Arrow keys

Arrow keys are buttons on a computer keyboard that move the cursor in a specified direction. They are typically located at the bottom of the keyboard to the side of the numeric keypad, usually arranged in an inverted-T layout but also found in diamond shapes. Arrow keys are commonly used for navigating around documents and for playing games. Before the computer mouse was widespread, arrow keys were the primary way of moving a cursor on screen. MouseKeys is a feature that allows controlling a mouse cursor with arrow keys instead. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A computer keyboard is a peripheral modelled after the typewriter keyboard. ... Cursor is a term that frequently refers to a feature of a computer user interfaces. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Operating a mechanical 1: Pulling the mouse turns the ball. ... Mouse keys is a feature of some operating systems used to improve accessibility to disabled users. ...

The original Apple Macs had no arrow keys

The original Apple Macintosh had no arrow keys, because the mouse would be used instead. Arrow keys were included in later Apple keyboards. Download high resolution version (600x719, 158 KB)Macintosh 512K and accessories by Ellen Levy Finch (Elf | Talk) March 24 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (600x719, 158 KB)Macintosh 512K and accessories by Ellen Levy Finch (Elf | Talk) March 24 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The box for Mac OS X v10. ...

Alternatives to the arrow keys include:

• the WASD keys (on QWERTY keyboards) and ,AOE (on Dvorak keyboards). Sometimes this combination is used simultaneously with the arrow keys. For example, in many 3D games a player will navigate the level with WASD while moving the camera is done with the arrow keys or vice versa.
• the 8462 or 7845 keys on the numeric keypad.
• the IJKL keys often used for webgames, where arrows cause undesirable browser window shifting.
• the HJKL keys (in vi and related editors; this lets the user navigate without having to move their hand too far)
• On some keyboards there are no arrow keys, so alternatives must be used.