If you are accustomed to using the Scroll Lock key on a laptop that's running Windows, you may also determine that you need to use it with a Mac laptop. For example, you could be using Apple's Boot Camp to run Windows applications on your MacBook, and need to use the Scroll Lock function. You'll need to use a keyboard shortcut to enable Scroll Lock on your Mac.
Mac Laptop Keyboards
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Apple currently makes two laptops: the MacBook Air, which has a solid-state hard drive, and the MacBook Pro, which has a conventional hard drive. MacBook keyboards do not have a dedicated Scroll Lock key, which is typically found at the top of a PC's keyboard. However, MacBooks do have "Fn" and "F12" keys, which you can use to activate the Scroll Lock shortcut. The "Fn" key is located in the bottom row of the MacBook's keyboard, and the "F12" is located in the top row.
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Boot Camp
For people who are making a transition from a Windows computer to a Mac, Apple provides Boot Camp. MacBooks have Intel central processors, enabling them to run Windows applications at the same speed as if they were on a PC. After you install Boot Camp on the MacBook, you can set up a partition on the laptop's hard drive, onto which you install the Windows operating system. One example of a Windows application for which you could use Scroll Lock is Microsoft Excel.
Scroll Lock Shortcut
When you run a windows application with Boot Camp on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air laptop, you need to press a combination of keys on the keyboard to enable Scroll Lock. Press the "Fn," "Shift" and "F12" keys simultaneously to use Apple's Scroll Lock keyboard shortcut. Press the same key combination again to stop using Scroll Lock.
Using Scroll Lock
Scroll Lock enables you to use your MacBook's arrow keys to scroll through a document vertically and horizontally. This is useful, for example, when you are working with a spreadsheet and you want to keep a particular cell highlighted while you scroll. You could also use Scroll Lock to help you scroll while you are playing a game and need to maneuver a character or explore a location.