Num Lock On Startup Best May 2026

There are few things in computing as simultaneously trivial and infuriating as the Num Lock key.

Let’s dive into the bizarre BIOS battle, the Windows registry hack, and the quiet war between the numeric keypad and arrow keys. To understand Num Lock, you need to travel back to 1981. The original IBM PC keyboard didn't have separate arrow keys. Instead, the number pad pulled double duty. Num Lock (Numeric Lock) was the toggle that switched the pad from "Numbers" to "Navigation" (Home, End, PgUp, Arrows). num lock on startup

We’ve all been there. But why doesn’t Num Lock just stay on? And more importantly, how do you force your computer to remember your preference once and for all? There are few things in computing as simultaneously

Because manufacturers hide the number pad inside the main keyboard. Look at the keys 7, 8, 9, U, I, O, J, K, L . If Num Lock is , those keys produce 7,8,9,4,5,6,1,2,3 . The original IBM PC keyboard didn't have separate arrow keys