Micron Document
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html class="client-nojs vector-feature-night-mode-disabled vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-sticky-header-enabled" lang="en" dir="ltr"><head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Backspace</title>
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backspace"> <link href="./mw/ext.cite.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.icons.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.search.codex.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/skins.vector.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="./mw/user.styles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content="">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./mw/site.styles.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./mw/noscript.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./footer.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="./vector-2022.css">
</head>
<body class="skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Backspace rootpage-Backspace skin-vector-2022 action-view">
<div class="mw-page-container">
<div class="mw-page-container-inner">
<div class="mw-content-container">
<main id="content" class="mw-body">
<header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar">
<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading">
<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Backspace</span></span>
</h1>
</header>
<a id="top"></a>
<div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body ve-init-mw-desktopArticleTarget-targetContainer" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container="">
<div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content mw-content-ltr" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"ASCII 8" redirects here. For the eight-bit or larger encodings, see <a href="Extended_ASCII" title="Extended ASCII">Extended ASCII</a>.</div><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Not to be confused with <a href="Delete_key" title="Delete key">Delete key</a>.</div>

<p><b>Backspace</b> (<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1249182868">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .keyboard-key{border:1px solid #aaa;border-radius:0.2em;box-shadow:0.1em 0.1em 0.2em rgba(0,0,0,0.1);background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);background-image:linear-gradient(to bottom,var(--background-color-neutral,#eaecf0),var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa),var(--background-color-neutral,#eaecf0));color:var(--color-base,#202122);padding:0.1em 0.3em;font-family:inherit;font-size:0.85em}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap">← Backspace</kbd>, <code>⌫</code>) is the keyboard key that in <a href="Typewriter" title="Typewriter">typewriters</a> originally pushed the carriage one position backwards, and in modern computer systems typically moves the <a href="Display_cursor" class="mw-redirect" title="Display cursor">display cursor</a> one position backwards,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> deletes the character at that position, and shifts back any text after<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> that position by one character.
</p>
<meta property="mw:PageProp/toc">
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Nomenclature">Nomenclature</h2></div>

<p>Although the term "backspace" is the traditional name of the key which steps the carriage back and/or<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> deletes the previous character, typically to the left of the cursor, the actual key may be labeled in a variety of ways, for example <i>delete</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>erase</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or with a left pointing arrow.<sup id="cite_ref-debian_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-debian-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A dedicated symbol for "backspace" exists as <a href="Miscellaneous_Technical#Block" title="Miscellaneous Technical">U+232B</a> ⌫ but its use as a keyboard label is not universal. Some very early typewriters labeled this key the <i>backspacer</i> key.
</p>

<p>Backspace is distinct from the <a href="Delete_key" title="Delete key">delete key</a>, which in a <a href="Teletypewriter" class="mw-redirect" title="Teletypewriter">teletypewriter</a> would punch out all the holes in <a href="Punched_paper_tape" class="mw-redirect" title="Punched paper tape">punched paper tape</a> to strike out a character, and in modern computers deletes text at or <i>following</i> the cursor position. Also, the delete key often works as a generic command to remove an object (such as an image inside a document, or a file in a <a href="File_manager" title="File manager">file manager</a>), while backspace usually does not.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Full-size <a href="Mac_(computer)" title="Mac (computer)">Mac</a> keyboards have two keys labeled <i>delete</i>; a key that functions as a backspace key, and a key that functions as a delete key. Smaller Mac keyboards, such as laptop keyboards, have only a key that functions as a backspace key.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Combining_characters">Combining characters</h2></div>
<p>In some<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> typewriters, a typist would, for example, type a lowercase letter A with acute accent (á) by typing a lowercase letter A, backspace, and then the acute accent key. This technique (also known as <a href="Overstrike" title="Overstrike">overstrike</a>) is the basis for such spacing modifiers in computer character sets such as the <a href="ASCII" title="ASCII">ASCII</a> caret (^, for the <a href="Circumflex" title="Circumflex">circumflex</a> accent). Backspace composition no longer works with typical modern digital displays or typesetting systems.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>note 6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It has to some degree been replaced with the <a href="Combining_diacritical_mark" class="mw-redirect" title="Combining diacritical mark">combining diacritical marks</a> mechanism of <a href="Unicode" title="Unicode">Unicode</a>, though such characters do not work well with many fonts, and precomposed characters continue to be used. Some software like <a href="TeX" title="TeX">TeX</a> or <a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Microsoft Windows</a> use the opposite method for diacritical marks, namely positioning the accent first, and then the base letter on its position.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Use_in_computing">Use in computing</h2></div>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Common_use">Common use</h3></div>
<p>In modern systems, the backspace key is often mapped to the delete character (0x7f in ASCII or Unicode), although the backspace key's function of deleting the character before the cursor remains.<sup id="cite_ref-debian_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-debian-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In computers, backspace can also delete a preceding <a href="Newline" title="Newline">newline</a> character, something generally inapplicable to typewriters.
</p><p>The backspace key is commonly used to go back a page or up one level in graphical web or file browsers.
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="^H">^H</h3></div>
<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="Caret_notation" title="Caret notation">Caret notation</a></div>
<p>Pressing the backspace key on a <a href="Computer_terminal" title="Computer terminal">computer terminal</a> would generate the <a href="ASCII" title="ASCII">ASCII</a> code 08, BS or Backspace, a <a href="Control_code" class="mw-redirect" title="Control code">control code</a> which would delete the preceding character. That control code could also be accessed by pressing (<kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap"><a href="Control_key" title="Control key">Control</a></kbd>+<kbd class="keyboard-key nowrap">H</kbd>, as <a href="H" title="H">H</a> is the eighth letter of the <a href="Latin_alphabet" title="Latin alphabet">Latin alphabet</a>. Terminals which did not have the backspace code mapped to the function of moving the cursor backwards and deleting the preceding character would display the symbols <b>^H</b> (<a href="Caret_notation" title="Caret notation">caret</a>, H) when the backspace key was pressed. Even if a terminal did interpret backspace by deleting the preceding character, the system receiving the text might not. Then, the sender's screen would show a message without the supposedly deleted text, while that text, and the deletion codes, would be visible to the recipient. This sequence is still used humorously for <a href="Epanorthosis" title="Epanorthosis">epanorthosis</a> by computer literates, denoting the deletion of a pretended blunder, much like a <a href="Strikethrough" title="Strikethrough">strikethrough</a>; in this case, however, the ^H symbol is faked by typing a regular '^' followed by typing a regular 'H'.
</p><p>Example:
</p>
<dl><dd><i>Be nice to this fool</i>^H^H^H^H<i>gentleman; he's visiting from corporate HQ.</i><sup id="cite_ref-Jargon_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Jargon-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></dd></dl>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Alternatives">Alternatives</h4></div>
<p>An alternative sometimes seen is <b>^W</b>, which is the shortcut to delete the previous word in the Berkeley Unix terminal <a href="Line_discipline" title="Line discipline">line discipline</a>. This shortcut has also made it into the insert mode of the <a href="Vi_(text_editor)" title="Vi (text editor)">Vi</a> text editor and its clone <a href="Vim_(text_editor)" title="Vim (text editor)">Vim</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p><b>^U</b> deletes a line.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><div class="reflist">
<div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">The meaning of "backwards" depends on the direction of the text, and could get complicated in text involving several <a href="Bidirectional_text" title="Bidirectional text">bidirectional categories</a>.</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"after" here implies on the same logical <a href="Line_of_text" class="mw-redirect" title="Line of text">line of text</a></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">in some <a href="Correcting_typewriter" class="mw-redirect" title="Correcting typewriter">correcting typewriters</a> it did both</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">for example in <a href="XO-1_(laptop)" class="mw-redirect" title="XO-1 (laptop)">One Laptop Per Child</a><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Many typewriters don't advance accent characters, thus no backspace is needed where the accent is typed ahead of the letter it is to be combined with. However, even with such machines, the backspace is still used to produce certain other characters, e.g. for combining "o" with "/" to make "ø".</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">There is no reason why a digital display or typesetting system could not be designed to allow backspace composition, a.k.a. overstrike, if an engineer chose to do that. As most contemporary computer display and typesetting systems are raster graphics-based rather than character-based (as of 2012), they make overstrike actually quite easy to implement. However, the use of proportional-width rather than fixed-width (monospaced) fonts makes the practical implementation of overstrike more complicated, and the original physical motivation for the technique is not present in digital computer systems.</span>
</li>
</ol></div></div>
<table class="keyboard" style="border: 1px solid #a2a9b1; background-color: #f8f9fa; padding: 5px;margin:auto; font-size:90%; text-align:center;">

<tbody><tr>
<th scope="col" colspan="25" style="font-size:150%;padding:.25em 0;"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1045256916">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .navbar-header{text-align:center;position:relative;white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .navbar-header .navbar{position:absolute;right:0;top:0;margin:0 5px}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><div class="navbar-header"><a href="IBM_PC_keyboard" title="IBM PC keyboard">IBM PC keyboard</a> (<a href="Microsoft_Windows" title="Microsoft Windows">Windows</a>, <a href="American_National_Standards_Institute" title="American National Standards Institute">ANSI</a> US layout)<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style></div>
</th></tr>
<tr style="font-size:75%;">
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA;"><a href="Esc_key" title="Esc key">Esc</a>
</td>
<td style="width:0.2em;">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F1</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F2</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F3</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F4</a>
</td>
<td style="width:0.5em;">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F5</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F6</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F7</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F8</a>
</td>
<td style="width:0.5em;">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F9</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F10</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F11</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;"><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">F12</a>
</td>
<td style="width:0.2em;">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Print_Screen" title="Print Screen">PrtScn</a>/<br><a href="System_request" title="System request">SysRq</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Scroll_Lock" title="Scroll Lock">Scroll<br>Lock</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Break_key" title="Break key">Pause</a>/<br><a href="Break_key" title="Break key">Break</a>
</td>
<td style="width:0.2em;">
</td>
<td style="width:30px;">
</td>
<td style="width:30px;">
</td>
<td style="width:30px;">
</td>
<td style="width:30px;">
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="16" style="width:450px;height:0.5em;">
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td colspan="3" style="width:100px;height:0.5em;">
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td colspan="4" style="width:120px;height:0.5em;">
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="16" rowspan="5" style="border:none;padding:0;">
</td>
<td rowspan="5">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Insert_key" title="Insert key">Insert</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Home_key" title="Home key">Home</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Page_Up_and_Page_Down_keys" title="Page Up and Page Down keys">PgUp</a>
</td>
<td rowspan="5">
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Num_lock" class="mw-redirect" title="Num lock"><small>Num<br>Lock</small></a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Slash_(punctuation)" title="Slash (punctuation)">∕</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Asterisk" title="Asterisk">∗</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Minus_sign" class="mw-redirect" title="Minus sign">−</a>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Delete_key" title="Delete key">Delete</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="End_key" title="End key">End</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:75%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Page_Up_and_Page_Down_keys" title="Page Up and Page Down keys">PgDn</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="7" title="7">7</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="8" title="8">8</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="9" title="9">9</a>
</td>
<td rowspan="2" style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Plus_sign" class="mw-redirect" title="Plus sign">+</a>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="4" title="4">4</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="5" title="5">5</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="6" title="6">6</a>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Arrow_keys" title="Arrow keys">↑</a>
</td>
<td>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="1" title="1">1</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="2" title="2">2</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;"><a href="3" title="3">3</a>
</td>
<td rowspan="2" style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;font-size:85%;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Enter_key" title="Enter key"><small>Enter</small></a>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA;"><a href="Arrow_keys" title="Arrow keys">←</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Arrow_keys" title="Arrow keys">↓</a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;padding:0 .2em;line-height:2.2em;background-color:#DADADA"><a href="Arrow_keys" title="Arrow keys">→</a>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="border:1px solid #666;line-height:1em;padding:0 .1em;text-align:left;">&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="0" title="0">0</a><br>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="Insert_key" title="Insert key"><small>Ins</small></a>
</td>
<td style="border:1px solid #666;line-height:1.1em;padding:0 .1em;">&nbsp;<a href="Decimal_separator" title="Decimal separator">.</a>&nbsp;<br><a href="Delete_key" title="Delete key"><small>Del</small></a>
</td></tr></tbody></table>
<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1290876196">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .infobox .side-box{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><div class="side-box side-box-right sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style>
<div class="side-box-flex">
<div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"></span></div>
<div class="side-box-text plainlist">Look up <i><b><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/backspace" class="extiw external" title="wiktionary:Special:Search/backspace">backspace</a></b></i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.</div></div>
</div>
<div class="side-box side-box-right sistersitebox">
<div class="side-box-flex">
<div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"></span></div>
<div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Backspace" class="extiw external" title="commons:Category:Backspace">Backspace</a></span>.</div></div>
</div>
<div class="reflist">
<div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references">
<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("./mw/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("./mw/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("./mw/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("./mw/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://lowendmac.com/mail/07/0502.html">"User Mistakes or Mac Mistakes?, Backspace vs. Delete, and It's Too Easy to Zap an Icon in the Dock"</a>. 2007.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFOLPC_Wiki" class="citation web cs1">OLPC Wiki. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Human_Interface_Guidelines/The_Sugar_Interface/Input_Systems">"OLPC Human Interface Guidelines/The Sugar Interface/Input Systems"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080118083728/http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Human_Interface_Guidelines/The_Sugar_Interface/Input_Systems#.22Hand-held.22_Mode">Archived</a> from the original on 18 January 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-01-15</span></span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-debian-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-debian_7-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-debian_7-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160310144541/http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-opersys.html#s9.8">"9.8 Keyboard configuration"</a>. <i>Debian Policy Manual</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-opersys.html#s9.8">the original</a> on 2016-03-10<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-07-24</span></span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/keys_general.mspx">"Windows keyboard shortcuts overview"</a>. <i><a href="Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-09</span></span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://github.com/lxde/lxqt/issues/178">"Keyboard shortcuts for PCmanFM-QT [bug]/[Missing feature]"</a>. <i><a href="GitHub" title="GitHub">GitHub</a></i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2016-02-09</span></span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFPogue" class="citation web cs1"><a href="David_Pogue" title="David Pogue">Pogue, David</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/switching-to-the/9781449372927/ch01s08.html">"Keyboard Differences"</a>. <i>Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition</i>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-Jargon-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Jargon_13-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/writing-style.html">Chapter 5. Hacker Writing Style</a>, The <a href="Jargon_File" title="Jargon File">Jargon File</a>, version 4.4.7</span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/vimum.html">"VIM USER MANUAL"</a>. <a href="FreeBSD" title="FreeBSD">FreeBSD</a>. November 2, 2013<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 14,</span> 2016</span>.</cite></span>
</li>
<li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=vi">"FreeBSD Man Pages; vi"</a>. Vimonline. March 9, 2002<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 14,</span> 2016</span>.</cite></span>
</li>
</ol></div></div>
<div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">
/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */


.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}


/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */
</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Keyboard_keys117" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="Keyboard_keys117" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="Keyboard_technology" title="Keyboard technology">Keyboard</a> keys</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Dead_key" title="Dead key">Dead keys</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Compose_key" title="Compose key">Compose</a></li>
<li><a href="Gold_key_(DEC)" title="Gold key (DEC)">Gold</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Modifier_key" title="Modifier key">Modifier keys</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Control_key" title="Control key">Control</a></li>
<li><a href="Shift_key" title="Shift key">Shift</a></li>
<li><a href="Alt_key" title="Alt key">Alt</a> / <a href="Option_key" title="Option key">Option</a> (<a href="Apple_keyboards" title="Apple keyboards">Apple</a>)</li>
<li><a href="AltGr_key" title="AltGr key">AltGr</a></li>
<li><a href="Command_key" title="Command key">Command</a> (<a href="Apple_keyboards" title="Apple keyboards">Apple</a>) / <a href="Windows_key" title="Windows key">Windows</a> (<a href="IntelliType" title="IntelliType">Microsoft</a>) / <a href="Super_key_(keyboard_button)" title="Super key (keyboard button)">Super</a></li>
<li><a href="Meta_key" title="Meta key">Meta</a></li>
<li><a href="Space-cadet_keyboard" title="Space-cadet keyboard">Hyper</a></li>
<li><a href="Fn_key" title="Fn key">Fn</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="Lock_key" title="Lock key">Lock keys</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Scroll_Lock" title="Scroll Lock">Scroll Lock</a></li>
<li><a href="Num_Lock" title="Num Lock">Num Lock</a></li>
<li><a href="Caps_Lock" title="Caps Lock">Caps Lock</a></li>
<li><a href="F-Lock" title="F-Lock">F-Lock</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Navigation keys</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Arrow_keys" title="Arrow keys">Arrow keys</a></li>
<li><a href="Page_Up_and_Page_Down_keys" title="Page Up and Page Down keys">Page Up/Page Down</a></li>
<li><a href="Home_key" title="Home key">Home</a></li>
<li><a href="End_key" title="End key">End</a></li>
<li><a href="Esc_key" title="Esc key">Esc</a></li>
<li><a href="Menu_key" title="Menu key">Menu</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Editing</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Enter_key" title="Enter key">Enter/Return</a>
<ul><li><a href="Carriage_return" title="Carriage return">Carriage return</a></li></ul></li>

<li><a href="Insert_key" title="Insert key">Insert</a></li>
<li><a href="Delete_key" title="Delete key">Delete</a></li>
<li><a href="Tab_key" title="Tab key">Tab</a></li>
<li><a href="Space_bar" title="Space bar">Space bar</a></li>
<li><a href="Numeric_keypad" title="Numeric keypad">Numeric keypad</a></li>
<li><a href="Language_input_keys" title="Language input keys">Language input</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Contextual</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Function_key" title="Function key">Function keys</a></li>
<li><a href="Print_Screen" title="Print Screen">Print Screen</a></li>
<li><a href="System_request" title="System request">System request</a></li>
<li><a href="Break_key" title="Break key">Break/Pause</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Misc.</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em">
<ul><li><a href="Power_key" title="Power key">Power management keys</a> (Power, Sleep, Wake)</li>
<li><a href="Any_key" title="Any key">Any key</a></li>
<li><a href="Macro_key" title="Macro key">Macro key</a></li>
<li><a href="Copilot_key" class="mw-redirect" title="Copilot key">Copilot key</a></li>
<li><a href="Keyboard_technology" title="Keyboard technology">Keyboard technology</a></li>
<li><a href="Keyboard_shortcut" title="Keyboard shortcut">Keyboard shortcut</a></li>
<li><a href="Keyboard_layout" title="Keyboard layout">Keyboard layout</a></li>
<li><a href="Keyboard_mapping" class="mw-redirect" title="Keyboard mapping">Keyboard mapping</a></li></ul>
</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><!--htdig_noindex--><div><div class="zim-footer">
This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-03-22" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=Backspace&amp;oldid=1281764553">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.
</div>
</div><!--/htdig_noindex--></div>
</div>
</main>
</div>
</div>
</div>

</body></html>