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What's the point of deactivating Num Lock on login screens?


Lock screens and password recovery on appsSocial Login adoption vs Traditional LoginIs it a good Idea to provide change password option on the login page?On login-failure; should site tell if it was the login-name or the password that was incorrect?Display password Requirements on Login screen?What's the best tab order for a login form?Why not show password criteria on login screen?Why warn about caps lock for passwords, instead of ignoring caps lock for password characters?Can animals perceive screens?Should we lock UI?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








40















Many login screens automatically deactivate the Num Lock key on the keyboard before the user can enter their password. This is extremely frustrating for the user as they involuntarily type their password wrong multiple times before realising the Num Lock key is off.



Several undesirable side effects include:



  • Missing the password involuntarily 3 times, thereby locking the system,

  • Having a timeout after each missed password attempt, sometimes up to several minutes,

  • Frustration when one repeatedly forgets to activate the Num Lock key.

Moreover, I don't see what the reason for this would be from a security viewpoint. It does not enhance the quality of the password nor does it ward off any potential attacker.



So why are very widespread systems still using this extremely frustrating methodology?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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  • 38





    Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

    – MonkeyZeus
    yesterday







  • 46





    I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

    – Gerald Schneider
    yesterday






  • 4





    @leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

    – Chris H
    yesterday






  • 10





    At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

    – JPhi1618
    20 hours ago






  • 4





    @JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

    – Tom.Bowen89
    12 hours ago

















40















Many login screens automatically deactivate the Num Lock key on the keyboard before the user can enter their password. This is extremely frustrating for the user as they involuntarily type their password wrong multiple times before realising the Num Lock key is off.



Several undesirable side effects include:



  • Missing the password involuntarily 3 times, thereby locking the system,

  • Having a timeout after each missed password attempt, sometimes up to several minutes,

  • Frustration when one repeatedly forgets to activate the Num Lock key.

Moreover, I don't see what the reason for this would be from a security viewpoint. It does not enhance the quality of the password nor does it ward off any potential attacker.



So why are very widespread systems still using this extremely frustrating methodology?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 38





    Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

    – MonkeyZeus
    yesterday







  • 46





    I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

    – Gerald Schneider
    yesterday






  • 4





    @leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

    – Chris H
    yesterday






  • 10





    At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

    – JPhi1618
    20 hours ago






  • 4





    @JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

    – Tom.Bowen89
    12 hours ago













40












40








40


1






Many login screens automatically deactivate the Num Lock key on the keyboard before the user can enter their password. This is extremely frustrating for the user as they involuntarily type their password wrong multiple times before realising the Num Lock key is off.



Several undesirable side effects include:



  • Missing the password involuntarily 3 times, thereby locking the system,

  • Having a timeout after each missed password attempt, sometimes up to several minutes,

  • Frustration when one repeatedly forgets to activate the Num Lock key.

Moreover, I don't see what the reason for this would be from a security viewpoint. It does not enhance the quality of the password nor does it ward off any potential attacker.



So why are very widespread systems still using this extremely frustrating methodology?










share|improve this question







New contributor




Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












Many login screens automatically deactivate the Num Lock key on the keyboard before the user can enter their password. This is extremely frustrating for the user as they involuntarily type their password wrong multiple times before realising the Num Lock key is off.



Several undesirable side effects include:



  • Missing the password involuntarily 3 times, thereby locking the system,

  • Having a timeout after each missed password attempt, sometimes up to several minutes,

  • Frustration when one repeatedly forgets to activate the Num Lock key.

Moreover, I don't see what the reason for this would be from a security viewpoint. It does not enhance the quality of the password nor does it ward off any potential attacker.



So why are very widespread systems still using this extremely frustrating methodology?







usability password






share|improve this question







New contributor




Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question







New contributor




Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question






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Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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asked yesterday









KlangenKlangen

30936




30936




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New contributor





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Check out our Code of Conduct.






Klangen is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







  • 38





    Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

    – MonkeyZeus
    yesterday







  • 46





    I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

    – Gerald Schneider
    yesterday






  • 4





    @leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

    – Chris H
    yesterday






  • 10





    At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

    – JPhi1618
    20 hours ago






  • 4





    @JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

    – Tom.Bowen89
    12 hours ago












  • 38





    Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

    – MonkeyZeus
    yesterday







  • 46





    I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

    – Gerald Schneider
    yesterday






  • 4





    @leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

    – Chris H
    yesterday






  • 10





    At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

    – JPhi1618
    20 hours ago






  • 4





    @JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

    – Tom.Bowen89
    12 hours ago







38




38





Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

– MonkeyZeus
yesterday






Can you provide an example per your "many" claim? The most prevalent operating system's (Windows') login screen does not exhibit this failure, ahem "feature".

– MonkeyZeus
yesterday





46




46





I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

– Gerald Schneider
yesterday





I never encountered a login screen that deactivates numlock. Are you perhaps mistaking the bios option to turn numlock on or off on boot as a "login screen feature"?

– Gerald Schneider
yesterday




4




4





@leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

– Chris H
yesterday





@leftaroundabout you seem to assume a password typed exclusively on the number pad, rather than just a few characters; you also seem to assume that a user only uses one type of keyboard to log in to a system. (I have, once, used a system with an ultracompact builtin keyboard with no number row and a USB number pad, as an example of an edge case where this would be particularly irritating)

– Chris H
yesterday




10




10





At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

– JPhi1618
20 hours ago





At this point I'd be happy with ONE example of a login screen that does this. I've never seen it.

– JPhi1618
20 hours ago




4




4





@JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

– Tom.Bowen89
12 hours ago





@JPhi1618 my Windows 10 Laptop does this.

– Tom.Bowen89
12 hours ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















60














Some compact keyboard layouts don't have a numpad, so those keys are mapped to the right-hand side of the letter section:
enter image description here



If NumLock is on, then a user typing the password kill, will actually type 2533. Turning NumLock off will prevent this problem, but of course - it will cause another one for those who do rely on the numpad. Keeping it on or off by default will lead to mode errors - regardless of what initial state is chosen, someone will be surprised by it.



A better solution would be to reflect the state of the NumLock key on the screen, akin to the CapsLock key. This way there are no surprises, as this state indicator is in the users' locus of attention.



An example are Acer Revo computers, distributed with compact wireless keyboards. I installed a fresh OS and set up a password, then successfully "confirmed" it. However, what I thought I was doing was different from what the computer saw me do. This problem only became evident when I attempted to connect to the machine remotely, from a place with a proper keyboard.



Many hours and "this cannot be" statements later, I undersood that NumLock was the culprit.






share|improve this answer


















  • 8





    How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

    – Rosie F
    yesterday






  • 2





    I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

    – Mark
    yesterday











  • Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

    – ralien
    yesterday






  • 1





    Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

    – allo
    15 hours ago











  • I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

    – vol7ron
    1 hour ago


















6














It's a bad UX practice primarily because the user is not expecting this to happen. Users will attempt to do an action and will not be able to do so.






share|improve this answer










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    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

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    2 Answers
    2






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    60














    Some compact keyboard layouts don't have a numpad, so those keys are mapped to the right-hand side of the letter section:
    enter image description here



    If NumLock is on, then a user typing the password kill, will actually type 2533. Turning NumLock off will prevent this problem, but of course - it will cause another one for those who do rely on the numpad. Keeping it on or off by default will lead to mode errors - regardless of what initial state is chosen, someone will be surprised by it.



    A better solution would be to reflect the state of the NumLock key on the screen, akin to the CapsLock key. This way there are no surprises, as this state indicator is in the users' locus of attention.



    An example are Acer Revo computers, distributed with compact wireless keyboards. I installed a fresh OS and set up a password, then successfully "confirmed" it. However, what I thought I was doing was different from what the computer saw me do. This problem only became evident when I attempted to connect to the machine remotely, from a place with a proper keyboard.



    Many hours and "this cannot be" statements later, I undersood that NumLock was the culprit.






    share|improve this answer


















    • 8





      How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

      – Rosie F
      yesterday






    • 2





      I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

      – Mark
      yesterday











    • Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

      – ralien
      yesterday






    • 1





      Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

      – allo
      15 hours ago











    • I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

      – vol7ron
      1 hour ago















    60














    Some compact keyboard layouts don't have a numpad, so those keys are mapped to the right-hand side of the letter section:
    enter image description here



    If NumLock is on, then a user typing the password kill, will actually type 2533. Turning NumLock off will prevent this problem, but of course - it will cause another one for those who do rely on the numpad. Keeping it on or off by default will lead to mode errors - regardless of what initial state is chosen, someone will be surprised by it.



    A better solution would be to reflect the state of the NumLock key on the screen, akin to the CapsLock key. This way there are no surprises, as this state indicator is in the users' locus of attention.



    An example are Acer Revo computers, distributed with compact wireless keyboards. I installed a fresh OS and set up a password, then successfully "confirmed" it. However, what I thought I was doing was different from what the computer saw me do. This problem only became evident when I attempted to connect to the machine remotely, from a place with a proper keyboard.



    Many hours and "this cannot be" statements later, I undersood that NumLock was the culprit.






    share|improve this answer


















    • 8





      How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

      – Rosie F
      yesterday






    • 2





      I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

      – Mark
      yesterday











    • Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

      – ralien
      yesterday






    • 1





      Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

      – allo
      15 hours ago











    • I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

      – vol7ron
      1 hour ago













    60












    60








    60







    Some compact keyboard layouts don't have a numpad, so those keys are mapped to the right-hand side of the letter section:
    enter image description here



    If NumLock is on, then a user typing the password kill, will actually type 2533. Turning NumLock off will prevent this problem, but of course - it will cause another one for those who do rely on the numpad. Keeping it on or off by default will lead to mode errors - regardless of what initial state is chosen, someone will be surprised by it.



    A better solution would be to reflect the state of the NumLock key on the screen, akin to the CapsLock key. This way there are no surprises, as this state indicator is in the users' locus of attention.



    An example are Acer Revo computers, distributed with compact wireless keyboards. I installed a fresh OS and set up a password, then successfully "confirmed" it. However, what I thought I was doing was different from what the computer saw me do. This problem only became evident when I attempted to connect to the machine remotely, from a place with a proper keyboard.



    Many hours and "this cannot be" statements later, I undersood that NumLock was the culprit.






    share|improve this answer













    Some compact keyboard layouts don't have a numpad, so those keys are mapped to the right-hand side of the letter section:
    enter image description here



    If NumLock is on, then a user typing the password kill, will actually type 2533. Turning NumLock off will prevent this problem, but of course - it will cause another one for those who do rely on the numpad. Keeping it on or off by default will lead to mode errors - regardless of what initial state is chosen, someone will be surprised by it.



    A better solution would be to reflect the state of the NumLock key on the screen, akin to the CapsLock key. This way there are no surprises, as this state indicator is in the users' locus of attention.



    An example are Acer Revo computers, distributed with compact wireless keyboards. I installed a fresh OS and set up a password, then successfully "confirmed" it. However, what I thought I was doing was different from what the computer saw me do. This problem only became evident when I attempted to connect to the machine remotely, from a place with a proper keyboard.



    Many hours and "this cannot be" statements later, I undersood that NumLock was the culprit.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered yesterday









    ralienralien

    1,066711




    1,066711







    • 8





      How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

      – Rosie F
      yesterday






    • 2





      I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

      – Mark
      yesterday











    • Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

      – ralien
      yesterday






    • 1





      Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

      – allo
      15 hours ago











    • I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

      – vol7ron
      1 hour ago












    • 8





      How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

      – Rosie F
      yesterday






    • 2





      I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

      – Mark
      yesterday











    • Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

      – ralien
      yesterday






    • 1





      Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

      – allo
      15 hours ago











    • I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

      – vol7ron
      1 hour ago







    8




    8





    How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

    – Rosie F
    yesterday





    How come the cause of mode errors is keeping NumLock on or off by default, rather than changing NumLock's state without the user's knowledge or will? I'd have thought that keeping it on or off by default will lead to the keyboard behaving as the user expects.

    – Rosie F
    yesterday




    2




    2





    I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

    – Mark
    yesterday





    I've got one of those keyboards for when I need to log in locally to a normally-headless server, and I can't tell you how many times I've tried to log in as "r66t".

    – Mark
    yesterday













    Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

    – ralien
    yesterday





    Rosie, you raise a valid point. The reason I wrote that is because of the expectation that pressing o yields an "o". When NumLock is on, that yields a "6" (hidden under *, ha!). If one uses a numpad to type 1966, it yields 19→→ if NumLock is off. So, users from both camps can be caught off-guard, regardless of the default value. So it is not that the system sneakily changed the state; nowadays people use diverse keyboards in different places, a system can't guess what this user is used to. Numlock=off is the lowest common denominator, as more and more keyboards don't have numpads.

    – ralien
    yesterday




    1




    1





    Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

    – allo
    15 hours ago





    Fn-Keys are usually not mapped using NumLock. I guess one of the reasons is this issue. On quite a few devices using Fn-Keys, I never saw one using NumLock for switching. Usually you need to always press Fn, sometimes there is an option to reverse the behaviour (e.g. on notebooks, where multimedia keys are the default an Fx keys need Fn you can often switch this in the BIOS).

    – allo
    15 hours ago













    I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

    – vol7ron
    1 hour ago





    I agree with Rosie, changing a user’s default behavior is not good UX and most of all will lead to fewer errors. I also agree with the answer, if this is a necessary consideration to display the state on screen. I’d argue it isn’t necessary as billions of people have been fine for decades.

    – vol7ron
    1 hour ago













    6














    It's a bad UX practice primarily because the user is not expecting this to happen. Users will attempt to do an action and will not be able to do so.






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      6














      It's a bad UX practice primarily because the user is not expecting this to happen. Users will attempt to do an action and will not be able to do so.






      share|improve this answer










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      Juan Jesús Millo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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        6












        6








        6







        It's a bad UX practice primarily because the user is not expecting this to happen. Users will attempt to do an action and will not be able to do so.






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        It's a bad UX practice primarily because the user is not expecting this to happen. Users will attempt to do an action and will not be able to do so.







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        edited yesterday









        Mayo

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        5,60852433






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        answered yesterday









        Juan Jesús MilloJuan Jesús Millo

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