The International Caps Lock Day Is Today

Caps lock is a key on many computer keyboards. Pressing it sets an input mode in which typed letters are uppercase by default (i.e. in All caps). The keyboard remains in caps lock mode until the key is pressed again. On some computers, holding down the shift key while caps lock is on temporarily switches to lowercase.
Keyboards often include a small LED to indicate that caps lock is active—either on the key itself, or in a row with scroll lock and num lock indicators. However, some new laptop and wireless desktop keyboards lack the LED, instead providing software that gives an on-screen indicator.

People typing case-sensitive passwords that are not displayed verbatim on the screen may not realize that caps lock is on, causing errors. Help guides, tech support materials, and sometimes the interface itself may include advice on checking caps lock before typing a password. In Windows login screens, a warning that caps lock is on is shown in a balloon near the field. In Mac OS X, when caps lock is on, a caps lock symbol (⇪) is displayed inside a password field. Operating systems may also provide audible notifications when caps-lock, num-lock, or scroll-lock buttons are toggled.
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