Windows

Vista’s On-Screen Keyboard

Posted by on Dec 24, 2008 | 2 Comments

Vista includes an on-screen keyboard that is built-in with the operating system. You might find this feature handy if you have impairments or if your normal keyboard is under repair. You can easily access the on-screen keyboard by clicking Start, typing OSK, and pressing Enter. A nifty little keyboard will immediately appear on your screen.

You can access this more easily by creating a shortcut to the program on your desktop. Simply right click your desktop, point to New and select Shortcut. Type in osk and click Next. Click Finish.

The on-screen keyboard runs in three different modes: clicking mode, scanning mode, and hovering mode. In clicking mode you simply click the on-screen keys. In scanning mode, you use a hot key or a switch-input device to type highlighted characters. In hovering mode, you can simply use your mouse to point to a key which is then typed. You can change the mode by selecting the Settings tab, clicking Typing Mode and choosing the mode you want to use.

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  • G Lanning

    So if you are impaired or don’t have a keyboard you can use the on screen keyboard, but to do so you first have to borrow a keyboard or get someone not impaired in order to type in “OSK?”
    Am I the only one who sees a problem with this?

  • anonymous

    There isn’t a problem, you could use the OSK to type “OSK”..
    You can similarly access it by going to start menu > all programs > accessories > ease of access > On-Screen Keyboard