How to ignore repeated keystrokes using FilterKeys
Posted on November 16, 2008 at 5:34 am
Accessibility features in Windows is a must have if we have users who tend to repeatedly press keys due to their condition. Having the ability to set the keyboard response using the accessibility panel lets Windows ignore unwanted repeated keystrokes.
FilterKeys is a feature on the Windows control panel under the Accessibility Option. With FilterKeys, you can set the time in between repeated keystroke and automatically ignore that keystroke within that time. It allows for tweaks that could help users with poor vision, mobility, and hearing. In this tutorial we will help people with mobility problems who have a tendency to press the keys more than they intended.
To go to the Control Panel, click Start then Control Panel:
Now double click Accessibility Options:
The Accessibility Options should appear and from this window you can see a couple of tabs, choose Keyboard. Under the Filter keys panel, click Settings:
On the Settings for FilterKeys window click Settings:
Choose the number pf seconds wherein you want to ignore a repeated stroke of the same key:
In this case I chose 1.5 seconds. This means if I press any button and press the same button within 1.5 seconds, the second press will be ignored. You can use the test area to type repeated keystrokes:
Press OK once you are satisfied with your chosen time. After pressing OK, you should click the Apply Changes for the setting to take effect:
After clicking Apply, you may close the window and test it on actual applications like MS Office. If there are other users on a same PC that don’t want this setup (i.e. they want to have this disabled), you might want to create separate user accounts for each user. This way you can set their own preferred Accessibility Options setting.
By tapping the features of Accessibility Options, people with mobility problems will have a better computing experience. You can also experiment on other settings like StickyKeys (use shift, ctrl or alt by pressing one key at a time) and ToggleKeys (plays a sound when you press caps lock, numlock and scroll lock) under the keyboard settings.
Ben Carigtan writes about websites, computers, technology, and how to get the best out of them.
» Filed Under Computer Tips
Related Posts
- Control iTunes with Customized Hotkeys and Built-in Timer
- More keyboard shortcuts – Windows Logo key shortcuts
- How to hide Windows desktop screen
- Turn your Boring FireFox Layout to 3D via FoxTab
- Reduce computer energy use via XP power management options
Good tutorial, but is there a way to configure a key so that repeated keystrokes on that key will not bring up the FilterKeys dialog box? Right now it pops up for the entire keyboard when you press a key multiple times. Thanks.