F keys - any workaround?

[Geseeslady]

I have an iMac Air with Parallels installed to run my favorite genealogy program. I rely heavily on the F2 and F3 keys (on my desktop) and to my horror, discovered that my new iMac Air does not have "F" keys. Is there a work around?
Carol

 

[alust2013]

I'm slightly confused as to what you actually have, as apple does not make an iMac Air. Perhaps you have a MacBook Air, which in fact does have all the function keys like a windows keyboard does. If you look at the small row of keys at the top, they will have F1-F12 in the bottom right corner. To use them as the function keys, you may have to hold the fn button in the bottom left of your keyboard, then press them. Or there is also a setting in the keyboard part of system preferences that uses them as function keys primarily, and the screen brightness controls, volume controls, etc. must be used with the fn button.

 

[Geseeslady]

F keys - any workaround?

To me, any Mac is an iMac - whether a desktop, a book, Air - you name it. Sorry to be so confusing..... (and wondered what the "b" was in "MBA") Anyway, I did not see those tiny keys at the top - I have now found them the Fn key seems to work. I do not, however, find a way, in Preferences, to make the change permanent on the Parallels side.

 

[spinnerlys]

To me, any Mac is an iMac - whether a desktop, a book, Air - you name it. Sorry to be so confusing..... (and wondered what the "b" was in "MBA") Anyway, I did not see those tiny keys at the top - I have now found them the Fn key seems to work. I do not, however, find a way, in Preferences, to make the change permanent on the Parallels side.

Does it work in Parallels via pressing the Fn (bottom left, below SHIFT) key and the F keys together?

If so, System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard:

 

[chaos86]

To me, any Mac is an iMac... (and wondered what the "b" was in "MBA")

Doesn't it say MacBook Air under the screen?

 

[Geseeslady]

F keys -

Chaos86 - no one has ever accused me of reading absolutely everything in front of me as evidenced by this entire thread.....
Thank you to all of you who have answered and helped. I did find the Preferences - and my question has been answered fully........
Thank you.....