What does the scroll block do?

Have you ever wondered what the scroll block does? Yes me too. You can find it on most keyboards, although most people never use it.

For most purposes, the computer mouse replaces Scroll Lock. Fortunately, this article sheds some light on its uses and more.

What does the scroll block do?

This button, located on PC keyboards, toggles between scrolling and non-scrolling modes. When active, the arrow keys scroll the screen regardless of the current cursor position.

This allows you to navigate texts and screen content efficiently. For example, if you have 300 lines and the screen only shows 50 at a time, you can use this toggle key to skip entire pages, not to mention individual lines.

Scroll Lock transforms the up and down arrows from single line movements to full page breaks.

It is used more often with Excel nowadays. With Scroll Lock disabled, you can move between different cells using the arrow keys. But when it’s active and you press the arrow, the whole page moves and the cursor doesn’t change cells.

Fortunately, you can set it as a program shortcut in Windows 10. Or you can reassign it for more practical purposes.

How to remap the scroll lock key

With Microsoft’s free PowerToys utility for Windows 10, you can easily remap the Scroll Lock button to another system key or function. Remapping means that when you press Scroll Lock, it does something that you prescribe. As such, you can use it for many different activities, such as:

Mute / Unmute volume

The button quickly adjusts the volume of the device by stopping or activating the audio output.
This is especially useful if you need to silence your computer to answer a call.

play pause

This toggle switch n set your media files right now. For example, if you are playing a hidden YouTube video in a background tab, you can press the Play/Pause button to pause it and press it again to resume it.

This is useful if you frequently listen to music on your computer. You can touch Scroll Lock to pause a song and then touch it again to play it.

Sleep

Hibernate mode reduces power consumption, allows your PC to start up faster, and instantly takes you back to where you left off. Data loss is not a problem as your data is automatically backed up by Windows. A single tap on the reassigned Scroll Lock icon activates this pause in your work.

Caps LOCK

This toggle key, located on the left side of a keyboard, allows users to generate uppercase letters. Users do not have to repeatedly press the Shift and Letter keys.

If you constantly press Caps Lock by accident, you can turn it off and assign it to the Scroll Lock key instead.

browser update

Using this button will reload the current page you are on.
One press will quickly reload the current web page.

If any of these alternate uses of the Scroll Lock button sound good to you, here’s how to remap the feature. First, download and launch Microsoft PowerToys. Next, select Keyboard Manager in the sidebar. Then click Reassign a key.

In the Remap Keyboard window, click the plus sign + to add a shortcut.

On the left, you need to define the hotkey of the scroll block you are reassigning. Click Enter Key and then press Scroll Lock.

In the Assigned To: menu on the right, select the function or key you want to assign to Scroll Lock. For example, from below, you can choose Mute volume.

How to start a program with the scroll lock key

You can also use Scroll Lock as part of a hotkey combination to start a program.

First, create a shortcut to the program you want to run and place it on your desktop. Then right click on the link and select Properties.

Click the Hotkey box on the Shortcut tab, then select Scroll Lock. Windows will automatically insert Ctrl + Alt + Scroll Lock in the box.

Click OK to close the window. Whenever you press the Ctrl + Alt + Scroll Lock icon, the program it represents will start.

To wrap

Knowing how Scroll Lock was once important. Now knowing how to change it to be a useful PC key lock will hopefully bring a new sense of use. You may also wonder how you ever lived without it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Should I turn scroll lock on or off?

If you want to scroll line by line with the cursor, it must be disabled. But if you are trying to turn pages with the arrow keys, it must be active.

Why do keyboards still have scroll lock?

Keyboards still have Scroll Lock because you can reassign using it for other functions. Otherwise, its use is obsolete and mice tend to perform better.

What do Pause and Scroll Lock do?

The Pause-Pause button temporarily interrupts a process. Most people use it to temporarily interrupt a game.

On PC keyboards, the Scroll Lock key toggles between scroll and non-scroll modes. When active, the arrow keys scroll the screen regardless of the current cursor position.

What does scroll lock actually do?

The Scroll Lock button on a PC keyboard toggles between a scroll mode and a non-scroll mode. When active, the arrow keys scroll the screen regardless of the current cursor position.

And if you are still wondering what Scroll Lock does, consider reading this full article.