Menu key

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The Menu key Kontextmenu.jpg
The Menu key
Two different key cap versions Menu key -- Diatec and Dell.jpg
Two different key cap versions
Copilot key (at center) on a Lenovo Legion 7i laptop. Starting in 2024, this key replaces the menu key for licensed Windows-compatible keyboards. Copilot key.jpg
Copilot key (at center) on a Lenovo Legion 7i laptop. Starting in 2024, this key replaces the menu key for licensed Windows-compatible keyboards.

In computing, the menu key (≣ Menu), or application key, is a key with the primary function to launch a context menu with the keyboard rather than with the usual right-mouse button. [1] It was previously found on Microsoft Windows-oriented computer keyboards and was introduced at the same time as the Windows logo key. On keyboards including the key, its symbol would usually have been a small icon depicting a pointer hovering above a menu; it would typically have been found on the right side of the keyboard between the right Windows logo key and the right control key (or between the right AltGr key and the right control key). While the Windows key is present on the vast majority of keyboards intended for use with the Windows operating system, the menu key was frequently omitted in the interest of space, particularly on portable and laptop keyboards.

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It was able to be used when the right-mouse button was not present on a mouse.

Some Windows public terminals did not have a Menu key on their keyboard with the goal of preventing users from right-clicking; however, in many Windows applications, a similar functionality could be invoked with the ⇧ Shift+F10 keyboard shortcut, or sometimes Ctrl+⇧ Shift+F10.

Some laptop computers include a menu function on the fn key (usually operated by typing ⇧ Shift+Fn), however, this generally invokes functions built into the vendor's software and is not the same as the key described above. For example, the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard has an FN key where the menu key is usually found; pressing FN, together with the keyboard's print screen key (above home), produces the Menu key function.

Programmers using the Windows API can intercept this key by looking for a WM_KEYDOWN message with wParam VK_APPS (defined as 0x5D in winuser.h). It has key code 93 (VK_APPS 0x5D).

Android devices formerly came with physical menu buttons, but with the release of Android Honeycomb, this was deprecated in favor of an on-screen button. [2] [3]

In January 2024, Microsoft announced a Microsoft Copilot key that would replace the menu key on devices promoted as "AI PCs"—later branded as "Copilot+ PC". [4] If Copilot is disabled or not available in a user's market, this key would launch Windows Search. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Context menu</span> User interface element

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scroll Lock</span> Computer key

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Function key</span> Key on a computer or terminal keyboard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Control (macOS)</span> Feature of the macOS operating system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows key</span> Keyboard key

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Option key</span> Modifier key present on Apple keyboards

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fn key</span> Keyboard modifier key

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouse button</span> Electric switch on a computer mouse

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer keyboard</span> Data input device

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keyboard layout</span> Arrangement of keys on a typographic keyboard

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windows 11</span> Major release of Windows NT, released in 2021

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microsoft Copilot</span> Chatbot developed by Microsoft

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References

  1. "Using your keyboard". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  2. "Menus | Android Developers". Developer.android.com. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  3. "Say Goodbye to the Menu Button | Android Developers Blog". Android-developers.blogspot.co.uk. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
  4. Kastrenakes, Jacob (2024-05-20). "Microsoft announces Copilot Plus PCs with built-in AI hardware". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  5. Warren, Tom (2024-03-26). "Microsoft's new era of AI PCs will need a Copilot key, says Intel". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  6. "Microsoft's new Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years". The Verge. Vox Media. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.


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