Keyboard Not Working

When you find your keyboard not working, the cause is usually small: a dead battery, a receiver in a bad port, a Bluetooth pairing that dropped, or a Windows setting such as Filter Keys that makes keys ignore normal presses. The fastest fixes are to plug the keyboard or its receiver into a different USB port on the computer itself and to restart. Then open the keyboard tester and press every key: keys that light up are reaching the computer, keys that stay dark are not, and a key that types twice shows in orange. That tells you in a minute whether you are fixing the keyboard or a setting.

Quick checks

• Restart the computer. It reloads the keyboard driver and clears a stuck input.
• Try another USB port on the computer itself, not a hub, monitor or front panel port. A rear port on a desktop is best.
• Wireless keyboards: check the power switch, fit fresh batteries or charge it, and plug the receiver into a port close to the keyboard.
• Bluetooth keyboards: check that Bluetooth is on and the keyboard is still listed as connected.
• Try the keyboard on another computer, and another keyboard on this one. If the keyboard fails everywhere, it is faulty. If it works elsewhere, the computer is the problem.

While the keyboard is dead, press Windows + Ctrl + O with a working keyboard, or use the mouse in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, to open the on-screen keyboard.

Is it the keyboard or the computer?

A keyboard that works in the BIOS but not in Windows points to a setting, a driver or keyboard software, which the next sections fix.

Turn off Filter Keys and Sticky Keys

Filter Keys tells Windows to ignore short or repeated presses. With it on, quick taps vanish and keys seem dead or slow. Holding the right Shift key for 8 seconds turns it on, which is easy to do by accident in games.

Windows 11: open Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and turn off Filter keys and Sticky keys. Expand Filter keys and turn off its keyboard shortcut too.

Windows 10: open Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard and turn off Use Filter Keys and Use Sticky Keys, with their shortcut options.

Sticky Keys makes Shift, Ctrl and Alt stay pressed after you let go, so letters come out in capitals or shortcuts fire by themselves.

Check the keyboard layout

If keys work but type the wrong characters, such as @ and " swapped, or Z and Y swapped, Windows is using a different layout. Windows switches layouts with Windows + Space or left Alt + Shift, which are easy to press by mistake.

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Select the three dots next to your language, then Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, keep the layout printed on your keys and remove the others.

The keyboard tester shows the key name and the character it typed, so you can see whether the keyboard sent the right key and Windows translated it into the wrong letter.

Reinstall the keyboard driver

1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
2. Select View > Show hidden devices.
3. Expand Keyboards, right-click each keyboard and choose Uninstall device.
4. Restart. Windows installs the keyboard again.

If the keyboard stopped working after an update, open the keyboard's Properties in Device Manager first and use Roll Back Driver on the Driver tab if it is available. Then update or reinstall the maker's software, such as Logi Options+, Razer Synapse, Corsair iCUE or SteelSeries GG. These apps can remap keys, switch profiles or block keys in a game mode, so a fresh install also clears a broken profile.

Fix USB power and port problems

• USB power saving. In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, open each USB Root Hub, go to Power Management and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
• Fast Startup. If the keyboard is dead after a shutdown but works after a restart, open Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do, select Change settings that are currently unavailable and untick Turn on fast startup.
• Hubs, docks and KVM switches. Plug the keyboard straight into the computer to rule them out.

If Windows shows an error when you plug the keyboard in, the steps for a usb device not recognized error cover ports, hubs and drivers.

Wireless and Bluetooth keyboards

With a USB receiver:

1. Fit fresh batteries or charge the keyboard.
2. Plug the receiver into a port on the computer within a meter or two of the keyboard. USB 3 drives and hubs next to the receiver can drown out its 2.4 GHz signal, so move them away or use a short USB extension cable.
3. Pair the keyboard with its receiver again using the maker's app, such as Logi Options+ or the Logi Bolt app for Logitech keyboards.

Over Bluetooth:

1. In Windows 11, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices, select the keyboard's menu and choose Remove device. In Windows 10, use Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices.
2. Put the keyboard into pairing mode, usually by holding its Bluetooth or channel key until a light blinks.
3. Select Add device > Bluetooth and choose the keyboard.

Keyboards that pair with several devices have channel keys, such as Logitech's Easy-Switch keys. If the keyboard types on your tablet instead of your computer, press the channel key for the computer. If Bluetooth will not turn on or find anything, see bluetooth not working.

Keyboard keys not working, but others do

• Dirt or a spill. Turn the keyboard upside down, tap it, and blow out the dead keys with compressed air. On a mechanical keyboard, pull the keycap and clean the switch. After a spill, unplug it and let it dry for 24 to 48 hours before you test it.
• The Windows key does nothing. Many gaming keyboards have a Windows key lock or game mode, often shown by a lock icon or a light. Turn it off with the key combination in the keyboard's manual or software.
• The number pad types arrows. Press Num Lock so the light comes on.
• F1 to F12 change volume or brightness. The Fn lock is on. Many keyboards toggle it with Fn + Esc.
• Several keys at once do not register. That is a rollover limit, not a fault. The keyboard rollover test shows which combinations your keyboard blocks.

Mac keyboards

Apple's own steps for a Mac keyboard that does not respond:

1. Bluetooth keyboard: make sure it is on and charged, then disconnect and reconnect it in System Settings > Bluetooth. A Magic Keyboard pairs again when you connect it to the Mac with its cable.
2. Wired keyboard: unplug it, plug it back in fully, and try another port.
3. Slow Keys: in System Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, make sure Slow Keys is off. With it on, keys must be held before they type.
4. Mouse Keys: in System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control, turn Mouse Keys off. You can also press Option + Command + F5 and deselect it.
5. Wrong characters: open System Settings > Keyboard, then Text Input > Edit, turn on Show Input menu in menu bar and pick the right layout from that menu.

If a non-Apple keyboard types the wrong symbols, the Mac may have guessed its layout wrongly. Check the input source as in step 5. To check every key, use the mac keyboard test, which explains the keys a Mac handles differently.

When it is a hardware fault

If the keyboard fails on two computers, or the same keys stay dark in the keyboard tester after cleaning, the hardware is faulty. A single dead key on a hot swap mechanical keyboard needs only a new switch. A membrane keyboard, or one with many dead keys, needs replacing or a warranty claim. Most keyboards carry a one or two year warranty: press Copy results in the tester and paste the list of dead keys into the claim. For the built-in keyboard on a laptop, the steps are different, because you cannot unplug it: see keyboard not working on laptop.

Keyboard problem questions