NKRO and gaming mode by model

For this article, keys and key combinations will be represented by bold italics, unless specifically referred to as a key.

What Is NKRO?

NKRO refers to N-key rollover. A keyboard with 6-key rollover can register 6 keys at the same time. A keyboard with full N-key rollover can register as many keys as you can press at once without "dropping" any characters. This means that no matter how fast you type or game, an NKRO-enabled keyboard will keep up.

Many low-end keyboards can only register up to 6 key presses at a time. Most Das Keyboard models are NKRO-enabled.

NKRO Is Off by Default

On many Das Keyboard models, full NKRO is turned off by default and 6-key rollover is enabled for compatibility reasons. This includes the 4 Professional, 4 Professional for Mac, 4 Ultimate, 4Q, 4 root, 4C TKL, 5Q, 5QS, and X50Q.

You can turn NKRO on with a key combination. The instructions are also printed on the bottom of the keyboard.

What Is Gaming Mode?

Gaming Mode disables the Alt, Tab, and Windows keys. This prevents you from accidentally closing or quitting your game or program. Das Keyboard models X50Q, 5Q, 5QS, and 4C TKL all come equipped with Gaming Mode. Gaming Mode has an indicator light marked with a Tetris symbol.

Quick Reference

4 Professional, 4 Ultimate, and 4 root

NKRO

• Press SHIFT + MUTE to turn NKRO on. The LED light by the media controls will blink once.
• Press SHIFT + MUTE again to turn NKRO off. The LED light will blink twice.

4 Professional for Mac

NKRO

• Press FN + F13 to turn NKRO on. The LED light above the play/pause button will blink once.
• Press FN + F13 again to turn NKRO off. The LED light will blink twice.

4C TKL

NKRO

• Press FN + F11 to turn NKRO on. All three LED lights (Gaming Mode, Caps Lock, and Scroll Lock) will blink once.
• Press FN + F11 again to turn NKRO off. The three LED lights will blink twice.

Gaming Mode

On the 4C TKL, the Gaming Mode indicator light shows a Tetris symbol. It sits at the top, by the Prt Scrn, Scr Lk, and Pause keys.

• Press FN + F12 to turn Gaming Mode on or off.
• When Gaming Mode is on, the LED will be illuminated.

4Q

NKRO

• Press CTRL + Q SOFTWARE BUTTON to turn NKRO on or off. The Q button is the volume knob button, not the letter Q on the keyboard.
• All three LED indicator lights by the media controls will flash once when NKRO is turned on.
• They will flash twice when NKRO is turned off.

5Q and 5QS

On the 5Q and 5QS, NKRO and Gaming Mode share one key combination.

The Gaming Mode indicator light is marked with a Tetris symbol. It is located above the arrow keys, next to the Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock lights.

NKRO and Gaming Mode

• Press FN + PAUSE to turn NKRO on. This also enables Gaming Mode.
• The LED light below the Tetris symbol will turn on. This shows that Gaming Mode and NKRO are enabled.
• Press FN + PAUSE again to turn Gaming Mode off.
• The Tetris symbol indicator light shows whether Gaming Mode is on or off.

X50Q

NKRO

• Press FN + F12 to turn NKRO on. All four LED indicator lights by the brightness, pause/play, and skip buttons will flash once.
• Press FN + F12 again to turn NKRO off. The four LED lights will flash twice.

Gaming Mode

On the X50Q, the Gaming Mode indicator light (Tetris symbol) is located above the brightness key, next to the Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock lights.

• Press FN + PAUSE to turn Gaming Mode on.
• Press FN + PAUSE again to turn Gaming Mode off.
• The Tetris symbol indicator light shows whether Gaming Mode is on or off.

Prime 13

NKRO

• To turn on full NKRO, press FN + F12. The lock LEDs will flash once to show NKRO is ON.
• To turn NKRO off, press FN + F12 twice to switch it OFF.

These instructions can also be found on the underside of the Das Keyboard Prime 13.