{"id":462074,"date":"2022-06-13T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys\/"},"modified":"2022-06-13T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T12:00:00","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys\/","title":{"rendered":"#What\u2019s the Difference Between the \u201cEnter\u201d and \u201cReturn\u201d Keys?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2920b0400f7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2920b0400f7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys\/#%E2%80%9CWhats_the_Difference_Between_the_%E2%80%9CEnter%E2%80%9D_and_%E2%80%9CReturn%E2%80%9D_Keys%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What\u2019s the Difference Between the \u201cEnter\u201d and \u201cReturn\u201d Keys?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys\/#The_Historical_Difference_Between_Enter_and_Return\" >The Historical Difference Between Enter and Return<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/whats-the-difference-between-the-enter-and-return-keys\/#Mac_and_PC_Do_Things_Differently\" >Mac and PC Do Things Differently<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhats_the_Difference_Between_the_%E2%80%9CEnter%E2%80%9D_and_%E2%80%9CReturn%E2%80%9D_Keys%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What\u2019s the Difference Between the \u201cEnter\u201d and \u201cReturn\u201d Keys?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<!-- UNCACHED CONTENT --><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-808276\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/return_key_hero_3.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A Mac keyboard's &quot;Return&quot; key with a red question mark in front of it.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/return-key-on-keyboard-249331408\">miwa-in-oz\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On a Mac extended keyboard, there\u2019s a \u201cReturn\u201d and an \u201cEnter\u201d key. On most PC keyboards, there are two \u201cEnter\u201d keys, but some say \u201cReturn\u201d instead. What\u2019s going on here? We look at the history behind the keys.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Historical_Difference_Between_Enter_and_Return\"><\/span>The Historical Difference Between Enter and Return<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To understand the difference between Return and Enter, we\u2019ll need to go back to their origins.<\/p>\n<p>The Return key comes from typewriters. On an electric typewriter (such as the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/ibm\/history\/ibm100\/us\/en\/icons\/selectric\/\">IBM Selectric<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>), pressing the Return key executes a \u201ccarriage return,\u201d which moves the carriage (the roller assembly holding the paper you\u2019re typing on) back to the start of a line. It also rotates the roller so the paper advances down a line or two at the same time (called a \u201cline feed\u201d). It\u2019s how you begin typing on a new line.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-809294 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/ibm_selectric_return_key.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The &quot;Return&quot; key on an IBM Selectric typewriter.\" width=\"650\" height=\"209\" data-credittext=\"IBM\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Return key on an IBM Selectric typewriter. <span class=\"imagecredit\">IBM<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Enter key originates from early video screen computer terminals, when the need arose to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/keyboardio\/model-100\/posts\/3243501\">differentiate between<\/a> adding a carriage return within a form field and submitting the information itself. \u201cEnter\u201d in this case means to send data into the computer after typing a value. Enter also derives somewhat from computer numeric keypads, which come from a lineage of adding machines and data entry devices. In this context, it\u2019s often used as an equivalent to the equal sign (\u201c=\u201d) or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tenkeycalculators.com\/addandsubtract.html\">Total key<\/a> on an adding machine, which keeps a running total of values entered.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>Where Did the Numeric Keypads on PC Keyboards Come From?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mac_and_PC_Do_Things_Differently\"><\/span>Mac and PC Do Things Differently<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>On a standard Windows PC keyboard with a numeric keypad, you\u2019ll find two Enter keys: One just above the right Shift key, and one in the far lower-right corner of the keyboard as part of the numeric keypad. This design emerged on the PC platform with the 101-key \u201cModel M\u201d keyboard back in 1984.<\/p>\n<p>On a Windows PC, both of these keys return the same internal ID code (\u201c13\u201d for Carriage Return), which means that most programs don\u2019t differentiate between them. Internally, however, they return <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/stackoverflow.com\/questions\/5418313\/how-to-differentiate-between-enter-and-return-keys-in-javascript\">different location codes<\/a>, which means a properly coded program can tell the difference if it wants to.<\/p>\n<p>Some <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/forums\/topic\/numeric-pad-enter-key-text-box\/\">Microsoft Office apps<\/a> and a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativepro.com\/a-tale-of-two-enter-keys\/\">variety of Adobe apps<\/a> treat the two Enter keys differently depending on context. In <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, the Enter in the main section of the keyboard sends a Carriage Return (new line), and the Enter on the numeric keypad is used for submitting data in an entry, similar to clicking an \u201cOK\u201d button. But that can easily change based on the software context.<\/p>\n<p>On a Mac, you\u2019ll see a Return key in the main alphanumeric section of the keyboard and an Enter key in the numeric keypad section of extended keyboards. This arrangement first <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/deskthority.net\/wiki\/Apple_A6MB101\">Apple Lisa keyboard<\/a> in 1983 and carried over to the Mac Numeric Keypad in 1984 and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/deskthority.net\/wiki\/Apple_M0110A\">Mac Plus extended keyboard<\/a> in 1986.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-809295\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/return_enter_mac_1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The &quot;Return&quot; and &quot;Enter&quot; keys on a Mac keyboard.\" width=\"650\" height=\"334\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Apple<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On a Mac, the Return and Enter keys have two different ASCII codes (36 and 76), and as with the PC, many apps consider them the same key, but some apps treat them differently. If your keyboard doesn\u2019t have a numeric keypad, the Return key might also say \u201cEnter\u201d on it. To make your Return key act like Enter, press Fn+Return.<\/p>\n<p>So we\u2019re left with an unsatisfying conclusion. Enter and Return are non-identical twins of each other, each with different functions based on different contexts. They are two different keys, and yet they often do the same thing. Ultimately, their value comes from their different locations on the keyboard\u2014although, if you think about it, when has the standard keyboard layout ever really made sense?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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On most PC keyboards, there are two \u201cEnter\u201d keys, but some say \u201cReturn\u201d instead. What\u2019s going on here? We look at the history behind the keys. The Historical Difference Between Enter and Return&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":462075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/return_key_hero_3.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-462074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=462074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/462074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/462075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=462074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=462074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=462074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}