Use Function Keys on Mac or MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

While function keys, also known as F keys, have been a fixture on Mac keyboards for years, their usage and understanding seem to be declining among users. This article aims to demystify the functionality of each function key and provide guidance on how to effectively use them on your Mac or MacBook.

If you find it challenging to remember the specific features of each F key control and the key combinations on your Mac keyboard, consider bookmarking this page for convenient reference.

What are the function keys on a Mac keyboard?

On the top row of your Mac keyboard, you'll find the F1 through F12 keys. These 12 F keys are known as function keys designed to perform keyboard shortcuts or to control system features. The icon printed on top of each function key indicates the system feature it controls. For example, pressing the keys with speaker icons adjusts the volume. The system features that the F4, F5, and F6 keys control vary across different compatible Mac models. 

What is the fn key on a Mac keyboard?

The 'fn' key is short for 'function'. It serves as one of the modifier keys on a Mac, located at the bottom left of the keyboard beneath the Shift key and to the left of the Control key.

For a long time, this key didn't have a designated function but was used to enable the standard functions of the function keys at the top of the keyboard. Until lately, Apple uses the same key as the global key and you can customize the settings for the fn/Global key.

Here is how:

Step 1. Choose the Apple menu > System Settings > Keyboard.

Step 2. Next to "Press 🌐 key to", choose one of the options:

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How to change the default behavior of the F keys

"I've found this annoying problem where if I press function keys they don't perform as expected. F12 opens up Chrome's inspector while F11 just hides windows to show Mac desktop. The only way I can click to, say, change brightness is to click the Fn key. What is causing this and how do I change it back to standard function key functionality? And what causes it in the first place?" - From Superuser

By default, keyboard function keys are used independently to control system features. To use the function keys as standard function keys for keyboard shortcuts, you must press the Fn key and the desired F key together. For example, pressing both Fn and F12 (speaker icon) performs the action assigned to the F12 key which is to open Chrome's inspector instead of raising the audio volume of your speakers.

To make the F keys work as standard function keys without holding the Fn key on your Mac, you need to change the default behavior of function keys on your Mac. Moreover, this change in function behavior may resolve any issues related to the function keys not working on Mac and Mac volume function keys not working.

How to change function key behavior on Mac

On macOS Ventura or later:

Step 1. Choose the Apple menu > System Settings.

Step 2. Click Keyboard in the sidebar.

Step 3. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts button on the right.

Step 4. Click Function Keys in the sidebar.

Step 5. Turn on "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys". 

On macOS Monterey or earlier:

Step 1. Choose the Apple menu > System Preferences.

Step 2. Click Keyboard.

Step 3. Mark the checkbox next to "Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys".

Now, to use the feature printed on each function key, you must press and hold the Fn key or the 🌐key if you are using a Magic keyboard and then press the required function key. For example, to decrease the display brightness, you must press Fn-F1 or 🌐-F1.

If you're using a non-Apple keyboard that doesn't have an Fn key, try pressing and holding the Control key instead when pressing a function key.

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How to use function keys on MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

If you own a MacBook with a Touch Bar, you may have noticed that traditional F keys are removed from the keyboard. 

Since the Touch Bar provides icons for adjusting display brightness and changing audio volume, the F buttons become unnecessary for the system feature controlling purpose. However, if you prefer to use the F keys on your MacBook Pro across different apps as standard function keys, there are two manual methods to enable your MacBook Pro's Touch Bar to display the F1 through F12 keys.

Temporarily show F keys on Touch Bar

Simply press and hold the fn key or 🌐 key on your MacBook Pro keyboard.

Permanently show F keys on Touch Bar

On macOS Ventura or later:

Step 1. Open the Apple menu > System Settings.

Step 2. Click Keyboard in the sidebar.

Step 3. Click the Touch Bar Settings button on the right.

Step 4. Next to "Touch Bar Shows", choose "F1, F2, etc. keys". 

Step 5. Click Done.

On macOS Monterey or earlier:

Step 1. Open the Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard.

Step 2. Under "Touch Bar shows," select "F1, F2, etc. keys".

Mac keyboard shortcuts with function keys

Below are the Mac keyboard shortcuts involving the function keys.

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