How to disable Insert Key in Windows 11

The Insert Key can often be irritating on your keyboard. If you mistakenly press it when operating, it switches to Overtype mode, and then you can get irritated. You can type something, and the text under your cursor will be overwritten. In a significant project, this may cause random issues. But there is some good news to get rid of this issue. You have the option to disable the Insert Key.

Disable Insert Key in Windows 11/10

To disable the Insert key in Windows 11/10, follow this procedure step by step.

Open the Registry Editor and navigate to the following key:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout

As you locate the Keyboard Layout folder, right-click on it and click the New > Binary Value option.

When you click the Binary Value, a field will appear on the left side of the screen.

Rename the newly inserted value as per your choice it can be anything but name it something that you will remember.

Then double click on it and the following dialogue box will appear on your screen.

Now type the following value in the Value data text area.

00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 00 00 52 E0 00 00 00 00

After entering the value, click the OK button as highlighted in the above image.

Close the Registry Editor screen and restart the PC to make this change.

When the computer restarts, the Insert key will be disabled.

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Why does the Insert key still exist?

The Insert key exists primarily to support assistive technologies like screen readers, which are used for executing hotkeys to read text, provide formatting details, or open configuration menus. Although less used in modern text editing, its compatibility with accessibility tools ensures its continued relevance.

What is the toggle of the Insert key?

The Insert key allows users to toggle between typing mode and overwrite mode. In typing mode, new text is added after the cursor. Switching to overwrite mode will replace existing text. This toggle is useful for editing documents, providing flexibility in how text is managed and updated within files.