How to Get Laptop Keyboard to Work Again

You're working on your laptop, and all of a sudden, the "I" primal stops working. Or maybe a whole section of keys is taking forever to answer. Worse yet, the keyboard cuts out entirely. While this can exist a hassle, particularly when you accept work due, there are a few things you can endeavor yourself to get back to the job at hand.


Is the Problem Hardware or Software?

BIOS menu

BIOS carte du jour

Before you attempt random fixes, try to narrow down your trouble. Is at that place something incorrect with the keyboard hardware itself, or is a software glitch preventing Windows from recognizing keystrokes? Figuring this out can save you a lot of fourth dimension afterwards on.

Reboot your reckoner and try to enter the UEFI or BIOS. Typically, you need to press Delete, Esc, or some other fundamental as your computer boots. Your figurer should tell you which key to press along the bottom of the screen.

If yous're unable to enter the BIOS and navigate it with your keyboard, there's a good chance yous have a hardware problem. If you tin can enter the BIOS, and the problem primal(s) work fine within that menu, your problem lies within Windows.

Exit the BIOS without saving your changes and go on to some of the fixes beneath. You may have to hook up a USB keyboard to troubleshoot.


Reboot Your PC

If y'all followed the above advice, you'll have already done this, but but in case, accept you tried turning it off and on again? A reboot corrects a grand ails, as my old IT managing director used to say. If you can't utilize the trackpad or mouse to reboot the PC, only concord downward the power push for most x-15 seconds to plow the PC off, so turn information technology back on.

If that doesn't fix the problem, effort booting into Rubber Mode and see if that works—information technology won't set up the trouble permanently, simply it will assist you lot determine whether your keyboard is faulty or not.


Reinstall Your Keyboard Driver

device manager

Sometimes the driver managing your keyboard tin can run into issues, particularly if y'all install tertiary-party software often and/or you turn your machine off all the time without using the Shut Downwardly command. Open up the Showtime menu and blazon "Device Managing director." Press Enter, and expand the Keyboards section.

If any of the items in this section have a yellow exclamation indicate next to them, it can bespeak a trouble. Even if you don't encounter an exclamation point, though, I recommend right-clicking your keyboard in this menu and choosing Uninstall Driver. Reboot your PC, and Windows should automatically catch the generic drivers for your keyboard, which may cause it to work once again.

If that doesn't bring the keys dorsum to life, or if the Keyboard icon isn't fifty-fifty visible in the Device Manager, head to the laptop manufacturer'due south back up page and install the latest drivers for the keyboard. (If there's no keyboard driver, attempt reinstalling the chipset and/or USB drivers.) You can read more than most downloading and updating drivers in this guide.


Adjust Your Keyboard Settings

keyboard properties

Certain software settings can cause your keyboard to behave erratically, even if they were intended to exist beneficial. For case, if your keyboard'southward Repeat Delay setting is too brusk, pressing a central might blazon two or more characters. Head to your keyboard'due south settings by opening the Start menu, typing "Control Panel," and searching for "Keyboard" in the upper-right corner of the Control Panel window.

keyboard access

If, on the other manus, you discover a filibuster between pressing a key and that character appearing on screen, y'all may want to accommodate the Filter Keys setting. From the Start menu, search for "Ease of Admission Keyboard," and enter that carte. If Use Filter Keys is turned on, toggle information technology off to see if it helps. Similarly, if your keyboard is behaving strangely, make sure Utilize Sticky Keys is too turned off in this menu.


Change Your Keyboard Layout

keyboard language

If your keyboard keys work but produce different letters than the keys indicate, it's possible your language or keyboard layout got changed accidentally (or someone in your firm pulled a decades-old prank).

Open the First carte du jour and blazon "Language" to find Windows' Linguistic communication settings panel. Click on it, so head down to your list of languages. Click on the one you lot want to use—for nigh US users information technology'll be English (United States)—and click the Options button. Make certain Usa QWERTY is bachelor under Keyboards on the next page, and remove whatsoever keyboard layouts y'all aren't using.


Get Viral

If none of the above solutions solve the trouble, it'south possible that your keyboard is the victim of a virus. Run a malware scan past using ane of our top antivirus protection picks.


Cheque for Crumbs

Canned air is used to clean out a keyboard

The above solutions are all software-based, but if you followed our initial instructions and suspect your trouble is hardware-related, y'all'll need to get your hands muddied...literally. You may have to clean your keyboard.

Hold your keyboard (or laptop) upside downwardly, or at the very least at a 45- to 75-degree angle from horizontal and requite it a skilful shake. Sometimes crumbs from working lunches or your terminal snack break tin get stuck under the keys. This is more of a problem for older laptops, just information technology's worth a shot even on a new one.

If you have a keyboard vacuum or a can of compressed air, give the nooks and crannies of your keyboard a quick cleaning. If ane or 2 keys are stuck because of soda spillage, popular the offending fundamental cap off the keyboard (if that'south an selection) and effort to clean as much stale liquid from the key switch as possible.

Dab some rubbing alcohol or soapy water on a rag—not onto the keyboard—and clean away the pasty residue. A cotton fiber swab can also come in handy here, just exist careful and don't disassemble the key switch unless you know what you're doing.

If an extensive department of the keyboard is stuck because of liquid harm, like a spilled cup of soda or java, your best recourse may be to accept the keyboard assembly replaced.


Remove the Battery (If Yous Tin can)

computer screen showing 100% battery

Occasionally, a laptop's battery—which resides under the keyboard—can cause problems. If your laptop has a removable battery, shut down the laptop, remove the battery, and then plug in the ability cable. Effort to kicking the laptop without the battery installed, using just Air-conditioning ability.

If the keyboard simply works when the battery is removed, yous may need your bombardment replaced. (Just exist certain to get an official battery from the laptop'southward manufacturer—we do not recommend tertiary-party laptop batteries for safety reasons).


Reseat Bad Connections

Sometimes the keyboard loses connection with the laptop's motherboard, and you lot have a keyboard that either works intermittently or non at all. If you're an IT pro, removing the outer case and reconnecting the ribbon cable on the lesser of the keyboard should be child'due south play.

If not, check your laptop manufacturer's site for instructions on disassembling your laptop and so you lot can reconnect that ribbon cable. If you aren't comfortable disassembling your laptop, bring it to a service depot so a professional tin take a wait at it.


Defective Keyboard

keyboards

If you're nonetheless in your warranty period, attempt your laptop manufacturer's tech support line. If they determine you're using a defective keyboard, you lot should exist able to get information technology replaced at a service depot without too much hassle.

Before you send your laptop in or surrender it to a service tech, nevertheless, it's ever appropriate to support your hard drive or remove it entirely and hold onto information technology. That mode you'll still accept your data, which is the most important part of your laptop.

Having a cardinal on why your keyboard stopped working doesn't mean you accept to chuck your laptop altogether. Our fixes higher up should accost the majority of possible issues, but if you can't get information technology to work, use a USB keyboard for now and get your laptop looked at by a professional when you have time.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-do-i-fix-my-laptop-keyboard

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