Sticky keys
Accessibility feature

Sticky keys is an accessibility feature of some graphical user interfaces which assists users who have physical disabilities or helps users reduce repetitive strain injury. It serializes keystrokes; instead of being required to press multiple keys at a time, the user can press and release a modifier key, such as ⇧ Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or the Windows key, and have it remain active until any other key is pressed.
Sticky keys functionality is available on/in Microsoft Windows, macOS, chromeOS and KDE Plasma as Sticky Keys (previously stylized StickyKeys on Windows), and on Unix/X11 systems as part of the AccessX utility.
01History
Sticky Keys was first introduced to System 6 as part of the Easy Access extension, which also included mouse keys functionality.
In 1994, Solaris 2.4 shipped with the AccessX utility, which also provided sticky keys and mouse keys functionality.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Sticky keys”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sticky keys.jpg by Reunion, CC0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.