Toggle

What Does Toggle Mean?

A toggle, in general computing, is a switch between one setting and another. The term implies that it is a switch that has only two outcomes: A or B, or on or off. It is found in almost every aspect of computing when there is an options or preferences list. All option items that can be marked on or off are considered a toggle.

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Techopedia Explains Toggle

A toggle may refer to both software and hardware switching. For instance, the keyboard’s Caps Lock and Num Lock keys are both toggles for those specific functions. Those functions are initially off, so when one of these keys is pressed once, it turns on the corresponding function, and when it is pressed again, it turns it off. This is the same concept in software and is clearly evident in options menus found in most applications. The user is able to turn on or off specific menu items through a toggle switch.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…