The space bar
The space bar is the long horizontal key on a typewriter or keyboard in the bottom row. Its main purpose is to enter a space — for example between words while typing.
It’s large enough for either thumb and usually sits below the letters C–V–B–N–M on QWERTY layouts. On modern keyboards it became a bit narrower to make room for keys like Ctrl and Alt.
Do you have a question for Ruben Geerlings?A typical space bar is large and centrally located for convenience and ergonomics. While the core job is simple, the key has a surprisingly rich background and many secondary uses in software and games.
History
On early typewriters in the late 19th century the “bar” was literally a metal bar spanning the full keyboard width. It advanced the carriage without firing a typebar at the platen.
Later, the bar shrank into today’s wide, centrally located “key” as keyboards added more function keys and became deliberately styled. On many layouts it lies between the Alt (or Command) keys and below the letters C, V, B, N, and M.
Some machines used different spacing methods — smaller, offset “space” keys or levers — such as the Hansen Writing Ball, Hammond typewriters, or early home computers like the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and Jupiter Ace. As usability won out, later models returned to the now-familiar wide, central space bar.
Other uses
- With modifier keys (e.g. Ctrl), the space bar can trigger window actions, half-spacing, or other functions depending on the OS.
- In browsers it usually pages down; with Shift it pages up.
- In media apps it’s the universal pause / resume key.
- In games it’s commonly mapped to Jump, paired with WASD movement.
