How to Fix Your Keyboard Typing Numbers Instead of Letters

With Num Lock turned on, the numeric keypad on a desktop PC works like an adding machine keypad with numbers and symbols (such as *, /, and +) that represent mathematical operations. With Num Lock turned off, the keypad registers as cursor keys (like up and down arrow) and some editing keys (such as Home and Insert).

What’s Different About Num Lock on a Laptop?

Most laptops don’t have dedicated numeric keypads, so Num Lock works differently on them. Instead of changing cursor keys into numbers, it converts a section of the QWERTY letters on the keyboard into a virtual numeric keypad. Here is an example a keyboard made by Acer for a Windows 10 laptop. When you press the Num Lock key (seen here highlit in a red rectangle), 15 of the keys switch modes into a simulated numeric keypad. When you push them, they register as the symbol highlit in the red circle.

Example of num lock keys on a laptop keyboard

Your laptop will most likely look different than this, but many manufacturers use some variation of using keys on the right side of the keyboard as a numeric keypad with Num Lock. As a result, if you hit the Num Lock key by accident on a laptop, you might have a problem that looks like this.

Example of num lock accidentaly turned on with a laptop

In this case, you’re typing numbers instead of letters because the Num Lock key is turned on. Here’s how to turn it off.

How to Turn Off Num Lock on a Laptop
  • The first step to turning off Num Lock is to find the Num Lock key on your laptop’s keyboard. Its location can vary wildly by laptop manufacturer, but it is usually located in the upper-right corner of the keyboard.
  • Look for a small key that says some variation of “Num Lock,” “NumLk,” or even a small lock symbol with a number 1 inside.

For example, here is the Num Lock key’s location on an Acer laptop.

An example laptop numlock key

In this case, the Num Lock key doubles as the F12 key, and it defaults to being Num Lock. Some laptops may require you to hold down a Function key (commonly labeled “Fn”) while pushing Num Lock to toggle it on or off.

Also, some laptop keyboards may have an indicator light showing whether Num Lock is turned on or off. For example, this YouTube video shows the location of the Num Lock key and its indicator light on a Sony VAIO notebook keyboard.

Your laptop will vary. If you have trouble locating your Num Lock key, try searching for a combination of your manufacturer name + “laptop” + “numlock key location” on Google, and you might find a websites with instructions specific to your laptop. For example, Google “lenovo laptop numlock key location,” and you will find information about the Num Lock key on various ThinkPad laptops.

Preventing Future Num Lock Accidents

Now that you know about the Num Lock key, you can easily turn it off if you ever accidentally find yourself typing numbers again. If you’d like to receive an audible alert when you push the Num Lock key, follow this guide to make your computer play a sound when you type the Num Lock key, so you’ll know if you pressed it by accident. There’s also a way to see a notification in your Task Bar if you turn on Num Lock.

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How to Clear Your Tracked Step History on iPhone

If you’ve ever set up a profile in Apple Health on your iPhone, the app will collect data on how many steps you take each day. If you’d like to clear this record of your physical activity, it’s easy to erase it in the Health app. Here’s how. First, open the Apple Health app. If you can’t find it, swipe downward with one finger in the middle of your iPhone screen, then type “health” in the search bar. Tap the “Health” app icon that appears.

Using Spotlight, search for "Health" then tap the Health icon.

In the Health app, scroll down until you see “Steps,” then tap it. (Depending on how many other health metrics you use, the “Steps” section could be located on various parts of the screen.)

In the Health app, tap "Steps."

On the “Steps” screen, scroll down to the very bottom and tap “Show All Data.”

Tap "Show All Data"

On the “All Recorded Data” screen, tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Tap "Edit"

The screen will change to an edit screen where you can delete data from individual days using the red circles beside each entry. To delete all recorded step data, tap “Delete All.”

Warning: Once you delete your step data, you won’t be able to get it back.

Tap "Delete All"

After confirming the deletion, Health will erase all of your step data. This does not prevent Health from collecting future step data, however. To do so, we’ll need to take a trip to Settings in the section below.

How to Disable Apple Health Activity Tracking on iPhone

If you’ve just cleared your step data and would like to prevent the Health app from collecting activity data in the future, it’s easy to turn off in Settings. First, open the Settings app.

Tap the "Settings" icon on iPhone

In Settings, tap “Privacy.”

In iPhone Settings, tap "Privacy."

In “Privacy,” scroll down and select “Motion & Fitness.”

Tap "Motion & Fitness."

In “Motion and Fitness,” tap the switch beside “Health” to turn it off. This will prevent the Health app from receiving any future activity data from your iPhone’s sensors.

Turn off the switch beside "Health."

Alternately, you can completely disable “Fitness Tracking” at the top of the screen, but doing so will also prevent other apps from using activity data. If that’s fine with you, just switch “Fitness Tracking” to “Off.” After that, exit Settings, and you’re done. From now on, Health will no longer know how many steps you take every day. Stay healthy out there!

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