Enter key

_enter

Sometimes the enter key does not say “enter” on it but shows a down-and-back arrow like this:

The enter key is often used to indicate the end of submitting input. You might already be used to using it to mean “go” or “send”. See more about using enter on the command line .

In word processors or text editors the enter key indicates a new line — this is really from the days of “carriage-return and new line” from typewriters. This legacy still exists in the line-ending characters stored in text files (which are different between Windows and Unix). It’s why the enter key is sometimes called the return key too.

The enter key is often used to confirm a program or process — often it will close a dialogue box just as if you had clicked OK.