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As many people know, Lenovo has this bizarre habit of switching the location of the function (Fn) and left control (Ctrl) keys on their keyboards. I can't imagine why they think this is a good idea (and they are wrong), but at least they (typically) offer a way to swap the functionality of these keys in the BIOS. However, I recently got a refurbished Lenovo X1 Tablet Gen2 (2017 model) with a fresh install of Windows 10 and all drivers and updates installed...but this option doesn't exist.

  1. The option doesn't exit when using the BIOS setup tool from interrupting startup.
  2. I installed the Think BIOS Config Tool which exposes BIOS features hidden in the startup interface, and the option was there. I enabled the swap option, and the log reports that the change was made successfully, and the status stays enabled, but there is no change in behavior of the keyboard (it didn't work).
  3. I installed the Lenovo Vantage App from the Microsoft store. It has a toggle for this option too. I can activate the toggle, but when I navigate elsewhere or close the setting is back to disabled.
  4. One of the laptop's drivers (for Hotkey support) installed a control panel program called "keyboard manager". This program also has an option to switch the Fn and Ctrl keys, but (just like the Vantage App) if I toggle it to enabled, go to another tab, then go back, the setting has been automatically reverted to disabled.
  5. I tried using KeyTweak to reassign the key functions, but (as I expected) the Fn key is especially special and cannot be remapped by these kinds of tools.

Similar questions have been asked many times (for other models), but I've tried everything suggested by every answer I can find and so far nothing has worked. So I'm asking here to see if somebody's figured out another way that will actually work on the X1 Tablet Gen2.

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  • What's wrong with using what you have? I have two X1 ThinkPads here. The FN and Ctrl keys work just fine and naturally for me.
    – anon
    Commented Dec 13, 2022 at 13:22
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    Well, that's great for you. I mostly use external keyboards at home and work, and non-Lenovo computers/laptops as well, and the location of Fn and Ctrl is standard on those (of course). Having them switched only when using this specific laptop and only when using it in laptop mode is a recipe for frustration and mistakes. It's not about right or wrong, it's about familiarity and muscle memory.
    – Aaron Bramson
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 5:24
  • I was looking at the LogiTech keyboard on my Desktop computer. It has a control key where the X1 has Fn . Also a control key on the other side. I interchange back and forth . I really like the X1 (and X230) Fn key setup so that Fn and Spacebar turns on Keyboard Lights for me.
    – anon
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 13:16

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Okay, well, I FINALLY solved the problem through trial and error. the unit was purchased in Japan, but I have US Windows and US-En keyboard (also bought in Japan). I installed drivers from Lenovo Japan's English site, and nothing worked. I reinstalled the keyboard firmware from Lenovo Japan's Japanese site and THAT worked. After updating the firmware the setting that was already set in the BIOS became active.

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