This is a common point of confusion for HP users. The top row of keys on most modern HP laptops are . By default, they act as Action Keys (also called hotkeys) for hardware controls. However, sometimes this setting gets reversed or disabled.
| HP Series | Default Behavior | Fn+Esc Toggle Works? | BIOS Option Name | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Action Keys ON | Yes | Action Keys Mode | | HP Pavilion (2020+) | Action Keys ON | Yes | Hotkeys Mode | | HP EliteBook | Function Keys ON (often) | Yes (with driver) | Fn Key Switch | | HP ProBook | Function Keys ON | Yes | Action Keys / Fn Lock | | HP Stream / Chromebook | Action Keys ON | No (no Fn lock) | Not applicable | | Older HP (Pre-2015) | Varies | No – BIOS only | Multimedia Key / Fn Behavior | how to enable action keys on hp laptop
If you’ve recently purchased an HP laptop or performed a clean installation of Windows, you might have noticed a small frustration: pressing the top row of keys (F1 through F12) doesn’t do what the icons on them suggest. Instead of adjusting volume, screen brightness, or airplane mode, you get traditional function commands like “Help” (F1) or “Refresh” (F5). This is a common point of confusion for HP users
| If you want to... | Default Action Keys Mode | Default Function Keys Mode | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Lower volume | Press the speaker-down key (once) | Hold + speaker-down key | | Refresh a browser | Hold Fn + F5 | Press F5 (once) | However, sometimes this setting gets reversed or disabled
If this guide helped you, share it with another HP laptop user who might still be holding down the Fn key for every brightness adjustment. Happy computing!
Be careful in BIOS. Change only the setting described.