MSI Global - The Leading Brand in High-end Gaming & Professional Creation | MSI Global - The Leading Brand in High-end Gaming & Professional Creation

[Product Information]Swap the Windows/Function Key or Backslash/Alt Key Position

LastUpdate : Fri, 07 Aug 2026

Answer

MSI notebooks let you customize the position of certain keyboard keys — the Windows (WIN) key and Function (Fn) key, and on select models, the Backslash (\) key and right Alt key — to match personal preference.

This is useful, for example, to prevent accidentally pressing the Windows key during gaming, or to accommodate keyboard layout differences across different Windows display languages and regions. Refer to this article if you want to change the position of these keys.

This article applies to all MSI notebooks.

Swap the Windows (WIN) and Function (Fn) Key Position

1. Open MSI Center or MSI Center Pro.

2. Go to “General Settings”.

3. Click the key swap toggle to switch the Windows (WIN) key and Function (Fn) key position according to your preference.

Note: After switching, test both keys to confirm the Windows key and Function key now trigger the swapped behavior as expected.

Swap the Backslash (\) and Right Alt Key Position (Select Models Only)

1. Power on or restart the notebook.

2. Press “Delete” when the MSI logo appears to enter the BIOS menu.

3. Go to the “Advanced” page.

4. Set “BACKSLASH/ALT Key Swap” to one of the following:

- “Enabled” — swaps the Backslash key and right Alt key positions.

- “Disabled” — keeps the default key positions.

5. Press “F10” to save the changes, then restart the system for the change to take effect.

Note:

- The system must restart for this BIOS setting to take effect.

- This option is available only on notebooks configured for certain Windows display languages and regions. If the option below does not appear in BIOS, this swap is not supported on your notebook's keyboard layout.

Common Questions (Q&A)

What exactly changes when I enable the Windows/Function key swap?

The physical key positions stay the same, but the function each key triggers is swapped — pressing the key in the Windows key's physical position will trigger the Function key's action, and vice versa.

Why is the Backslash/Alt key swap option only available on some notebooks?

This option depends on the physical keyboard layout used for a given Windows display language and region. On layouts where the Backslash key and right Alt key are not present in the relevant position, the swap option does not apply and will not appear as a configurable BIOS setting.