How to Get Enable Extra Keys in Termux

Termux Extra Keys – When we use termux, when we have to use keys like control alt or up or down arrow, we use the touch keyboard that comes standard with termux. But in this touch keyboard, we don’t have a right arrow and left arrow as well as other keys that we can see on the normal keyboard.

To access additional keys when using termux, many users, as well as YouTubers, install a hacker keyboard. In my opinion, it’s just a waste of storage, and replacing my google keyboard with a new complicated keyboard just to use termux is too much effort for me. Termux Extra Keys

If you want to use other keys in termux, you can use some commands provided by the official termux website, but creating a properties file with the code provided by termux is a bit of work. I just combined multiple commands so now you can enable these keys by putting a single command.

While using termux, we often come across keys that are built in termux and these keys are useful for moving the cursor, closing sessions in termux, entering function commands, etc.

These keys are very useful but sometimes we need more keys to do in termux like termux only provides up and down keys for commands in termux and these keys don’t have much other function but what if there is a way to unlock more keys in termux without installing any file or package in termux but using a single command.

Yes, you can do this and it is officially available on the termux website that you can actually unlock the keys with a single command. Termux Extra Keys

And in this post, I will guide you through the steps to unlock not one but many types of keys in termux.

Using the command below you will have access to all the arrow buttons on the termux touchpad.
Just copy and paste the command below and open termux again and enable arrow keys on the keyboard.

mkdir $HOME/.termux/ ;echo "extra-keys = [['ESC','/','-','HOME','UP','END'],['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT']]" >> $HOME/.termux/termux.properties && termux-reload-settings && sleep 1 && logout

The code is exactly as above, but I added PGUP and PGDN to add page up and down keys. The following command enables the page up and pages down keys in termux

mkdir $HOME/.termux/ ;echo "extra-keys = [['ESC','/','-','HOME','UP','END','PGUP'], ['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT','PGDN']]" >> $HOME/.termux/termux.properties && termux-reload-settings && sleep 1 && logout

The following command enables the function keys and adds additional functions to the row containing 7 function keys of the touch keyboard.
Copy and paste the command below.

mkdir $HOME/.termux/ ;echo "extra-keys = [['F1','F2','F3','F4','F5','F6','F12'], ['ESC','TAB','CTRL','ALT','-','DOWN','UP']]" >>$HOME/.termux/termux.properties && termux-reload-settings && sleep 1 && logout

You can replace F1 with F7 or any function key in command and activate that key in termux.

I don’t think using this open is a great idea unless and until you do something that requires all of these keys together.
Copy and paste this command, hit enter and you’re done. Termux Extra Keys

The following command enables all keys in termux.
You should use all these keyboard commands if you absolutely want to, otherwise, it will break your view of termux, so make a note of it.

mkdir $HOME/.termux/ ;echo "extra-keys = [['F1','F2','F3','F4','F5','F6','F7'], ['ESC','/','-','HOME','UP','END','PGUP'] ['TAB','CTRL','ALT','LEFT','DOWN','RIGHT','PGDN']]" $HOME/.termux/termux.properties && termux-reload-settings && sleep 1 && logout

Each key “item” can be either a string (such as ‘|’, ‘/’ or ‘=’) or one of the values ​​listed below. These values ​​are defined in ExtraKeysView.java and the list of values ​​(without possible synonyms) is:

• CTRL (“special key”)
• ALT (“special key”)
• FN (“special key”)
• SPACE
• ESC
• TAB
• HOME
• END
• PGUP
• PGDN
• INS
• DEL
• BKSP
• UP
• LEFT
• RIGHT
• DOWN
• ENTER
• BACKSLASH
• QUOTE
• APOSTROPHE
• F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, F10, F11, F12
• KEYBOARD (Hide the keyboard)
• DRAWER (Open app drawer)

Using keys like Alt, Ctrl, and Esc is necessary to work with the CLI terminal. Termux touch keyboards do not include one. For this purpose, Termux uses the volume down key to emulate the Ctrl key. For example, pressing Volume Down+L on a touch keyboard sends the same input as pressing Ctrl+L on a hardware keyboard. Termux Extra Keys

The result of using Ctrl in combination with a key depends on the program you are using, but the following shortcuts work for many command line tools:

• Ctrl+A → Move cursor to the beginning of line
• Ctrl+C → Abort (send SIGINT to the) current process
• Ctrl+D → Logout of a terminal session
• Ctrl+E → Move cursor to the end of line
• Ctrl+K → Delete from cursor to the end of line
• Ctrl+U → Delete from cursor to the beginning of line
• Ctrl+L → Clear the terminal
• Ctrl+Z → Suspend (send SIGTSTP to) current process
• Ctrl+W → Clear prompt before word (a word is a set of characters after a space)
• Ctrl+alt+C → Open new session (only works in Hacker’s Keyboard)
• Volume Up+E → Escape key
• Volume Up+T → Tab key
• Volume Up+1 → F1 (and Volume Up+2 → F2, etc)
• Volume Up+0 → F10
• Volume Up+B → Alt+B, back a word when using readline
• Volume Up+F → Alt+F, forward a word when using readline
• Volume Up+X → Alt+X
• Volume Up+W → Up arrow key
• Volume Up+A → Left arrow key
• Volume Up+S → Down arrow key
• Volume Up+D → Right arrow key
• Volume Up+L → | (the pipe character)
• Volume Up+H → ~ (the tilde character)
• Volume Up+U → _ (underscore)
• Volume Up+P → Page Up
• Volume Up+N → Page Down
• Volume Up+. → Ctrl+\ (SIGQUIT)
• Volume Up+V → Show the volume control
• Volume Up+Q → Show extra keys view
• Volume Up+K → Another variant to toggle extra keys view

• Also Read: Display & View Images in Termux Terminal using Termimage
• Also Read: Share Termux Shell to Windows CMD Using SSH Server
• Also Read: Installing GHOST Framework in Termux | No Root
• Also Read: DogeRat –Telegram-base Android-RAT without Port Forwarding
• Also Read: How to Install & Use Maltego In Termux a Complete Guide

Conclusion:

Enabling keys in termux requires 4-5 commands, but I don’t want to waste time separating the commands, so I created one command to do the job. If you can’t find the key you’re looking for, you can check the termux-wiki for your key name and then edit the key name in any command to enable the key you want.