If your laptop keys are not working, don’t worry. You can fix them easily, and this blog will tell you how. First, restart your keyboard because it can typically fix minor glitches. Next, check if the power-saving mode is affecting your keyboard. Turn it off, just in case. Give the keys a quick cleaning to ensure there’s no dirt causing the keys to malfunction. You can also turn off filter keys and sticky keys, which may be causing problems, and try updating the drivers and turning off the fast startup setting. If these methods don’t work, get help from a professional laptop repair provider to enjoy typing on your laptop like before.
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Ways To Fix Laptop Keys Not Working
If your keyboard doesn’t work, you can fix the issue with help from an on-screen or virtual keyboard. Once you have set up an on-screen keyboard, you can restart your device again, and you may continue troubleshooting with the instructions below. Here’s how you should troubleshoot a malfunctioning keyboard:
Set Up The On-Screen Keyboard
To activate the on-screen keyboard from your laptop, use the Tab key to open the Windows Start menu and then hit Enter. Then, follow the instructions below:
- Settings > Ease of Access
- Keyboard from the left pane
- Turn on the option Use the On-Screen Keyboard
- After you activate the on-screen keyboard, you should follow other options for troubleshooting and fixing your laptop.
Reboot Your Laptop
First things first, try to reset your wireless keyboard or wired keyboard.
- Just switch it off using the power switch and then unplug the cable.
- Wait for some seconds and then hold down the Esc key to turn it on again, or hold down the key and plug the cable back in.
- Wait for five seconds before you release the Esc key.
- If your reset is successful, you will see your keyboard light flashing; just try to use the device and see if it works properly.
Disable Power Saving
To confirm whether your laptop’s power-saving function, which manages backlit keyboards and so many other things, is what’s causing your keyboard repair and other peripheral hardware to stop responding, try to turn off this feature by following the below steps:
Windows
- Click on the battery icon on the Taskbar, then on Battery settings
- Turn off the Battery saver mode.
Mac
- Open System Settings, then click on Battery.
- Click the Low Power Mode dropdown on the right and choose Never.
Disable Filter And Sticky Keys
Turn down the accessibility features, such as filters and sticky keys, if they are on accidentally. However, these take more than a simple reboot to fix issues like your arrow keys not functioning or your Ctrl key not working. To turn off the filter keys of your laptop, follow these instructions:
- Open the search box in Windows, type “control panel,” then click Control Panel, followed by Ease of Access.
- Click on Change how your keyboard works.
- Untick the Turn on Filter Keys and Turn on Sticky Keys check boxes.
- Click Apply and then OK.
Update Drivers
Driver updates, like graphics and audio drivers, will only sometimes avoid hardware problems. They can improve performance and make user life much easier. Driver updates can also introduce security patches, which will help the system reduce the chances of hackers risking safety. If you decide to update your drivers individually, follow these steps or ask a laptop repair professional for help:
- Open the menu and click on the App Store/Play Store from the drop-down list.
- If it does not default open, click the Updates tab.
- Just click the Update All button, and the updates will download to your laptop in minutes, followed by a restart.
Drivers get updated every time you connect your peripheral hardware to the laptop, but it’s always good to check up on all drivers periodically to avoid long-term problems.
Disable Fast Start-Up (Windows 10 Only)
Sometimes, the Windows laptop quick boot feature results in the peripheral hardware going dead, usually the keyboard and mouse. Turning off this feature will correct the problem. Follow these steps to turn off this setting:
- Press Windows + R to bring up the Run utility, then type “control” and click OK.
- Select Hardware and Sound.
- Click Power Options.
- Click Choose what the power buttons do on the left side.
- Click Change settings, which are currently unavailable, at the bottom of the window to unlock the settings.
- Ensure that Fast Startup is off and click Save Changes.
- Shut down your laptop and see if your keyboard is working for you.
How To Clean Your Keyboard?
If your specific keys, like the keyboard volume control or your space bar, are not functioning, it is a local issue due to some debris between them. You must clean your laptop and keyboard from time to time. To clean your keyboard properly, do the following:
- Unplug and turn off your laptop.
- Disconnect your laptop keyboard from your desktop.
- Put your keyboard upside down and shake it gently.
- Brush away the debris you see.
- Use compressed air to blow away dust particles about 6 inches from the keyboard.
- Vacuum your keyboard
- Clean your keyboard with a lint-free cloth.
- You can also get help from a professional laptop repair provider
Note that cleaning the outside of your best laptop and peripheral hardware, such as your keyboard, is just as important as cleaning it from the inside. With the best software cleaner in your digital cleaning closet, your laptop will work better and feel newer for much longer.
Conclusion
Try these effective laptop repair solutions to discover why your keyboard is not working. Reset the system, turn off filter keys, update the driver, clean the keyboard, and reboot your laptop. You can also replace the on-screen keyboard and then get your laptop keyboard fixed by a professional laptop repair provider.
