It is a fact that there is no universally accepted standard for how many keys should be on the keyboard, buttons, and keys. The number of total keys on a keyboard keeps changing based on the style and size of the keyboard. If the keyboard is small then there will be no numbers which makes the total number of keys less than if the keyboard has both num and pads.
The 5 main types of Keys on a computer keyboard and their functions are:
- Typing (alphanumeric) keys/Symbol Keys
- Control keys
- Function keys
- Navigation keys
- Numeric keypad
- Punctuation Keys
| Name of Keys | Use and Functions |
| Shift | Press Shift in combination with a letter to type an uppercase letter. Press Shift in combination with another key to type the symbol shown on the upper part of that key. |
| Caps Lock | Press Caps Lock once to type all letters in uppercase. Press Caps Lock again to turn this function off. Your keyboard might have a light indicating whether Caps Lock is on. |
| Tab | Press Tab to move the cursor several spaces forward. You can also press Tab to move to the next text box on a form. |
| Enter | Press Enter to move the cursor to the beginning of the next line. In a dialog box, press Enter to select the highlighted button. |
| Spacebar | Press the Spacebar to move the cursor one space forward. |
| Backspace | Press Backspace to delete the character before the cursor, or the selected text. |
Number of Keys Based on Keyboards
The main keyboard types are:
- IBM/PC Keyboard
- Apple Keyboard
IBM/PC Keyboards History Features Based on Countries
| No of Keys | Year/Keyboard Type |
| 83 Keys | 1981 – IBM/PC Keyboard |
| 84 keys | AT keyboard |
| 84 keys | 1984 – IBM PC |
| 101 keys | AT Keyboard |
| 101 keys | US Keyboard |
| 102 keys | European Keyboard |
| 104 keys | N/A |
| 86-key | N/A |
Symbol/Number Keys
To type the below symbols, press the SHIFT Key and press the number.
| Number Keys | Respective Symbols |
| 1 | ! |
| 2 | @ |
| 3 | # |
| 4 | $ |
| 5 | % |
| 6 | ^ |
| 7 | & |
| 8 | * |
| 9 | ( |
| 0 | ) |
