Shift key

The Shift key on an English Windows keyboard (above the left "Ctrl" key)

The Shift key ⇧ Shift is a modifier key on a computer keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate "upper" characters. There are typically two Shift keys, often located to the left and right sides of the row below the home row.

The name originated from the typewriter, where one had to press and hold the button to shift the case stamp upward to change to a capital letter. It was first used in the Remington No. 2 Type-Writer of 1878, whereas the No. 1 model was capital-only.

On many keyboard layouts, characters that typically require the use of the Shift key include the parentheses, the question mark, the exclamation point, and the colon.

When the Caps Lock key is engaged, the Shift key may be held to type lowercase letters on many operating systems, though not on macOS or on Windows keyboard layouts that have the SGCAPS feature.

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