Surface Touch and Type Covers new functionalities (update)

Surface RT and Surface Pro Patch Tuesday Firmware update

Microsoft has been proactively updating Surface RT and Surface with Windows 8 Pro since launch to fix software and hardware issues, such as audio, Wi-Fi, and many others. The great thing about it is that the company has fixed many hardware issues without having to replace any parts.

Now with a new software update, the Touch Cover and Type Cover will have new functionalities to make the keyboard work more like a traditional full keyboard.

What are these new functionalities? Well, the software maker is adding a few changes, from now on on the keyboards you’ll be able to switch between the functionality on the top row of keys. Currently, you need to press the Fn key to access the secondary function. Now you can simply press Fn + Caps and you can permanently use the secondary functionalities without having to use the Fn key.

Additionally, a few new commands are coming to both the Touch Cover and Type Cover Surface keyboards. They are listed below:

Key CombosDescription
Fn + CapsLocks F1-F12 into being function keys. Do it again and you get the charms, volume, Home, End, etc. if you are in the function lock mode, you can get the inverse options by pressing the Fn key, naturally
Fn + spacebarPrint Screen
Fn + spacebar + AltPrint Screen for the in-focus App only
Fn + DelBrightness Up
Fn + BackspaceBrightness Down
Fn + leftHome
Fn + rightEnd
Fn + upPage Up
Fn + downPage Down

Update: These new features are part of the June 11, 2013, firmware update from Microsoft.

Source Surface Blog

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].