Vista Tutorial - Toggle Keys at Startup

**Brink** · **OPTION ONE:**

How to Enable or Disable a Toggle Key at Startup in Vista

Information

A toggle key is the Num Lock, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock keys. These are disabled by default in Vista at startup. You can enable or disable a toggle key by pressing it. Usually there is a light for each key that indicates when the toggle key is enabled or disabled.

Tip

Sometimes there is a setting in the BIOS to turn one or more of these toggle keys on or off. This can override your setting in the tutorial below. You should check there first.

RELATED LINKS:

OPTION ONE:
At Startup for a User Account Desktop

NOTE

Normally, the user account will startup with the same state of the toggle key as you last left it at logoff or shutdown of that user account.

1. Press the toggle keys to turn them On or Off for how you want them at startup.

2. Open the Start Menu.

3. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

4. Click on the Continue button in the UAC prompt.
NOTE: You will not get a UAC prompt in a Standard account.

5. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard

6. In the right pane, right click on InitialKeyboardIndicators and click Modify.

7. Type in a number in the table below for what you want and click OK. (See screenshot below table)
Number Description
0 All indicators off (Default setting)
1 Caps Lock on
2 Num Lock on
3 Caps Lock and Num Lock on
4 Scroll Lock on
5 Caps Lock and Scroll Lock on
6 Num Lock and Scroll Lock on
7 Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock on

8. Close regedit.

9. Log off and log on to set the change.

OPTION TWO:
At Startup for the Logon Screen

NOTE

This is before you logon to a user account. You will either need to do this in a Administrator account or have regedit Run as administrator in a Standard account.

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. Click on the Continue button in the UAC prompt.
4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)
HKEY_USERS\.Default\Control Panel\Keyboard

5. In the right pane, right click on InitialKeyboardIndicators and click Modify.

6. Type in a number below for what you want and click OK. (See screenshot below table)
NOTE: It is safe to change this longer default number 2147483648 (decimal equivalent of 0x80000000). It acts the same as 0.
Number Description
0 All indicators off (Default setting)
1 Caps Lock on
2 Num Lock on
3 Caps Lock and Num Lock on
4 Scroll Lock on
5 Caps Lock and Scroll Lock on
6 Num Lock and Scroll Lock on
7 Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock on

7. Close regedit.

That's it,
Shawn

DRIAB1 · 02-11-2008

Thanks For The Redirect To Tutorials, Although Very Clear To Follow, Despite Regedit, I Can Only Boot Up With Num Locks On--no Cap Lock.
Any Further Ideas?

**Brink** · 02-11-2008

Hi DRIAB1,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

Have you checked in the BIOS to see if a setting in there may be interfering with this one? Usually there is a option in the BIOS to turn one or more toggle keys on or off at startup.

Shawn

seevets · 04-20-2009

Number Lock default info for HP/Compaq Notebooks, when BIOS cannot be accessed ~
Although the info on most blogs is from 2007 era, some of us are just now learning the Vista system. I spent 90 minutes searching and never found this info. Most info states "after logon" regarding the default state of Num Lock.

Shawn's regedit method works fine, and yes it does change the default state to on if a 2 is entered. Here is the catch - the number keypad is enabled at logon and stays enabled for users, however the indicator light does not get turned on.

For the light to come on, one must toggle the number lock off then back on. I hope this might ease some of the confusion.

Steve

**Brink** · 04-20-2009

Thank you Steve for sharing this. Welcome to Vista Forums.

Shawn

02-11-2008
DRIAB1 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2008 VISTA HOME PREMIUM 1 posts	Re: Toggle Keys at Startup Thanks For The Redirect To Tutorials, Although Very Clear To Follow, Despite Regedit, I Can Only Boot Up With Num Locks On--no Cap Lock. Any Further Ideas?
My System Specs

02-11-2008
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,813 posts	Re: Toggle Keys at Startup Hi DRIAB1, Welcome to Vista Forums. Have you checked in the BIOS to see if a setting in there may be interfering with this one? Usually there is a option in the BIOS to turn one or more toggle keys on or off at startup. Shawn
My System Specs

04-20-2009
seevets Newbie Join Date: Apr 2009 vista home premium 1 posts	Re: Toggle Keys at Startup Number Lock default info for HP/Compaq Notebooks, when BIOS cannot be accessed ~ Although the info on most blogs is from 2007 era, some of us are just now learning the Vista system. I spent 90 minutes searching and never found this info. Most info states "after logon" regarding the default state of Num Lock. Shawn's regedit method works fine, and yes it does change the default state to on if a 2 is entered. Here is the catch - the number keypad is enabled at logon and stays enabled for users, however the indicator light does not get turned on. For the light to come on, one must toggle the number lock off then back on. I hope this might ease some of the confusion. Steve
My System Specs

04-20-2009
Brink Administrator Join Date: Apr 2007 Vista x64 Ultimate SP2, Windows 7 (7600) x64 25,813 posts	Re: Toggle Keys at Startup Thank you Steve for sharing this. Welcome to Vista Forums. Shawn
My System Specs

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