Dealing with the Caps Lock

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Here in the UK a Computeractive Magazine staff member has written a programme for which many will have cause to thank him . . .

No connection, no axe to grind, just a grateful reader.

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Without 3rd-party software…

Unlocking the Cap Lock key the same way typewriters have been doing it for decades…

For as long as I can remember, typewriters have been able to unlock the Caps Lock key (i.e. Shift Lock on typewriters) merely by pressing the Shift key. Yet, on modern computers, this feature is disabled by default. How many times have you typed “i’M NOT YELLING AT YOU,” only to have to go back and edit your entry just because you accidentally enabled Caps Lock?

ALL UPPER CASE letters is akin to YELLING at someone, especially in email and text; this makes this especially annoying.

As it turns out, you can make your newfangled computer behave like an old typewriter. You can tell Windows that you want to use Caps Lock to turn on Caps Lock, but use Shift to turn it off. To change it, follow these steps:

[*]Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel and double-click Regional and Language Options.
[*]In the Languages tab, click the Details button.
[*]In the Settings tab, you should see a button called Key Settings. It may be grayed out. If it is, click the Add button and add another keyboard layout (it doesn’t matter which one). Press OK.
[*]Back in the Settings tab, click to make sure your original keyboard is highlighted and press the Key Settings button.
[*]Now under To turn off Caps Lock, click the radio button next to Press the Shift key. Click OK.
[*](You should be able to remove the keyboard layout that you just added. Windows should retain its settings; this is why it didn’t matter which one you added. The Key Settings button will be grayed out again, once you have removed additional keyboard layouts, but Windows should retain your preferences anyway…)
[*]Click OK twice more to exit the other two dialog boxes.

Now, try it out. You should be able to turn off Caps Lock just by pressing the Shift key. If it doesn’t work, you may need to reboot your computer. But eventually, you can make your computer work just like your trusty old typewriter.

The links in the original post don’t work, anyway…

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As it turns out, you can make your newfangled computer behave like an old typewriter. You can tell Windows that you want to use Caps Lock to turn on Caps Lock, but use Shift to turn it off.

Thanks! This tip is very useful to us oldtimers. After all these decades, my fingers still have a habit of pressing the Shift key a couple times before I start typing. (I wonder how many of the youngsters here have ever used a typewriter.)

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I have been doing that with a registry hack since XP days. Thanks for telling me how to do it the right way!

Treg

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Hey Y’all,

For Windows 8.
Set Shift Key to Turn off Caps Lock

Registry Key: HKCUKeyboard Layout
Create a new value with:
Name: Attributes
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 10000 {hex}
Reboot for it to take effect.
:cheers:

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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Here’s what I do..
Go to Control Panel/Ease of Access/Make The Keyboard Easier To Use option and check TURN ON TOGGLE keys..

A sound will play if you hit the Caps Lock or NUM lock keys..

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Excellent tips from jgstanley and Banyarola to overcome this annoyance! Thanks.

In prehistoric times keyboards used to have LEDs that indicated when Caps or Num lock were enabled. That was very helpful but for whatever reason (cost, battery life?) is no longer generally the case.

Reminds me of the famous Alice Kahn quote: “For a list of all the ways technology has failed to improve the quality of life, please press 3”.

Jock

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I have a Microsoft Digital Keyboard 3000 that has the indicator lights…

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Nice………..thank you……….glenda

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Interesting the problem for me isn’t turning it off. It is ensuring that I never turn it on!
That is, it is such a disfunctionally useless key that I have simply physically flicked the plastic button off the switch.
This way I get excellent tactile feedback for the rare times I accidentally type it.

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Well, in the scheme of things the rare times I have hit the caps lock in error never gave me cause to consider disabling…

Of course, if it bothers you that much then I guess whatever steps you take to disable it is fine…

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