How to Turn Caps Lock on or off on a Chromebook
If you’re making the switch from PC or Mac to a Chromebook, you’ll notice the Caps Lock key has been replaced by a Search key, identified by a magnifying glass icon. You’ll need to resist the urge to press and hold the Search key when you want to enable caps lock. Instead, press Alt+Search and you’ll see a notification that caps lock is on. Press Alt+Search again to turn caps lock off.
Alternate Ways to Enable Caps Lock on Chromebook
Alternatively, you can turn off caps lock through the menu bar or by pressing Shift, or you can mouse over the time on the right side of the menu bar and click the Caps Lock is on notification to turn it off. If you enabled caps lock by accident, click the notification pop-up when it first appears to turn it off; otherwise, you’ll need to try one of the above methods mentioned to turn it off.
Change the Keyboard Setting for Caps Lock
You can also change the keyboard shortcuts for caps lock or other Chromebook functions through the Keyboard Settings options.
Why There’s No Caps Lock on Chromebook
Chromebook was designed for people using the web, and writing in all caps is the equivalent of shouting online. More importantly, most people don’t use it for more than a few words at a time, so it wasn’t a critical feature for Google to include. Additionally, Google and other manufacturers wanted to create a compact design for the Chromebooks, so extra keys had to go to make the keyboard smaller to fit the desired form factor of the laptop. However, while the Caps Lock key may be gone, the functionality is still there. It’s just hidden inside Chrome OS.
