Delete key

Not to be confused with delete character or Backspace.

Delete key on PC keyboard

The delete key (often abbreviated del) is a button on most computer keyboards which is typically used to delete either (in text mode) the character ahead of or beneath the cursor, or (in GUI mode) the currently-selected object. The key is sometimes referred to as the "forward delete" key. This is because the backspace key also deletes characters, but to the left of the cursor. On many keyboards, such as most Apple keyboards, the key with the backspace function is also labelled "delete".

Position and labeling on keyboards

The key appears on English-language IBM-compatible PC keyboards labeled as Delete or Del, sometimes accompanied by a crossed-out right-arrow symbol. A dedicated symbol for "delete" exists as U+2326 ⌦ but its use as a keyboard label is not universal. However, sometimes the key labelled Delete performs the Backspace function instead, for example on some Apple keyboards.

In other cases, the Delete key is in its original IBM notebook position of above and to the right of the Backspace key. Many laptops add rows of smaller keys above the Function key line to add keys on a non-standard size keyboard. On this row of smaller keys, the position of the Delete key is positioned at or near the right-hand end. On a MacBook, the forward delete function can be achieved using the Fn+← Backspace key combination or simply Control+D.

The Delete key is typically smaller and less-conveniently located than the Backspace key, and on keyboards where space is limited, for example those omitting the numeric keypad or virtual keyboards on mobile devices, it is often omitted altogether.

On some compact keyboards (for example, the 60-key Happy Hacking Keyboard), the Delete key replaces the conventional Backspace key, and the Backspace function is achieved by holding the Fn key and pressing Delete.

Uses

When struck on a computer keyboard during text or command editing, the delete key (Delete or Del), known less ambiguously as forward delete, discards the character ahead of the cursor's position, moving all following characters one position "back" towards the freed letterspace. The key is also used by many GUI applications to request deletion of the currently-selected object, for example a file in a file browser or a block of text in a word processor.

The delete key often works as a generic command to remove a selected object, such as an image embedded in a document. On Apple Keyboards, both the forward delete key and the delete (backspace) key have the same effect when pressed while an object is selected.

On Unix-like systems, the delete key is usually mapped to ESC[3~ which is the VT220 escape code for the "delete character" key.

The delete key, on many modern motherboards, also functions to open the BIOS setup screen when pressed after starting the computer.

In GUI applications where the Delete key is enabled, especially in file browsers, pressing it does not necessarily immediately delete the selected object, but often a confirmation dialog box will appear to allow the user to cancel the deletion, or the object may instead be silently moved to a "trash folder" or equivalent, so that it can be recovered later. In other GUI contexts, the Undo function can often reverse a deletion.

Alternative key mapping

As many Apple keyboards lack a dedicated key for the forward delete function, Mac users wishing to have a dedicated forward delete key can reassign the forward-delete function to a different key using various third-party applications, such as DoubleCommand, Karabiner or PowerKey. For example, installing and enabling the DoubleCommand application allows the user to use the Backslash, Capslock or numeric keypad ↵ Enter keys as a forward delete key.

See also

• Control-Alt-Delete
• Backspace

References

IBM PC keyboard (Windows, ANSI US layout)
Esc		F1	F2	F3	F4		F5	F6	F7	F8		F9	F10	F11	F12		PrtScn/ SysRq	Scroll Lock	Pause/ Break
<imagemap> File:KB United States-NoAltGr.svg|450px desc none # Row are 60 pixel tall in reference to the unsized original # rect left top right bottom [[link]] # Top row shift rect 0 0 60 30 Tilde rect 60 0 120 30 Exclamation mark rect 120 0 180 30 At sign rect 180 0 240 30 Number sign rect 240 0 300 30 Dollar sign rect 300 0 360 30 Percent sign rect 360 0 420 30 Caret rect 420 0 480 30 Ampersand rect 480 0 540 30 Asterisk rect 540 0 600 30 Parenthesis rect 600 0 660 30 Parenthesis rect 660 0 720 30 Underscore rect 720 0 780 30 Plus sign rect 780 0 900 30 Backspace Top row rect 0 0 60 60 backtick rect 60 0 120 60 1 (number) rect 120 0 180 60 2 (number) rect 180 0 240 60 3 (number) rect 240 0 300 60 4 (number) rect 300 0 360 60 5 (number) rect 360 0 420 60 6 (number) rect 420 0 480 60 7 (number) rect 480 0 540 60 8 (number) rect 540 0 600 60 9 (number) rect 600 0 660 60 0 rect 660 0 720 60 Hyphen-minus rect 720 0 780 60 Equals sign rect 780 0 900 60 Backspace Second row shift rect 0 61 90 90 Tab key rect 90 61 150 90 Q rect 150 61 210 90 W rect 210 61 270 90 E rect 270 61 330 90 R rect 330 61 390 90 T rect 390 61 450 90 Y rect 450 61 510 90 U rect 510 61 570 90 I rect 570 61 630 90 O rect 630 61 690 90 P rect 690 61 750 90 Curly bracket rect 750 61 810 90 Curly bracket rect 810 61 900 90 Vertical bar Second row rect 0 61 90 120 Tab key rect 90 61 150 120 q rect 150 61 210 120 w rect 210 61 270 120 e rect 270 61 330 120 r rect 330 61 390 120 t rect 390 61 450 120 y rect 450 61 510 120 u rect 510 61 570 120 i rect 570 61 630 120 o rect 630 61 690 120 p rect 690 61 750 120 Square bracket rect 750 61 810 120 Square bracket rect 810 61 900 120 Backslash Third row shift rect 0 121 105 150 Caps lock rect 105 121 165 150 A rect 165 121 225 150 S rect 225 121 285 150 D rect 285 121 345 150 F rect 345 121 405 150 G rect 405 121 465 150 H rect 465 121 525 150 J rect 525 121 585 150 K rect 585 121 645 150 L rect 645 121 705 150 Colon (punctuation) rect 705 121 765 150 Quotation mark rect 765 121 900 150 Enter key Third row rect 0 121 105 180 Caps lock rect 105 121 165 180 a rect 165 121 225 180 s rect 225 121 285 180 d rect 285 121 345 180 f rect 345 121 405 180 g rect 405 121 465 180 h rect 465 121 525 180 j rect 525 121 585 180 k rect 585 121 645 180 l rect 645 121 705 180 Semicolon rect 705 121 765 180 Apostrophe rect 765 121 900 180 Enter key Fourth row shift rect 0 181 135 210 Shift key rect 135 181 195 210 Z rect 195 181 255 210 X rect 255 181 315 210 C rect 315 181 375 210 V rect 375 181 435 210 B rect 435 181 495 210 N rect 495 181 555 210 M rect 555 181 615 210 Bracket rect 615 181 675 210 Bracket rect 675 181 735 210 Question mark rect 735 181 900 210 Shift key Fourth row rect 0 181 135 240 Shift key rect 135 181 195 240 z rect 195 181 255 240 x rect 255 181 315 240 c rect 315 181 375 240 v rect 375 181 435 240 b rect 435 181 495 240 n rect 495 181 555 240 m rect 555 181 615 240 Comma (punctuation) rect 615 181 675 240 Full stop rect 675 181 735 240 Slash (punctuation) rect 735 181 900 240 Shift key Bottom row rect 0 241 90 300 Control key rect 90 241 150 300 Windows key rect 150 241 240 300 Alt key rect 240 241 600 300 Space bar rect 600 241 690 300 Alt key rect 690 241 750 300 Windows key rect 750 241 810 300 Menu key rect 810 241 900 300 Control key </imagemap>																	Insert	Home	PgUp		Num Lock	∕	∗	−
																	Delete	End	PgDn		7	8	9	+
																					4	5	6
																		↑			1	2	3	Enter
																	←	↓	→		0    Ins		.  Del