Ever typed a letter backwards? Well, you probably did many times as a little kid. That’s because the backslash key (the key with the backslash on it) is a commonly used key that is found on almost every single keyboard. Oftentimes, typing a backslash (\) key on your keyboard can work to your advantage.
It is sometimes referred to as the “backslash key,” “backslash-backwards slash,” or “backslash-curly question mark” key. It is also known as the “add-slash key,” “backslash-double-slash key,” “backslash-grave accent key,” or “backslash-logical-and key.”
How to Type Backslash Key (\) or Backward
The backslash key is used all the time in computer programming. You use it in the UNIX shell (command line), for example. It is often used as an escape character, for instance, to redirect output to a file or pipe it into something else. The backslash key also turns a word into a path or filename.
- Find the Backslash Key (\) on Your computer
- Press the \ key
- Release the key and it’s just typed on your program or file
Did you know the backslash key (\) may look a little confusing when you first see it? This key is something different from other keys on your keyboard, and you might wonder why you even have a key like this.
The backslash key lets you add special characters to letters and numbers, and it’s one of the most-asked questions in tech support. I think you got the answer.
Difference between Forward and Backward key
The forward arrow (/) key is symbolised by an upward-facing arrow and represents the Unicode character U+2118. This key, when pressed in conjunction with other keys, is one of the keys that send characters to programs that convert the keyboard’s input into characters.
The backward arrow (\) key is symbolised by a downward-facing arrow and represents the Unicode character U+2119. This key, when pressed in conjunction with other keys, is one of the keys that send characters back to programs that process the input into characters.
The forward arrow can also be produced by tapping and holding the key. The backward arrow can also be produced by tapping and holding the key.
- The forward slash key press (/)
- For the Backslash key press (\)
Important of Backslash Key (\) or Backward
While Keyboard shortcuts are handy, we sometimes hit the “backslash” key (\) or the tilde (~) incorrectly. The “backslash” key (\) or the tilde (~) is used to insert special characters into a document, such as the accented characters or character modifiers (e.g. exclamation mark).
In order to type in special characters, we hit the “backslash” key (\) or the tilde (~). Note that if you accidentally hit the “backslash” key (\) or the tilde (~) before you’ve typed in a character and hit enter, your keyboard will not register the character. If you hit enter before you’ve typed in the character, the character won’t be inserted.
The backslash key, also known as the asterisk key, \ or, is one of the most used characters on a keyboard. It’s the go-to character for many things, such as, for example, asterisked-out words. It’s often used to join two words together.
However, there’s also another, lesser-known use for backslash. By typing backslash, you can actually type an “underscore” character. (If you’re typing with Microsoft Word, for example, the word “hello\world” is transformed into “hello_world”.)
Location of backward slash key (\)
The backward slash key (\) can be intimidating at first. It’s one of the most useful punctuation marks, but many people don’t know how to type it. The backslash key is usually located just above the enter button, but its location varies from keyboard to keyboard. To type a \, press and hold the backslash key and type the \ symbol, then let go of the key.
Where people mostly use the backslash (\) key
The backslash key on your keyboard is known as a backslash or carriage return key. This key is used for a variety of reasons, and prints a special character called a backslash (\).
- This character can be used in numerous places in your text, typically at the end of a sentence or phrase.
- This character is used to denote a character that is returned or skipped over in a word or sentence.
- The backslash key is also referred to as the “backtick” key.
- To type this key, just press the “\” keys a single time on the keyboard.
If only there were a keyboard shortcut for typing the backslash symbol (\) or backward slash (/)! These characters are some of the most frequently used (and least convenient!) on the standard PC keyboard.
Well, there is, kind of: the backslash and forward slash can all be achieved through a mode shift key on the number pad, but the backslash requires an extra step. Not only that, but no matter which key you press, you’ll still end up with one awkward-looking character at the end of your text.
Conclusion
Typing can be hard, and it can often be frustrating to need to backspace and erase past text just to repair a typo. That’s why many people prefer to use (or, rather, be required) to use special symbols to punctuate their text.
Typing can be quite the character limit, though, and it can take a long time to type out a full sentence. That’s why many people prefer using an emoji since it’s much faster to click on a picture of a smiley face than it is to type out an entire smiley phrase. By pressing two keys simulteniously.
Welcome to our blog! My name is Yuvraj Kore, and I am a blogger who has been exploring the world of blogging since 2017. It all started back in 2014 when I attended a digital marketing program at college and learned about the intriguing world of blogging.
Patty Scott