What Does the Home Key Do?
Home jumps the cursor to the start of the line you are on. On a web page, it jumps to the very top.
Long page? Home zips you straight back to the top!
Where is the Home key?
The highlighted key is the Home key on a typical Windows laptop keyboard, with a number pad on the right. Keyboards vary a little by brand.
What the Home key does
- Home: start of the current line.
- Ctrl + Home: very start of the whole document.
- Shift + Home: select everything from the cursor back to the start of the line.
- On a web page: jump to the top (handy at the bottom of a long article).
Do not mix it up with the home row! The home row is where your fingers rest (A S D F and J K L ;), and the Home key is a navigation key.
Windows, Mac and Chromebook
Windows
Labeled Home. On some laptops you press Fn + Left arrow instead. With Num Lock off, keypad 7 also works as Home.
Mac
MacBooks have no Home key. Use Command + Left arrow for the start of a line, Command + Up arrow for the top of a document, and fn + Left arrow to scroll to the top of a page.
Chromebook
No Home key. Search + Left arrow goes to the start of the line, and Ctrl + Alt + Up arrow goes to the top of a page.
Which finger presses it?
Lift your right hand and press Home with your pointer or middle finger, then return to the home row.
Fun fact
Home, End, Page Up and Page Down are often called the "navigation cluster". Full-size keyboards put them in a little group of six keys with Insert and Delete.
Keep learning
- Practice the reach in Lesson 26: Numbers 6 to 0.
- More keys: End key, Page Up and Page Down, Arrow keys, Insert key.
- See every keyboard key explained.
- Names of all the symbols: Keyboard Characters and Meanings.
Quick drill: find the Home key
Press the key on your keyboard, or click or tap it below, when Rocky asks. Wrong key? We will tell you what it was.
Home key FAQ
What does Ctrl + Home do?
It jumps to the very beginning of a document.
How do I press Home on a Mac?
Use Command + Left arrow for the start of a line, or fn + Left arrow to scroll to the top of a page.
Is the Home key the same as the home row?
No. The home row is where your fingers rest. The Home key moves the cursor.