Is there a way to have Fn+Esc by default on startup?

Ask Fedora
,
1

Hi all! I got a new Asus Zenbook 14 OLED and have Fedora 41 running beautifully.

The laptop has an Fn key with “Fn+Esc” legend printed on it, which basically lets me access functions like brightness, volume, etc. without having to hold down the Fn key.

On Windows, this is the default behavior, meaning I don’t have to do Fn+Esc ever, even after a restart. I can just press the function keys to change brightness, volume, etc.

However, on Fedora, it’s defaulting to regular F1-F12 keys after a reboot. I have to press Fn+Esc at least once so that I don’t have to hold Fn and press the F-keys to change volume and brightness.

It’s a minor annoyance that I can live with, but I’m wondering if there’s a way to make it default.

2

It may be different for your machine, but, on my ThinkPad, that’s a setting in the bios. It may set by a custom setting/software from your manufacturer when it’s running Windows, but I’d check there first to see if it’s a simple toggle.

3

Good idea! I’m not sure if there’s a setting in BIOS, as that would have made it behave the same way in any OS. But I’ll check and see what’s there.

Thanks!

4

Just checked,

IMG_8098
IMG_80984032×3024 1.61 MB

There is an Fn Lock Option, and it was already enabled. It seems Windows is turning this lock on by default, but Fedora (and other Linux distros I tried in Live Boot) are not.