Ins

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Computer

Ins
Stands forInsert key
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

Ins stands for Insert key, a computer abbreviation.

Key that toggles between insert mode, where typing pushes existing text to the right, and overtype mode, where new characters replace old ones. It also forms shortcuts such as Ctrl+Ins (copy) and Shift+Ins (paste).

Example: If your typing is erasing the next letters, you probably hit Ins by accident.

Usage notes

Many laptops drop the dedicated key or hide it behind Fn, and Microsoft Word disables overtype by default to prevent accidents. Shift+Ins and Ctrl+Ins come from IBM's Common User Access guidelines of the late 1980s and still work in many Windows and Linux programs, including terminals where Ctrl+C is reserved for interrupting programs.

More computer abbreviations

  • HCI – Human-computer interaction
  • HFS+ – Hierarchical File System Plus
  • HPC – High-performance computing
  • I/O – Input/output
  • ICT – Information and communications technology
  • IME – Input method editor
  • IS – Information systems
  • IT – Information technology
  • ITIL – Information Technology Infrastructure Library
  • ITSM – IT service management
  • KB – Knowledge Base
  • Mac – Macintosh

See all 92 computer abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.