Microsoft Windows is a truly versatile operating system and provides accessibility features to the people who might have problems using Windows otherwise. For example, my great-grandfather does not exactly have a 20/20 vision and cannot read properly even after wearing the glasses. So he uses the magnifier application in the Windows accessibility features that zooms up the screen so that he can comfortably read everything on the screen without causing any strain on his eyes. Another one of the accessibility features in Windows is the Sticky Keys which give relief to people who have difficulty holding two or more keys at the same time (for example, pressing hotkeys like Win + X).
But these can be a little annoying to those users who do not use them. For example, if you accidentally press the Shift key on your keyboard five times in a row, then the Sticky Keys window pops up and asks you if you want to turn on Sticky Keys feature.
If you do not such annoying windows popping up everytime you accidentally press the Shift key repetitively, then you can follow these simple instructions to turn off the Sticky Keys in Windows 8 or 8.1:
- Open the Windows Control Panel by using the hotkey Win+X and selecting Control Panel from the menu that shows up. In the Control Panel window, select Ease of Access by clicking on it.
- Under the Ease of Access section, it would display many options. You have to click on the Change how your keyboard works in this list.
- In the window that shows up, you would see many options to quickly turn on Sticky Keys, Mouse Keys etc. Under the Make it easier to type section, click on Set up Sticky Keys as shown:
- Under the Keyboard shortcut section, un-check the checkbox option that says Turn on Sticky Keys when SHIFT is pressed five times.
- Click on the OK button to save the settings and then close all the windows that you have opened through these instructions.
After this, Windows will disable the “press Shift key five times” shortcut to toggle the Sticky Keys on or off in Windows. This will take care of the annoying window that pops up asking you for turning on the Sticky Keys. But if any of your family members uses these accessibility features then you should better leave these options untouched, as these features are a great relief for those who need them.