what is backspace

The backspace key is a keyboard key that is used to delete any character or symbol before the cursor on the screen. It is usually located just above the Enter key. The backspace key deletes the character to the left of the cursor. In contrast, the delete key removes the character at or to the right of the current cursor, and everything to the right moves left. The backspace key is distinct from the delete key. The backspace key is labeled in a variety of ways, such as delete, Erase, or with a left pointing arrow. Although the term "backspace" is the traditional name of the key which deletes the character to the left of the cursor, the actual key may be labeled differently. For example, on Apple computers, there is a "delete" key instead of backspace, but it performs the same function.