What can I use to get my missing key back?
QMy old computer let me quickly fix spelling mistakes in Word by pressing the ‘right-click’ key on my keyboard, then choosing from a list of suggestions. This key is missing from my new Windows 10 laptop. Is there an easy way to get this function back? Kevin Parkins
ASmaller laptops often leave out this key because they don’t have space for it (the key is often referred to as the Application or Context key, and performs the same function as a right-click on a mouse). You can actually perform the same function using the Shift+f10 keyboard shortcut, but making the switch to this isn’t always easy when you’re used to pressing a single key. Using a program called Sharpkeys, you can change the function of a key on your keyboard so that it performs this function – a process known as remapping. Obviously, the key you remap will no longer perform its original function, so it needs to be one you don’t regularly use and won’t miss. Don’t worry - anything you do is reversible, so you can get your keyboard back the way it was if needed.
First, download Sharpkeys from www.snipca.com/33957, selecting the ‘.msi’ file for the latest release (‘sharpkeys39. msi’ at the time of writing). Run the program, click Add, then Type Key on the left-hand side. Now press the key you want to use as the Application key – we chose the right Ctrl key (who needs two Ctrl keys anyway?) – then click OK. On the right-hand side, scroll down the list, select ‘Special: Application (E0_5D)’ (see screenshot, E0_5D is the code for the Application key), then click OK. Click OK again to return to the main screen, then ‘Write to Registry’ to save the changes. You’ll now be prompted to restart, after which the right Ctrl key (or whichever key you pressed) will work like the Application (or right-click) key.
If you want to revert your keyboard to its original layout, reload Sharpkeys, click Delete All, then ‘Write to Registry’.
Do you need our advice on what software to use? Just email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk