Get Your Caps Lock Key Back on Your Chromebook – We’re Taking It Back!

If you’re a PC user, you’ll probably be annoyed that the ever-so-precious “Caps Lock” key is GONE ON YOUR CHROMEBOOK.

Instead, it’s been replaced by this mysterious key with a magnifying glass. It’s called the Finder Key, and you’ll probably use it much more often than the Caps Lock key once you get used to it. You can launch apps, search Google, or even search for new apps to install all from this single key.

You may have also noticed that you’re missing some other familiar keys as well, like the Delete key, F1-12 keys, and even Print Screen.

Chromebooks have solutions for all of these keys by using an alternative keyboard combination.

But, I digress.

Get your Caps Lock back

(Did you want to see all the keyboard shortcuts? Check out this cheat sheet.)

This quick article will teach you how to turn on Caps Lock on your Chromebook and get your caps back.

Step 1: Press “Alt + Finder” (the key we just talked about). You’ll see an icon appear in the notifications widget to show that the casing has been shifted. You may also get a notification alerting you that Caps Lock has been turned on. Of course, you’ll know this already when you start typing.

Step 2: Type out your sentence, paragraph, essay or whatever else you want in ALL CAPS.

Step 3: Press “Shift” to turn it off again. Or press the same “Alt + Finder” combination again. Both work to toggle it off.

That’s it. You can now go ahead and type in all your casing glory on your Chromebook. It’s that easy.

It’s uniquely awesome

Do you want to change the keyboard combinations so you have a permanent Caps Lock key? You can do that. Just go into your Settings menu (click on the bottom-right status area) and find the subsection called Keyboard Settings to change the keyboard shortcuts.

Sure, it’s not as convenient as a traditional Windows keyboard layout, but you still have the function to do so. And, you’ll probably get used to using the Finder key anyway.

It’s a really convenient tool that I find myself using constantly to do everything- searching Google, launching apps, and even using voice dictation to tell my Chromebook to schedule appointments. It’s awesome. I use it much more than the other dreaded key anyway.

• About the Author

About Andy Z.

Andy is a casual-hardcore Chrome OS fan and contributes to the site regularly. He likes computers, tech, sports cars, videogames, and of course, Chromebooks. Thinker. Introvert. Geek. You can find him on Twitter (@platytech), or send him an email (check the "Contact Us" page).