# What's this key on my new keyboard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304 "2008-05-31T22:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/1 "2008-05-31T22:45:46Z")
Got a new Dell desktop computer. On the keyboard’s right side, between the Win and Ctrl keys is one with a rectangle with some horizontal white and dark bars, and a mouse cursor pointing to the rectangle. I guess it may represent a piece of paper (or a screen) with text. Nothing ever happens when I hit it in a wordprocessor or on the Internet. What the heck does it do? ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/2 "2008-05-31T22:52:49Z")
I think it’s supposed to do a “right click” on the application. At elast that’s what happens when I press it in various applications. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/3 "2008-05-31T22:54:45Z")
It’s the [menu key](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key), it brings up [contextual menus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_menu). ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/4 "2008-05-31T23:29:42Z")
[QUOTE=Szlater] It’s the [menu key](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key), it brings up [contextual menus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_menu). [/QUOTE] That’s it, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/5 "2008-06-01T00:13:33Z")
“New” key? The menu key was introduced at the same time as the Windows key. I’m surprised the OP has seen one but not the other. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/6 "2008-06-01T00:18:01Z")
Yeah, when it comes to new keys there are usually a crapload spread all around keyboards, designed to bring up the calculator or play videos, or other such useless nonsense. I hate those annoying space-wasters. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/7 "2008-06-01T00:46:10Z")
“And what’s up with this Start Menu! I like Program Manager!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/8 "2008-06-01T01:13:33Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] “New” key? The menu key was introduced at the same time as the Windows key. I’m surprised the OP has seen one but not the other. [/QUOTE] Well, first of all, I’ve been using several older keyboards that still work, until they died one by one. Secondly, the last three had the two Win keys, but definitely not this menu key. Maybe some offbeat models, I don’t know, but this is the first I’ve had. In fact (I just checked) the Dell laptop I got about a year ago goes not have it either. Two Function keys, but no menu one. So, they are not that prevalent. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/9 "2008-06-01T01:38:40Z")
Does anyone use that key anymore? Keyboards seem to have a lot of obsolete keys. This ‘Menu’ key, F1 through F-infinity, Pause/Break and Scroll Lock could all disappear andfew people would care. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/10 "2008-06-01T01:55:47Z")
That’s known as the ‘Any’ key. When the computer tells you to “Press Any Key” that’s the one you should press. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/11 "2008-06-01T02:00:50Z")
[QUOTE=CoG888] Does anyone use that key anymore? Keyboards seem to have a lot of obsolete keys. This ‘Menu’ key, F1 through F-infinity, Pause/Break and Scroll Lock could all disappear andfew people would care. [/QUOTE] A lot of them are useful for gaming, in fact I’m hard pressed to find a key in Warcraft 3 that ISN’T bound to some random function (for my ventrillo press to talk key). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/12 "2008-06-01T06:59:11Z")
[QUOTE=CoG888] …F1 through F-infinity… [/QUOTE] The Function keys have a huge amount of usefulness in various pieces of software. Plus it has the Help, Refresh, and Close functions, which are pretty universal for all applications. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/13 "2008-06-01T11:32:57Z")
\>F1 through F-infinity, Pause/Break and Scroll Lock could all disappear Lots of things use the Function keys, and it’s pretty easy to program them with special functions. And, several pieces of software use the Pause/Break key to interrupt a long process. Technical software that can take minutes or hours or even days to do a calculation will often give you the opportunity to stop that calculation if you hit that key, or Control-Break. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/14 "2008-06-01T11:43:44Z")
[QUOTE=KlondikeGeoff] Well, first of all, I’ve been using several older keyboards that still work, until they died one by one. Secondly, the last three had the two Win keys, but definitely not this menu key. Maybe some offbeat models, I don’t know, but this is the first I’ve had. In fact (I just checked) the Dell laptop I got about a year ago goes not have it either. Two Function keys, but no menu one. So, they are not that prevalent. [/QUOTE] Chill and don’t take it as an attack, it’s just a fact. It is a key manufacturers have been putting on keyboards for a very long time. I one I type from now has it and it’s over 7 years old. I do use these keys, the function keys, the multimedia keys, and some of the other programmable keys. I don’t know why somebody won’t if they knew how they worked or knew how to program macros. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/15 "2008-06-01T19:12:14Z")
I use the function keys and right-click key constantly. They’re very handy for those of us who find it easier and speedier to keep our hands on the keyboard as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/16 "2008-06-01T20:41:22Z")
And most, of not all BIOSs are controlled by F-keys. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-key-on-my-new-keyboard/451304/17 "2008-06-02T00:27:27Z")
[QUOTE=Terminus Est] “New” key? The menu key was introduced at the same time as the Windows key. I’m surprised the OP has seen one but not the other. [/QUOTE] For what it’s worth, I had never even noticed this key until this thread. I too have a new PC from Dell, and when I read the OP, I looked down and said, “Hey, I have one too!”