# Why is the keys on a keyboard labeled in lowercase? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806 "2022-07-12T04:11:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/21 "2022-07-12T12:16:46Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Apple are upper case. I guess I misunderstood the OP to be asking about the special function keys - tab, shift, etc. Because those are all lower case on the Apple I’m typing on now, as well as the image you link. I agree with most - can’t remember ever seeing a keyboard where the letter keys were lowercase. That would look odd indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/22 "2022-07-12T12:44:49Z")
I have four keyboards in easy sight right now, two Mac and two PC. All four use capitals for the letter keys (QWERTY etc.). The Mac keyboards use “tab”, “caps lock”, etc. The PCs use “Tab”, “Caps Lock”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/23 "2022-07-12T12:48:35Z")
irked.😌 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/24 "2022-07-12T13:12:22Z")
All my four keyboards are in upper-case. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/25 "2022-07-12T13:34:36Z")
Another vote for a keyboard that has the letter keys in upper case and the function keys starting with an upper-case letter and then continuing lower case. Then again, it’s a German keyboard, so you’d expect the nouns to be capitalised anyway (“control” is “Steuerung” and becomes “Strg” on the key, etc.). Seems there is no consistency here. Which surprises me, considering how much such things are normally standardised (hence the famous “Why do number pads on computers have the 1 on the bottom left but on phones on the top left?” question). ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/26 "2022-07-12T19:30:28Z")
I’m on an upper case keyboard right now. All “standard” keyboard I’ve used have been upper case. There might be a few small, bluetooth/whatever keyboards that I have used that were lower case. ---
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/27 "2022-07-12T19:36:05Z")
> [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > I wonder whether SmartBulbInc’s keyboards/computers might have been purchased through a school/college/university program. (My daughter bought her Apple laptop through her school, but it has an upper-case keyboard.) Some also seem intended for people with impaired vision. My computer is a chrome book that I specifically brought for the upcoming college semester. Hugh, maybe that is why it is in all lower case. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/28 "2022-07-12T20:24:19Z")
They are just ‘Keycaps’, at least when they are mechanical push buttons They are usually replaceable with whatever characters and colors you want to use. Maybe some company has made some unique keycaps only available from them, but you could probably print replacements anyway. I had to look at mine to see that the regular keys were all caps and the special keys all lower case. I rarely look at the keypad except for when I have to look for where they hid the Insert key (it’s the 0 key on the auxiliary pad dummy!) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/29 "2022-07-12T21:15:14Z")
The only time that I ever see a keyboard with lowercase letters is when I am using a virtual keyboard on a phone or tablet. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/30 "2022-07-12T21:20:40Z")
My keyboard is all-caps, including special function keys. [Corsair K95](https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Gaming-Keyboards/RGB-Mechanical-Gaming-Keyboards/k95-rgb-platinum-config-na/p/CH-9127114-NA) ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/31 "2022-07-12T21:21:51Z")
> [@SmartBulbInc](#): > > My computer is a chrome book If I search for images of Chromebook keyboards, _ **gobs** _ of them have lowercase printing on the keycaps, regardless of who makes them. Lenovo, Acer, Asus, HP, and Dell all make Chromebook accessories, and they all have lowercase lettering on the keys. It might be a specification from Alphabet/Google that Chromebooks are supposed to look like that. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/32 "2022-07-12T21:29:39Z")
It’s apparently a Chromebook “thing.” > **[r/NoStupidQuestions - Why are chromebook keyboards lowercase?](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/ncxfk5/why_are_chromebook_keyboards_lowercase/)** > > 7 votes and 2 comments so far on Reddit ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/33 "2022-07-12T21:31:17Z")
IBM Selectric typewriter has the letters in capitals, and also the words in capitals. I feel like it is yelling at me: BACKSPACE ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/34 "2022-07-12T21:32:16Z")
Reddit user Scarecrow\_Kayak had the absolute best answer in the reddit thread linked below. “Because the other way would have been a large capital investment on their part.” > **[r/chromeos - why are chomebook keyboards all lowercase?](https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/vdd9mu/why_are_chomebook_keyboards_all_lowercase/)** > > 135 votes and 53 comments so far on Reddit ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/35 "2022-07-12T21:36:48Z")
I think the connection between Chromebooks and lower case keyboards is Android aesthetic standards, including the normal Android font and the normal appearance of the standard Google Android soft keyboard. A Chromebook physical keyboard is typically marked with exactly the same letter glyphs (including typeface and lower case) as the GBoard soft keyboard I’m using right now on my Android phone to type this comment. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/36 "2022-07-12T22:22:17Z")
The greatest innovation on Chromebook keyboards, though, is getting rid of the Caps Lock key. I mean, really, when was the last time you EVER intentionally used that, versus how many times have you accidentally hit it and screwed something up? And no, I didn’t use it for “EVER”. It was easier to just hold down shift for four keystrokes (or six, for when I quoted it). ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/37 "2022-07-13T01:21:09Z")
I have an Acer Chromebook, and I never noticed before this thread that every letter on it is lower case. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/38 "2022-07-13T01:48:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > when was the last time you EVER intentionally used that All the time, really. I find myself typing one-handed on a regular basis (Not for _that_ reason, sicko. I have a clingy cat.). And I write a lot of code that needs all-caps for various reasons. Easier to hit caps lock than stretch my hand across the keyboard in various configurations. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/39 "2022-07-13T11:59:48Z")
At university and my first couple jobs as a programmer I mostly used keyboards that couldn’t even **produce** lower case letters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806.md?page=1)