On a QWERTY computer keyboard, which key is directly to the left of the letter Q?

On traditional QWERTY keyboards, the key to the left of the letter Q is the Tab key. When typing, the Tab key allows the user to indent or move several spaces at a time, without using the space bar. 'Tab' is an abbreviation of the word 'tabular' or 'tabulator'.

Before computers, people used manual typewriters. It was time-consuming and repetive to continually press the space bar when typing up tables of text or numbers. The Tab key allowed typers to advance to the next tabulator stop, which could be adjusted to size beforehand. The first Tab key was patented by a man called Fredric Hillard in 1900.

Wordpressing software on a computer automatically sets up the tabulator stops, but these can be adjusted by users in the programme settings. Other software, for example, computer games, use the Tab key for other purposes. In multiplayer games, for instance, the Tab key may reveal the scoreboard.

The Tab key is only next to the letter Q on QWERTY keyboards. In some countries, the letters are positioned in different places to make it easier to type in other languages. In France, the first six letters on the top line are AZERTY, which means the Tab key is next to the letter A.