Have you pressed a few keys on your laptop keyboard but seen nothing on your screen? The laptop keyboard is just as important as any other component. So it’s understandable that you find it very annoying when you have problems with it. Also, the keyboard is one of the parts of a laptop that is prone to malfunctioning, and it can be a little difficult to figure out whether it’s the hardware or the software that’s causing the problem.

Laptop keyboard not working
Image: Cetteup(Unsplash)

However, most problems with the keyboard can be easily fixed without having to visit a service center. This will save you both stress and money if it’s a simple problem. Let’s say you’re reading this article to find a solution to your keyboard problem without visiting a technician. In that case, we’ll give you some workarounds to fix the issue of laptop keyboard keys not working, their causes, and some other keyboard tips.

Common Causes of Keys on Laptop Keyboard Not Working

  1. Hidden Dirt and Spills
    There are various reasons why the keys on a laptop keyboard don’t work, but one of the most common is that dirt builds up in the keys. That’s why it’s important to keep dirt away from your desk or the place where you use your laptop, as this is the only way to avoid problems with the keyboard.
  2. The driver
    It’s also possible that the problem is caused by using outdated or corrupted keyboard drivers on your laptop. This is because the outdated driver you’re using may contain a bug that has since been fixed, but since you haven’t yet updated your driver, the bug may cause the keyboard to stop working.
  3. The motherboard
    The ribbon or connector between the keyboard and the motherboard of your laptop may be loose, damaged or broken, causing your keyboard to stop responding.
  4. Keyboard settings
    You should be aware that an incorrect keyboard configuration can also lead to such problems. Perhaps you have inadvertently changed the keyboard settings, which has changed the way some keys work.
  5. Hardware issue
    Suppose your keyboard has mechanical problems caused by physical damage, such as being hit with a hard object or corrosion of certain keys by water. In this case, the keys may no longer function properly.

Considering these and other causes, we have listed some solutions to help fix laptop keyboard keys that aren’t working.

9 Ways to Fix Laptop Keyboard Not Working

This is a troubleshooting guide. So, go through the fixes one by one. We go from the easiest to the most difficult fix.

Restart your laptop

Before you move on to the other solutions, the first thing you should do when troubleshooting laptop problems is to reboot. This is helpful if your keyboard keys aren’t working properly due to a software error, a simple problem that can be fixed with a simple reboot.

This solution will give your computer a fresh start by restarting all system services, drivers, and programs and also flush your computer RAM. So try this solution first and see if the keyboard works after the restart.

Clean your Keyboard

laptop-keyboard-cleaning

Laptop keyboards usually have very narrow key spacing and travel, which means that the distance between keys is much smaller. Keyboard functionality can sometimes be affected by dust, hair, and other debris. They may have been accumulating for a while, but now that they have gathered so much, they are starting to prevent the keys on your keyboard from working properly. That’s why you must take the time to clean the keys regularly using a can of compressed air and a soft cloth or a keyboard cover to prevent dirt from getting into the keys.

For more help on how to clean a keyboard, read: The Right Way to Clean Your Keyboard, Tablet and Smartphone

Connect with an External Keyboard

Using a spare working keyboard is easy to work around laptop keyboard issues. This way, you can determine if the problem is related to your laptop or just your computer’s keyboard. You could easily conclude that your laptop’s keyboard settings need to be checked if some keys on your external USB keyboard are not working properly. However, if it works properly, you need to clean the laptop keyboard again or have it replaced by an IT professional.

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Ensure There is Enough Juice in the Keyboard Battery

If you use a wireless keyboard with your laptop and it needs to be charged, be careful not to use it when the power consumption is too low. Electronic devices usually stop working properly when they are low on power, which could be the case in this instance. So try charging the keyboard for a while and then use it again. Hopefully, it will work properly again.

If your keyboard has a replaceable battery, you should replace it after some time. This procedure can also help you.

Uninstall and Reinstall Keyboard Drivers

Drivers are responsible for establishing a connection between the computer and its hardware. Therefore, it’s easy to say that your hardware components won’t work without drivers. If your keyboard isn’t working properly, there may be a problem with your keyboard driver. It’s possible that you haven’t updated the keyboard driver for some time, and that’s why the computer keyboard’s performance is off.

To fix this problem, you need to uninstall and reinstall your keyboard driver:

1. Search Device Manager in Windows Search Box and open it.

Device Manager

2. Navigate to the Keyboards option and double-click it (look for the keyboard icon).

3. Then, right-click on your keyboard device from the devices listed under the Keyboards category.

4. Select Uninstall device and wait a few minutes for the process to finish.

Uninstall driver to fix laptop keyboard not working

5. After that, restart your computer. On rebooting, a new driver will be installed on your computer.

Run Keyboard Troubleshooter

This solution has worked for many users who have faced the laptop keyboard not working problem, and it might help you as well. Windows has troubleshooting features that help diagnose and fix some computer problems. In this case, you need to run the keyboard troubleshooter, and hopefully, it will fix the keyboard problem. Here is how to do it:

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings on your laptop.

2. Select Update & Security.

Update and Security

3. On the left pane, click on Troubleshoot.

4. Navigate down on the right pane and tap on the Keyboard option.

5. Then select Run the troubleshooter.

Run keyboard troubleshooter

6. Wait a few minutes for the troubleshooter to run, and try using your keyboard again.

On Mac:

If you are using a MacBook, the cause of the issue might be Accessibility Settings. To fix it, open System Preferences > Accessibility, then click Keyboard in the left menu. See if Enable Slow Keys is selected in the Hardware section. If so, unselect Enable Slow Keys. That should hopefully fix the MacBook keyboard.

Enable or Disable Filter Keys

This is another method that has helped several people fix keyboard keys not working:

1. Open Settings on your computer and click on Ease of Access.

Ease of Access

2. Click Keyboard option on the left pane.

3. Navigate to the User Filter Keys section; Disable the feature if it’s previously enabled or enable it if it was disabled before.

Enable or disable Filter keys

Check Your Keyboard Layout Settings

The keyboard layout may have been accidentally changed if what you’re trying to type is jumbled with unusual characters. Make sure the layout is correct and correct it if necessary:

For laptops running Windows:

1. Select Settings from the Start menu.

2. Click Time & Language in the Settings window.

3. Choose Language from the left-hand pane.

4. Make sure the correct language is selected in the Preferred Languages section, such as English (United States). Click Add a preferred language if it is not already there.

5. Select the preferred language and then click Options.

6. The keyboard should match your keyboard type, such as US – QWERTY.

preferred languages

For MacBooks:

1. Click System Preferences in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

2. Select Keyboard from the menu.

3. Choose Input Sources from the tabs at the top.

4. Ensure that the correct keyboard type is displayed on the left (such as US ). If not, check the box for Show input menu in the menu bar, then select a language.

Check for Malware or Viruses

Even though it seems silly that viruses can infect laptop keyboards, you should not ignore the possibility of malware and viruses on input devices like keyboards. It is not the virus itself that attacks the hardware; it is the corrupted driver software installed on the computer that causes errors.

When a keyboard is infected with a virus, errors occur, such as the inability to type, switching the language without the user’s permission, and typing letters that are different from the ones the user pressed.

Besides reinstalling the keyboard drivers, as suggested in point 5, you can also try running a malware scan with popular software such as MalwareBytes, Windows Defender, Norton, or Avast.

These solutions have worked for several users, so one of them should help you out as well.

Final Words

Laptop keyboard not working fixed

This article has presented many solutions you can try to fix a non-functioning laptop keyboard. However, most remedies will only work if the problem is software-related. If you need to contact a technician to fix the problem, do so, but in the meantime, you can use your on-screen keyboard.

FAQs on Fixing Laptop Keyboard Keys Issues

Loader image

If you happen to be stuck on the Windows login screen because some of your keys stopped working, you can use the onscreen keyboard to open your computer. Here is how:

1. Click on the Ease of Access icon in between the power icon and WiFi icon located at the bottom-right corner of the login page.
2. On the resulting menu, click on On-screen Keyboard.

Yes, you can replace your laptop keyboard if need be. Sometimes, your laptop keyboard may stop functioning properly because it has gotten faulty. In this case, you may need to replace the laptop keyboard, which can be done with the help of an IT technician.

Dirt can easily accumulate in your keyboard keys if you live in a dusty environment. However, if you do clean the keyboard regularly, it might not pose any issue. You could also use a keyboard cover to protect your laptop keyboard and keep it away from dust or water spillage.

There are many reasons for laptop keyboard not working, including faulty hardware keys. But the most common reason is the faulty keyboard drivers. To update the drivers, go to Device Manager > Keyboards > Right-click on your keyboard and select Update driver. This should hopefully fix the issue.

Here are a few ways to fix the keyboard not typing on the laptop:

  1. Restart your laptop
  2. Clean your keyboard
  3. Connect with an external keyboard
  4. Uninstall and reinstall keyboard drivers
  5. Run keyboard troubleshooter
  6. Enable or disable filter keys
  7. Change keyboard layout settings
  8. Look for malware and viruses

You may have accidentally turned on the Filter Keys feature if your entire keyboard is locked. The "Filter Keys" icon should appear in the system tray when you hold down the right SHIFT key for 8 seconds. You can turn it off here and it should unlock your laptop keyboard.

A keyboard freeze usually occurs when there's a problem with the hardware or software. For example, it can be caused by a virus or malware infection, defective hardware, or malfunctioning drivers. When this happens, the computer won't be able to send keystrokes to the keyboard as quickly as usual. This can lead to problems with typing and other activities that require quick responses from the computer.

Further Reading:

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