The Break key pauses or interrupts tasks; on many laptops it’s hidden behind shortcuts or replaced by software actions.
The Break/Pause key started life in teleprinters, where “breaking” a circuit stopped the remote station mid-message. Decades later, the idea survives on computers as a way to pause a screen, send an interrupt, or flip a remote session between windowed and full-screen. Full-size desktop keyboards still tend to include a dedicated Pause/Break key near Print Screen and Scroll Lock. Slim laptops and compact layouts often drop it to save space, but the function remains available through shortcuts, menus, or software remapping.
Quick Answer: Break Key Meaning And Typical Uses
The Break action is an interrupt. In text consoles and some apps it halts a running task. In Windows, Windows+Pause jumps to the System > About page, and in Remote Desktop, Ctrl+Alt+Break toggles full-screen mode. Older scripts and tools sometimes listen for Ctrl+Break to stop output. Games may map Pause to this key as well. Exact behavior depends on the program receiving the signal.
On many keyboards the physical key is labeled “Pause/Break.” Some models print “Pause” on the top of the keycap and “Break” on the front edge. Others show a Pause legend only. When a laptop omits the key, the same effect can come from an Fn chord, the On-Screen Keyboard, or a remapped hotkey.
Where You’ll Find It On Modern Keyboards
On extended desktop boards, look at the top-right cluster next to Insert and Home. That’s the traditional spot. On compact laptops, vendors reassign the function to a layered shortcut to keep the layout tidy. A common approach is an Fn combo that uses a letter key, often B or P. Some notebooks provide no hardware route at all and rely on software methods.
Don’t worry if your keys don’t show “Pause” or “Break.” The operating system can still receive the command. In Windows, the On-Screen Keyboard includes a Pause button; you can click it while holding Ctrl on your physical keyboard to send Ctrl+Break. Remote desktop apps also offer menu items that send Break into the remote machine even when your physical keyboard lacks the key.
Break Key On Laptops: What It Does Today
Windows Actions You’ll Use
Two spots many users open with this family of keys are the About page and a remote session toggle. Press Windows+Pause to open Settings > System > About. Microsoft documents that shortcut on its official list of Windows shortcuts, and it’s a quick way to share device specs during a help desk call. You can reference it here: Windows keyboard shortcuts.
When you’re connected through Microsoft’s Remote Desktop client, Ctrl+Alt+Break switches the session between windowed and full-screen. Microsoft lists alternates too, such as Ctrl+Alt+Pause, in case your keyboard lacks a Break label. See the official page here: Remote Desktop shortcut keys.
Classic console programs also respond to interrupt keys. In many tools, Ctrl+Break stops batch output, while Ctrl+C sends an interrupt signal that most shells understand. Modern Windows terminals pass these control characters to the foreground process so you can stop a runaway command without closing the window.
macOS Equivalents That Cancel Work
Apple keyboards don’t ship with Pause/Break. The closest everyday match is Command+. (period), which cancels in many dialogs and apps. In Terminal, Control+C interrupts a running job, while Command+. often cancels an in-progress operation that shows a Cancel button. When controlling a Windows machine from a Mac, many remote clients include a “Send Break” menu item so you can reach Windows-only shortcuts from a Mac keyboard.
Linux And Other Unix-Like Systems
On Linux consoles and most Unix-like shells, Control+C sends SIGINT to stop the foreground program. Control+Z suspends a job, and Control+\\ sends a quit signal that can produce a core dump. Laptops rarely include a hardware Break key, so those terminal shortcuts do the heavy lifting day to day.
Shortcuts That Emulate Break On Compact Keyboards
Compact layouts and many ultrabooks rely on layers and software tricks. Try these approaches when your keyboard shows no Pause legend.
Use The On-Screen Keyboard In Windows
Press Win+R, type osk, and press Enter. The On-Screen Keyboard includes a Pause button. Hold Ctrl on your physical keyboard, then click Pause to send Ctrl+Break. This method works even on machines with no Fn mapping at all, and it’s handy during remote support when you can’t guess a vendor’s secret chord.
Try Common Vendor Combos
Manufacturers sometimes wire the function to an Fn chord such as Fn+B, Fn+P, or Fn+Ctrl+B. The exact choice changes by year and model line. ThinkPads and select Dell and HP notebooks often use a letter key with Fn; gaming laptops can move it to a side macro row. If the combo doesn’t appear on your keycaps, search your model’s PDF manual.
Map A Spare Key
If your board ships with a utility, create a macro that sends the needed command. Many users bind a spare key to Windows+Pause for fast access to About, or to Ctrl+C for a universal interrupt in consoles. If you swap keyboards often, export the profile so you can restore it later.
Brand-By-Brand Combos People Report
The entries below reflect patterns that show up in manuals and forum threads. Treat them as a starting point, since laptop lines change layouts across generations. When in doubt, test with a text editor and confirm that the combo you try doesn’t trigger something unrelated like keyboard backlight brightness.
| Brand | Likely Shortcut | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad | Fn+B or Fn+P | Common on six-row layouts; legacy models vary. |
| Dell | Fn+B or Fn+Ctrl+B | Some lines also map it to Fn+S. |
| HP | Fn+B | Seen across ProBook and EliteBook families. |
| ASUS | Fn+Pause (when a Pause legend exists) | Compact designs may omit a hardware route. |
| Acer | Fn+P | Check the model’s PDF guide to confirm. |
| Samsung | Fn+B | Appears on select notebooks. |
When An App Ignores Break
Not every program listens for a Break signal. Here’s how to stop or cancel work when nothing happens after you press a key combo.
Use The App’s Own Cancel
Most dialogs respond to Esc for Cancel and Enter for OK. On a Mac, Command+. activates the Cancel button in many windows and stops in-progress actions in apps that support it. Media tools often have their own hotkeys, so a quick peek at the Help menu can pay off.
Try Console Interrupts
In terminals, Ctrl+C is the go-to interrupt. Ctrl+Z suspends the foreground job, returning you to a prompt. Advanced shells let you type fg to resume, or send a targeted kill to end a stuck process. Many Windows terminals forward these signals to console apps, so the same reflexes work across platforms.
Remote Desktop Quirks
Remote sessions can swallow key events, especially when you chain one session inside another. Microsoft’s docs list alternates such as Ctrl+Alt+Pause and other chords that reach the remote OS when Ctrl+Alt+Break isn’t available. If your client offers a menu with “Send Break,” use that when physical keys don’t register.
Practical Tips And Safe Habits
- Check the manual first: vendor PDFs often list Fn layers and special keys by exact model.
- Prefer graceful stops: use an app’s Cancel or menu command before sending interrupts to avoid losing work.
- Know your terminal: shells treat Ctrl+C, Ctrl+Z, and Ctrl+\\ differently; try the least destructive option first.
- Pin a fallback: add the On-Screen Keyboard to the taskbar on machines that lack Pause so you can send Ctrl+Break any time.
- Document your setup: if you remap keys, export the profile so you can restore it after an OS upgrade.
Why This Legacy Still Matters
The label comes from early teleprinter circuits, yet the concept is timeless: stop what’s running, or pause the view. Even when the key disappears from a chassis, the behaviors remain, from System > About on Windows to cancel shortcuts on Mac and Linux. Once you learn the closest match on your device—whether that’s an Fn chord, a remote menu, or a software key—you can interrupt a runaway task, flip a remote desktop, or reach device info in a snap.