This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off always underline access keys for your account in Windows 11.
An access key is an underlined character in the text of a menu, context menu item, or the label of a control such as a button.
You can press and hold the Shift, Alt, or F10 key while you right click on an item to see available access keys underlined in the context menu. You can then press the underlined letter (access key) as a keyboard shortcut to use/open that menu item.
If you like, you can turn on to always have access keys underlined by default even when not holding Shift, Alt, or F10 key while you right click to open a context menu.
Contents
- Option One: Turn On or Off Always Underline Access Keys in Settings
- Option Two: Turn On or Off Always Underline Access Keys in Control Panel
- Option Three: Turn On or Off Always Underline Access Keys using REG file
EXAMPLE: Always underline access keys turned on and off
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Click/tap on Accessibility on the left side, and click/tap on Keyboard on the right side. (see screenshot below)
3 Turn On (default) or Off Underline access keys for what you want. (see screenshot below)
4 You can now close Settings if you like.
1 Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the Ease of Access Center icon.
2 Click/tap on the Make the keyboard easier to use link. (see screenshot below)
3 Under Make it easier to use keyboard shortcuts, check (on) or uncheck (off - default) Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys for what you want, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
4 You can now close the Control Panel if you like.
1 Do step 2 (before) or step 3 (after) below for what you would like to do.
2 Turn On Underline Access Keys
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Turn_ON_underline_access_keys.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\Keyboard Preference]
"On"="1"3 Turn Off Underline Access Keys
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Turn_OFF_underline_access_keys.reg
Download
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\Keyboard Preference]
"On"="0"4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 Either sign out and sign in or restart the computer to apply.
8 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Last edited:
