A Control key (marked "Ctrl") on a modern Windows keyboard

In computing, a Control key is a modifier key which, when pressed in conjunction with another key, will perform a special operation (for example, Control-Alt-Delete); similar to the Shift key, the Control key rarely performs any function when pressed by itself. The control key is located on or near the bottom left side of most keyboards. It is usually labeled Ctrl, but sometimes Control or Ctl is seen, and it can be graphically represented as an “up arrowhead” (U+2303, ⌃), or simulated with a caret (^). 0 km London St Pancras Temple Mills Eurostar Depot 9 km Stratford International 10 km 21 km 27 km 30 km 32 km 37 km Ebbsfleet International 39 km 50 km 54 km 88 km 89 km 90 km Ashford International 91 km 106 km Dollands Moor Freight terminal 108... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with List of common keyboard shortcuts. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Ctl_wndws_alt. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Ctl_wndws_alt. ... For the formal concept of computation, see computation. ... In computing, a modifier key is a special key on a computer keyboard that modifies the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. ... This article is about Control-Alt-Delete, the keyboard shortcut. ... The shift key on a modern Windows keyboard The shift key is a modifier key on a keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate upper characters. ... For other uses, see Caret (disambiguation). ...

History

Control key on an Apple wireless keyboard

On teletypewriters and early keyboards, holding down the Control key while pressing another key zeroed the leftmost 2 bits of the 7 bits in the generated ASCII character. This allowed the operator to produce the first 32 characters in the ASCII table. These are non-printing characters that signal the computer to control where the next character will be placed on the display device, eject a printed page or erase the screen, ring the terminal bell, or some other operation. Aptly, these characters are also called control characters. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... A teleprinter (teletypewriter, teletype or TTY) is a now largely obsolete electro-mechanical typewriter which can be used to communicate typed messages from point to point through a simple electrical communications channel, often just a pair of wires. ... Keyboard redirects here. ... This article is about the unit of information. ... Image:ASCII fullsvg There are 95 printable ASCII characters, numbered 32 to 126. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into output device. ... In computing, a control character or non-printing character, is a code point (a number) in a character set that does not in itself represent a written symbol. ...

Note that using the Control key with either lowercase c or uppercase C will generate the same ASCII code on a teletypewriter because holding down the control key grounds (zeros the voltage on) the 2 wires used to carry the leftmost 2 bits from the keyboard. In modern computers the interpretation of keypresses is generally left to the software, modern keyboards distinguish each physical key from every other and report all keypresses and releases to the controlling software. This additional flexibility is not often taken advantage of and it usually does not matter, for example, whether the control key is pressed in conjunction with an upper or a lower case character. It has been suggested that Ground conductor be merged into this article or section. ... Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ...

When the original purpose of the ASCII control characters became either obsolete or seldom used, later software appropriated the Control key combinations for other purposes.

Because on older keyboards the Control key was located on the left of the keyboard, some people remap the keys to exchange Control and Caps Lock, finding the traditional location more ergonomic. The caps lock on a modern Windows keyboard. ...

Notation

There are several common notations for pressing the Control key in conjunction with another key. Each notation below means press and hold Control while pressing the x key:

This article is about the text editor. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ...

Examples

Different application programs, user interfaces, and operating systems use the various control key combinations for different purposes.

Windows redirects here. ... For the NYSE stock ticker symbol KDE, see 4Kids Entertainment. ... This article is about the text editor. ... This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. ... A command line interface or CLI is a method of interacting with a computer by giving it lines of textual commands (that is, a sequence of characters) either from keyboard input or from a script. ... GNU readline is a software library created and maintained by the GNU project. ... In computing, control-C is a control character in ASCII code. ... This page is about computer text editing. ... Look up Break in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In computing, cut and paste is a user-interface paradigm for a means of moving text (typically plain text) or other data from a source to a destination. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... In computing, Control-V is a control character in ASCII code, also known as the synchronous idle (SYN) character. ... In computing, cut and paste is a user-interface paradigm for a means of moving text (typically plain text) or other data from a source to a destination. ... A tab in graphical user interfaces is a typically rectangular small box (usually containing a text label and/or an icon) associated graphically with a view pane. ... Kill Ring In the text-editor emacs, the Kill-ring is the functional equivalent to a Clipboard. ... In computing, control-X is a control character in ASCII code, also known as the cancel (CAN) character. ... In computing, cut and paste is a user-interface paradigm for a means of moving text (typically plain text) or other data from a source to a destination. ... For most computer applications, the combinations of the Control Key and Y will redo a previously action that the user chose to undo. ... The command Redo is a common command on many programs which store undo buffers. ... Kill Ring In the text-editor emacs, the Kill-ring is the functional equivalent to a Clipboard. ... In computing, control-Z is a control character in ASCII code, also known as the substitute (SUB) character. ... Undo is a command in most word processors and text editors. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... This page is about computer text editing. ... A tab in graphical user interfaces is a typically rectangular small box (usually containing a text label and/or an icon) associated graphically with a view pane. ... A tab in graphical user interfaces is a typically rectangular small box (usually containing a text label and/or an icon) associated graphically with a view pane. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... A tab in graphical user interfaces is a typically rectangular small box (usually containing a text label and/or an icon) associated graphically with a view pane. ... An example of a graphical user interface in Windows XP, with the My Music window displayed In computing, a window is a visual area, usually rectangular in shape, containing some kind of user interface, displaying the output of and allowing input for one of a number of simultaneously running computer... A tab in graphical user interfaces is a typically rectangular small box (usually containing a text label and/or an icon) associated graphically with a view pane. ... In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays. ... This article is about Control-Alt-Delete, the keyboard shortcut. ...

Similar concepts

Generally, the Command key, labeled with the ⌘ symbol on Apple Macintosh computers, performs the equivalent functions in Mac OS X and Mac OS applications (for example, ⌘C copies, while ⌘P prints; the same holds for saving, cutting, and pasting). The Command key The Command key, known as the open-Apple key in documentation previous to the Apple Macintosh family of computers, is a modifier key present on Apple Keyboards. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ... Mac OS X (pronounced ) is a line of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... This article relates to both the original Classic Mac OS as well as Mac OS X, Apples more recent operating system. ...

Macintoshes also have a Control key, but it has different functionality. The Macintosh 128K, the first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac The Macintosh, or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple. ...

• It is mostly used as a modifier key for key-combinations.
• When pressing Control and clicking the mouse-button, you will get a contextual menu. This is a compatibility feature for users with one-button mice; on a two-button mouse, you would just use the right mouse-button, with no modifiers.
• It is used in the command line interface with programs made for that interface.
• Under Mac OS X, the Control key allows the use of Emacs-style key combinations in most text entry fields. For example, Ctrl-A moves the caret to the start of the paragraph, Ctrl-L vertically centers the current line in the editing field, Ctrl-K cuts text to the end of the line to a kill ring separate from the normal clipboard, etc.

In computing, a modifier key is a special key on a computer keyboard that modifies the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. ... An example for a context menu taken from the word processor Microsoft Word The term context menu is commonly used for menus which pop up when clicking an item in a graphical user interface, offering a list of options which vary depending on the context of the action, the application... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mac OS X (pronounced ) is a line of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... This article is about the text editor. ... Kill Ring In the text-editor emacs, the Kill-ring is the functional equivalent to a Clipboard. ... The clipboard is a software program that is used for short-term storage of data as it is transferred between documents or applications, via copy and paste operations. ...

See also

• Alt key
• Break key
• Control characters
• Control-Alt-Delete
• Function key
• Keyboard layout
• Modifier key

The Alt key on a modern Windows keyboard The Alt key on an IBM PC keyboard is the key located immediately to either side of the Space bar, used to change (alternate) the function of other pressed keys. ... Break/Pause key on PC keyboard The break key is a special key on computer keyboards that no longer has a well-defined purpose. ... In computing, a control character or non-printing character, is a code point (a number) in a character set that does not, in itself, represent a written symbol. ... This article is about Control-Alt-Delete, the keyboard shortcut. ... A function key is a key on a computer or terminal keyboard which can be programmed so as to cause an operating system command interpreter or application program to perform certain actions. ... A standard Hebrew keyboard showing both Hebrew and English (QWERTY) letters. ... In computing, a modifier key is a special key on a computer keyboard that modifies the normal action of another key when the two are pressed in combination. ...

External links

• Control keys for quick using PC
• Apple Control Key

IBM/Windows keyboard (US layout) v • d • e
Esc		F1	F2	F3	F4		F5	F6	F7	F8		F9	F10	F11	F12		PrtSc	ScrLk	Pause
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