Insert key

The Insert key Insert (often abbreviated Ins) is a key commonly found on computer keyboards.

It is primarily used to switch between the two text-entering modes on a personal computer (PC) or word processor:

• overtype mode, in which the cursor, when typing, overwrites any text that is present in the current location; and
• insert mode, where the cursor inserts a character at its current position, forcing all characters past it one position further.

The insert/overtype mode toggling is not global for the computer or even for a single application but rather local to the text input window in which the Insert key was pressed.