4. Locking formulas on Microsoft Excel

Using the F4 key in Excel is different from Word and PowerPoint. In Excel, the F4 key can be used for absolute cell referencing.

Step 1: Launch the Excel application on your PC. It can be a new Excel or an old file.

2nd step: Enter a standard formula in an Excel cell.

Step 3: Click on the cell with the formula and press F4 once, and it should bring up a dollar sign. The dollar sign locks the column and row. The implication is that when you copy the formula and use it elsewhere on the Excel file, it will continue to reference that cell. This is called absolute cell referencing.

5. Using the F4 key with other keyboard functions

You can also use the F4 key to collaborate with other keys on your keyboard. Some popular actions include:

Step 1: Click on the program you want to close to make it active.

2nd step: Simultaneously press the Alt and F4 keys and the active program will close immediately.

Step 1: Click on the tab you want to close to make it active.

2nd step: Simultaneously press the Ctrl and F4 keys and the active tab should close.

Bonus: remapping your Windows 10 keyboard keys

If you want to use a different key on your keyboard to perform a certain action on Windows 10, you should try remapping the keys on your keyboard. To remap the keys on your keyboard, you can use the following applications:

SharpKeys

For example, to remap one key to another, operate the Ctrl key as an Alt key, then you can try the Sharp keys. It is an open source program that communicates directly with the Windows registry to make mapping changes.

Auto shortcut key

Auto HotKey is another powerful remapping software. Although the program is free, users may need to understand the programming language to use the tool effectively.

The key can also be fun

One of the many benefits of knowing the capabilities of the F4 key is that it provides shortcuts to perform certain tasks. These shortcuts should make your job faster and easier because they reduce the number of actions you perform.

Want to learn more about keyboard shortcuts? Check out these Microsoft Office keyboard shortcuts for working on documents.