###### (This is the legacy documentation for SDL2, the previous stable version; [SDL3](https://wiki.libsdl.org/SDL3/) is the current stable version.)
# SDL_GetKeyName

Get a human-readable name for a key.

## Header File

Defined in [SDL_keyboard.h](https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL/blob/SDL2/include/SDL_keyboard.h)

## Syntax

```c
const char* SDL_GetKeyName(SDL_Keycode key);
```

## Function Parameters

|                            |         |                                                  |
| -------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [SDL_Keycode](SDL_Keycode) | **key** | the desired [SDL_Keycode](SDL_Keycode) to query. |

## Return Value

(const char *) Returns a pointer to a UTF-8 string that stays valid at
least until the next call to this function. If you need it around any
longer, you must copy it. If the key doesn't have a name, this function
returns an empty string ("").

## Remarks

See [SDL_Scancode](SDL_Scancode) and [SDL_Keycode](SDL_Keycode) for
details.

## Version

This function is available since SDL 2.0.0.

## See Also

- [SDL_GetKeyFromName](SDL_GetKeyFromName)
- [SDL_GetKeyFromScancode](SDL_GetKeyFromScancode)
- [SDL_GetScancodeFromKey](SDL_GetScancodeFromKey)

----
[CategoryAPI](CategoryAPI), [CategoryAPIFunction](CategoryAPIFunction), [CategoryKeyboard](CategoryKeyboard)