Have you accidentally clicked on the Start menu key when all you wanted was to press Ctrl + A? You are not alone. Even though keyboard shortcuts are essential to speeding up work processes, they can be distracting. Fortunately, there are several ways to turn off keyboard shortcuts to perform your tasks uninterrupted.
To disable keyboard shortcuts on a Windows PC, search for “Edit Group Policy” on your PC menu, go to “User Configurations“, and click “Administrative Templates“.
Next, select “Windows Components” and click on “File Explorer“. Scroll down and double-click “Turn Off Windows Key Hotkeys“. After that, click on “Enabled” and tap on “Apply“. Finally, click “OK“, close the Group Policy Editor window, and reboot Windows.
If you struggle with turning off keyboard shortcuts, you landed on the right page because this article will explain how to turn off keyboard shortcuts on macOS and Windows PCs.
Overview of Turning Off Keyboard Shortcuts
Even though keyboard shortcuts are essential to managing workflow and accomplishing specific tasks, they can sometimes hinder your experience. A great example of when keyboard shortcuts can be distracting is when you’re playing an online video game and accidentally click on a keyboard shortcut.
Accidentally clicking some keys can interfere with the game settings, with some keyboard shortcuts exiting the game. This can ruin your gaming experience, and it can be challenging to avoid clicking on these keys in the middle of an intense gaming challenge.
Instead, it’s best to disable keyboard shortcuts and only retain the keys that will help you while playing the game.
Turning off keyboard shortcuts is not only helpful when playing online games since it can come in handy when multitasking. For example, when working and taking care of a child, the child can’t accidentally click the keyboard and alter or ruin your work project.
Turning Off Keyboard Shortcuts on Windows: Step-by-Step Guide
There are two methods of turning off keyboard shortcuts on a Windows PC.
Method #1: Using Local Group Policy Editor
Local Group Policy Editor is a Windows function used to manage operating system configurations, computer programs, and user settings. This feature is vital to network administrators because they can implement specific settings on various computers within their network.
In addition to managing system configurations, you can also use Local Policy Group Editor to turn off keyboard shortcuts. Here’s how to do it.
- Click on the Search icon at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
- Type “Edit Group Policy” on the search bar and click the Enter key.
- Go to “User Configurations” and select “Administrative Templates“.
- Select “Windows Components“.
- Tap on “File Explorer“.
- Scroll to “Turn Off Windows Keys Hotkeys” and double-click.
- Tap on “Enabled“, then select “Apply“.
- Click on “OK” to save your settings.
- Restart Windows and check if changes have been effected.
Method #2: Using the Registry Editor
The Registry Editor (Regedit) is a Windows OS tool that allows users to view and make system changes.
Here’s how to use Registry Editor to turn off keyboard shortcuts.
- Press the Windows + R keys to start the Run box.
- Type “regedit” (without the quotes) in the search bar and tap the Enter key.
- Find and select the key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER” on the left-hand pane.
- Scroll down and select “Software” > “Microsoft” > “Windows” > “CurrentVersion“.
- Right-click on the “Policies” folder.
- Tap on “New“, select “Key“, and rename the folder as “Explorer“. The system will create a new subfolder name Explorer.
- Click on the “Explorer” folder, then right-click the right side of the window and select “New“.
- Click on “DWORD (32-bit) value“.
- Rename the value that will be created as “NoWinKeys“.
- Double-click on “NoWinKeys” and change the value from 0 to 1.
- Close the Registry Editor window and then restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
How to Turn Off Keyboard Shortcuts on Mac
Turning off keyboard shortcuts on a Mac is similar to Windows. But, with macOS, you can disable specific keyboard shortcuts at a time and retain the ones you need. Here’s how to turn off keyboard shortcuts on macOS.
- Click on the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of the screen.
- Click on “System Preferences“.
- Tap on the “Keyboard” > “Shortcuts“. A list of keyboard shortcuts will appear.
- Uncheck the boxes next to the keyboard shortcuts you want to turn off.
- Close this window and restart your MacBook to see if the keyboard shortcuts are still active.
Summary
As you’ve learned, turning off keyboard shortcuts is pretty simple. If you are using the Registry Editor method to turn off keyboard shortcuts on a Windows PC, you must make a backup of the Registry before making any changes.
