Arrow keys

Arrow keys are buttons on a computer keyboard that move the cursor in a specified direction. They are typically located at the bottom of the keyboard to the side of the numeric keypad, usually arranged in an inverted-T layout but also found in diamond shapes. Arrow keys are commonly used for navigating around documents and for playing games. Before the computer mouse was widespread, arrow keys were the primary way of moving a cursor on screen. MouseKeys is a feature that allows controlling a mouse cursor with arrow keys instead.

The original Apple Macintosh had no arrow keys, because the mouse would be used instead. Arrow keys were included in later Apple keyboards.

Alternatives to the arrow keys include:

• the WASD keys (on QWERTY keyboards) and ,AOE (on Dvorak keyboards). Sometimes this combination is used simultaneously with the arrow keys. For example, in many 3D games a player will navigate the level with WASD while moving the camera is done with the arrow keys or vice versa.
• the 8462 or 7845 keys on the numeric keypad.
• the HJKL keys (in vi and related editors; this lets the user navigate without having to move their hand too far)
• On some keyboards there are no arrow keys, so alternatives must be used.

See also: Arrow keys, Apple Macintosh, Computer hardware, Computer keyboard, Computer mouse, Cursor, Dvorak, MouseKeys, Numeric keypad