How to Disable M1, M2, M3, and M4 Keys on an ASUS ROG Keyboard

If you've landed here, you're probably frustrated that pressing one of your ROG macro keys keeps triggering something you didn't intend — launching an app, muting audio, or doing absolutely nothing useful. The good news is that disabling or reassigning these keys is straightforward once you understand what they are and how ROG's software ecosystem manages them.

What Are the M1–M4 Keys on ASUS ROG Devices?

ASUS ROG laptops and keyboards often include a row of dedicated macro keys — typically labeled M1, M2, M3, and M4 — positioned along the left side of the keyboard or above the function row. These keys exist outside the standard keyboard layout specifically so you can program them for gaming shortcuts, application hotkeys, or system commands.

By default, some ROG models ship with these keys pre-assigned to actions like launching Armoury Crate, toggling performance modes, or controlling fan profiles. Others ship with the keys blank — meaning they do nothing until you assign a function.

Whether you want to completely disable them or just stop them from firing accidental inputs, the process runs through ASUS's software layer.

The Primary Tool: Armoury Crate

Armoury Crate is ASUS's unified control software for ROG and TUF devices. It handles everything from lighting and fan curves to macro key assignment. To disable your M-keys, this is your starting point.

Here's the general process:

1. Open Armoury Crate (search for it in the Start menu or taskbar)
2. Navigate to the Keyboard or Macro section — the exact label varies by version
3. Locate the M1–M4 key assignments
4. For each key you want to disable, set the function to "None" or "Disabled" if the option exists
5. Save and apply your changes

On some ROG keyboard models, you may see a profile system — meaning your changes apply only to a specific profile (e.g., Profile 1, Profile 2). Make sure you're editing the active profile.

⚙️ If Armoury Crate shows the keys as unassigned but they're still triggering actions, the assignments may be stored in the keyboard's onboard memory rather than software. Some ROG keyboards have onboard storage that persists independently of software.

Disabling M-Keys at the Hardware Level

Higher-end ROG keyboards — including some models in the Strix and Claymore lines — support onboard memory. This means macros and key bindings can be stored directly on the keyboard hardware, not on your PC. If you've previously assigned M-keys on a different machine or an older software profile was written to onboard memory, those assignments will follow the keyboard everywhere.

To clear onboard memory:

• Inside Armoury Crate, look for an "Onboard Memory" tab or toggle
• Switch the keyboard to software mode if available — this overrides onboard settings with PC-managed ones
• Alternatively, look for a hardware reset option (sometimes a key combination documented in your device's manual)

This distinction matters: if you only change software settings but the keyboard is running in onboard mode, nothing will change.

For ROG Laptops Specifically

On ROG laptops, the M-keys behave a little differently than on standalone keyboards. They're often tied directly into the laptop's system rather than a separate keyboard controller.

On most ROG laptops:

• M4 (sometimes labeled with a ROG logo or a fan icon) typically controls performance mode switching (Silent → Balanced → Turbo)
• Other M-keys may control GPU Mode, Armoury Crate launch, or scenario profiles

These bindings are often managed at the driver and firmware level, not just through Armoury Crate's surface settings. You may find them under:

• Armoury Crate → Settings → Key Customization
• MyASUS app (on some non-ROG ASUS laptops that share similar hardware)
• BIOS settings — in rare cases, certain system-level key behaviors can be adjusted in the UEFI BIOS

🔧 On ROG laptops, completely disabling the performance-mode M-key is sometimes not possible without third-party remapping tools, since it's tied to ACPI events at the firmware level rather than just a keyboard scancode.

Using Third-Party Remapping Tools

If Armoury Crate doesn't give you the granular control you need — or if you'd rather not run it at all — third-party tools can intercept and disable specific key inputs:

Keep in mind these tools work at the OS level, meaning they remap how Windows interprets the key signal — not what the keyboard hardware sends. If the M-key is triggering a system-level ACPI action (common on laptops), software-level remapping may not intercept it.

Variables That Affect Your Outcome

Whether a particular method works for you depends on several factors:

• Device type — standalone ROG keyboard vs. ROG laptop keyboard
• Armoury Crate version — the UI and available options have changed significantly across versions
• Onboard vs. software mode — keyboards with onboard memory behave differently
• Windows version — some key behaviors interact with OS-level accessibility or gaming features
• Firmware version — older firmware may not expose key customization options that newer versions do

The same M-key on two different ROG devices — or even two different software versions on the same device — can require meaningfully different steps to disable. What works on a ROG Strix G15 laptop may not apply at all to a ROG Claymore II keyboard, and vice versa. Your specific hardware and software environment determines which path actually gets you there.