# Backspace is now going "back" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139 "2003-01-02T03:05:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/1 "2003-01-02T03:05:47Z")
Fudge. Okay, all you computer experts out there, I have an error I don’t know how to fix. Alright, first, what I think maybe the cause: I turned off my computer because the “weatherbug” wouldn’t shut down, ie. I couldn’t restart my computer. Now whenever I push backspace, when I’m on the web, instead of deleting the text I wish to be deleted my browser goes back a page. Does anyone know how to fix this? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![NotBob13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e19b73/32.png) [@NotBob13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotBob13)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/2 "2003-01-02T04:08:46Z")
I think this is a product of using a web browser. I am constantly hitting the “tab” key to indent paragraghs on message boards, but that just jumps me to the next field, or button. Try the arrow keys and the “delete” key, see if that works better for you. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/3 "2003-01-02T04:16:42Z")
Meatros, I’ve had a similar problem before with my ‘tab’ button toggling between multiple windows/programs that I’m running, instead of jumping to the next field like I want it to. If I remember right, I corrected it by holding the “alt” button (or was it “ctrl”?) and pressing the ‘tab’ button and then releasing. You might try alt+backspace and see if that changes its function. ---
**Author:** ![Meros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Meros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meros)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/4 "2003-01-02T04:59:32Z")
Apologies for the near similar name. I will likely be changing mine now but anyway. There are a number of things that could be causing the problem. At first I was baffled until I read what **Tangent** said. The key combination “Alt-Tab” is the windows key combination for switching between currently running windowed tasks. (The favorite shortcut for we sysadmins who dont like to try and find the mouse under the pile of everything on our desk) and on some browsers “Alt-Backspace” is a keyboard shortcut for the back button…probably again for we workspace-cleanliness-impaired. Two things I would check are your accessability options (a control panel by varying names depending on your respective OS) to se if the “Sticky-Keys” or some similarly named option has been enabled. This allows for a person to enter shortcuts by first pressing the modifier (Alt, Cntrl, Option, Command and my favorite the Penguin key) and then pressing the shortcut’s letter/number key. Even the best of typists will occassionaly hit those keys that are so annoyingly close to the palms of your hands. Another thing I would check for, in the same respect, is the possibility of a stuck Alt. key. If you are farily confident in your abilities and this is the case a little excursion into prying your key covers off and a can of pressurized air could fix everything. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/5 "2003-01-02T05:16:01Z")
Most likely it’s a sticky alt key, as **Meros** said. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/6 "2003-01-02T05:49:37Z")
It’s a known issue with some versions of Windows and Internet Explorer. It is probably not a stuck key. What versions of Windows and IE are you running? ---
**Author:** ![Trader\_of\_shorts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90ced4/32.png) [@Trader\_of\_shorts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trader_of_shorts)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/7 "2003-01-02T08:00:42Z")
It is not a new thing - infact i believe its hard built into ever browser since 4.5 IE and 4.0 Netscape. If you hit backspace in a NON text form …IE you click onto a page so it is highlighted (not a link just the page) IE click **Here** and then push your back psace key it should take you back a page. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/8 "2003-01-02T08:06:26Z")
I had problems once with the TAB key – when trying to log onto an email account entry page, the TAB kept flicking me through open windows, rather than down to the next part of the form, as expected. And no, I wasn’t holding down an ALT key at the time. The problem lasted only one session, though. When I rebooted, it was fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/9 "2003-01-02T12:18:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Joey G \* > \*\*It’s a known issue with some versions of Windows and Internet Explorer. It is probably not a stuck key. > > What versions of Windows and IE are you running? \*\* I’m running Windows XP. I’m unfortunately at work right now, so I’m not going to get to try any of the advice you all are giving me until later ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/10 "2003-01-02T12:51:05Z")
In IE5, they started using backspace as a shortcut for “back”. This is supposed to be disabled when a text box has focus. Sometimes, when you switch between windows or text fields, the text box loses focus and the browser interprets your backspace as the “back” shortcut. This is a well-known bug with IE5+. I don’t know if they fixed it in later versions. You may try upgrading just to be sure. So don’t worry about your keys being stuck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/11 "2003-01-02T13:00:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Joey G \* > \*\*In IE5, they started using backspace as a shortcut for “back”. This is supposed to be disabled when a text box has focus. Sometimes, when you switch between windows or text fields, the text box loses focus and the browser interprets your backspace as the “back” shortcut. > > This is a well-known bug with IE5+. I don’t know if they fixed it in later versions. You may try upgrading just to be sure. > > So don’t worry about your keys being stuck. 🙂 \*\* I’ll have to check that when I get home. I’m pretty sure I have the most recent version of IE (I haven’t gotten any pop-ups). How would I fix it manually? Can I fix it manually? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/12 "2003-01-03T09:08:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Meatros \* > \*\*How would I fix it manually? Can I fix it manually? \*\* I don’t think so. Not 100% sure, though. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/13 "2003-01-03T12:30:56Z")
Alright, just wanted to let everyone know, the problem is solved and as much as I would love to come here and say I had something to do with the fix’n, I can not. I rebooted my computer again when I got home and bingo, no problemo. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/14 "2003-01-03T16:34:42Z")
Yep, restart works for keyboard issues. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/15 "2003-01-03T19:02:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Meatros \* > \*\*Alright, just wanted to let everyone know, the problem is solved and as much as I would love to come here and say I had something to do with the fix’n, I can not. I rebooted my computer again when I got home and bingo, no problemo. \*\* It will probably be back, I have a few computers here at work where it comes and goes. It usually only happens when you have been switching between windows that have text boxes. > [@](#): > > **Yep, restart works for keyboard issues.** This is an Internet Explorer issue, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyLittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@CrazyLittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyLittle)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/16 "2003-01-03T22:08:18Z")
\> This is a well-known bug with IE5+. It’s only a bug if they didn’t intend it. In this case, it’s a MS “Feature” and is still, VERY PRESENT in IE6 ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backspace-is-now-going-back/146139/17 "2003-01-04T00:08:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrazyLittle \* > \*\*\> This is a well-known bug with IE5+. > > It’s only a bug if they didn’t intend it.\*\* It is a bug. They didn’t intend for the backspace key to act as a “back” shortcut when working within a text box. This is Microsoft Knowlege Base article 235239: [Pressing BACKSPACE Key in Text Input Box When Web Page Is Inactive Causes Browser to Move Through Browser History](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;235239) > [@](#): > > \*\*In this case, it’s a MS “Feature” and is still, VERY PRESENT in IE6 \*\* That’s why I said IE5+ (PLUS). That’s when it started, and to my knowlege it hasn’t been fixed yet.