Every Windows user carries a reflex. You hit F5 to refresh. It works in browsers, it works in explorer, it works almost everywhere. On ASUS ROG laptops though, F5 behaves differently. Instead of refreshing, it toggles between Balanced, Turbo, and Silent modes.
At first glance it feels like a driver problem. I went through the usual rabbit holes. Installed ASUS System Control Interface V3, checked Armoury Crate settings, even looked at registry tweaks. None of it helped. Every time I pressed F5, the machine switched performance profiles instead of reloading a page.
Nothing online gave me the answer either. Most posts tell you to uninstall ROG software or accept that F5 is reserved for power modes. That explanation never sat right with me.
The actual culprit
The real cause is simpler than anyone suggests. It's the Fn Lock in GHelper.
When Fn Lock is enabled, all the function keys behave as special keys. F5 then stops being a refresh key and turns into the performance profile switcher. The moment you disable Fn Lock, the function keys return to normal. F5 goes back to refresh. You still get performance toggling, but now you trigger it with Fn + F5.
That's it. No deep registry hacks, no uninstalling software. Just one small toggle that nobody talks about.
The fix
The fix takes two seconds. Press Fn + Esc. That toggles Fn Lock.
- Fn Lock on: F5 changes performance modes.
- Fn Lock off: F5 refreshes like it should.
And you can still access Silent, Balanced, and Turbo with Fn + F5.
It matters because the solution is hidden. Users waste hours chasing drivers or disabling ASUS utilities when the problem is a single lock key. This detail is buried, undocumented, and absent from most support threads.
So here it is. If your F5 key on an ASUS ROG refuses to refresh, don't waste your time reinstalling drivers. Just turn off Fn Lock.