True to its name, the Esc key acts like a ‘Cancel’ button on most computers. On Windows, for example, the key can be used to close a dialogue box without having to click ‘Cancel’ with a mouse button.
You can also use the Esc key to cancel loading a website in a browser. In many games, actions can easily be terminated in this way. In input dialogues, you can remove an incorrect entry using the Escape key to clear the input field. Browsers and media players in full-screen mode can be switched back to normal window mode with the Esc key.
The Start menu and the pull-down menus of most programs can be shut down fast with the Esc key. This is useful when you have opened the respective menu via a key combination rather than the mouse. The same applies to context menus, which you can either open with a right-click or by clicking the menu key on a keyboard.
Similarly, the Esc key is one of the most important Mac shortcuts – offering mostly the same functions as under Windows. However, newer Mac keyboards no longer incorporate the key.