For Windows 10 users, “ laptop keyboard not working ” could be a common case, but needs to be fixed pronto. There’s not much you can do when the keyboard on your laptop isn’t working. However, there are some solutions that you can try to fix this issue.
Keyboards may stop working on laptops from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, or any other brands due to many reasons. You can fix them in some DIY ways, before contacting the manufacturer or any other technical assistance.
Keyboard Troubleshooting for Windows 10 Laptops
There are many ways to troubleshoot a keyboard that’s not working on your Windows 10 laptop. Let’s have a look at each one of them to see which one gets it fixed on your laptop.
1. Update Keyboard Drivers
Your first option to fix the disabled keyboard on Windows 10 laptop is updating it. An outdated driver of your keyboard may have disabled it.
You can install the available driver updates for your keyboard, track/touchpad, and related devices. It can help your keyboard resume its functioning without any third-party assistance.
To update your Windows 10 laptop keyboard,
- Press ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ R ’ key to launch Run dialog box
- Type “ devmgmt.msc ” in the box
- Click on OK
- The Device Manager window shows up
- Browse through the list of devices
- Expand the list for ‘ Keyboard ’
- Double-click on the driver
- In the Properties window, go to Driver tab
- Click on Update Driver
- Or, right-click on the driver & select ‘ Update Driver Software ’ from the drop-down menu
- Now, select the option that says – Search automatically for updated driver software
- Follow the onscreen instructions to install updates
- Restart your PC thereafter
After the reboot, see if your keyboard is working properly or not. If you want to get updated driver software for your laptop keyboard, try this alternate method below –
- Open the Device Manager window as shown above
- Select the keyboard driver
- Right-click on it and select ‘ Uninstall ’
- Restart your computer in Safe Mode
- Keep the laptop connected to the Internet
As your system reboots, it automatically downloads and reinstalls the necessary driver software. Therefore, your Windows 10 system downloads the updated driver for the laptop keyboard. Now, test if this helps you fix the problem.
2. Reset System Language to Default
If that didn’t help, you can consider resetting the keyboard settings on your laptop. For several Windows 10 users, a simple reset to the keyboard fixed their laptops in a jiffy.
To reset keyboard settings on Windows 10,
- Click on the Start menu and scroll down to “Windows Systems” folder
- Click on Windows Systems and select “Control Panel”
- In the Control Panel window, go to Language section
- Set the default language – English (United States)
- Now, change the language again to English (United Kingdom)
- Use the “ Move up ” link to shuffle the primary languages
Doing this resets the keyboard layout of your laptop. This way, your keyboard matches with the language setting. Now, save the changes and close the Control Panel. Then, type something on your keyboard to test its functions.
You can also change the default language of your Windows 10 system with the Settings menu.
- Open the Start menu
- Click on the gear icon to open Settings window
- Go to Time & Language section and click on it
- Open ‘ Region & Language ’ settings (on the left side)
- Select the current language (usually English United States )
- Now, click on ‘ Remove ’
- Then, click on ‘ Change the default language ’
- Here, select a language and click on ‘ Set as default ’
Now, press a key on your keyboard to check if it works. You can also open a text document and type something to check if this fix worked or not.
3. Remove Synaptics Driver
Windows 10 laptops are equipped with customized drivers called Synaptics’ TouchPad. These device drivers support your notebook or laptop to meet specific keyboard requirements.
To fix the issue, you can uninstall the Synaptics driver. Your keyboard perfectly works without it, so there’s no harm. Also, if removing this driver fixes the issue, you’ll know that you need another Synaptics driver for your Windows 10 laptop,
To remove Synaptics driver from the laptop,
- Right-click on Start menu icon
- Select ‘ Device Manager ’ and double-click on it
- Browse through the list of devices
- Locate the Synaptics driver
- Right-click on it
- Select ‘ Uninstall ’
- Choose the option – Delete the driver software from this device
- Then, click on OK and restart your laptop
This could help you fix the keyboard on your laptop. However, removing Synaptics may stop your pointing devices such as the trackpad from working. So, you should consider reinstalling it later.
If your laptop doesn’t have the appropriate Synaptics drivers, you should contact the OEM and get the support details to install the required driver.
4. Disable Filter Keys
There’s a feature that can interfere with your laptop’s keyboard settings. In Windows 10, the Filter Keys feature can cause problems for your keyboard.
What is the Filter Keys feature? When a user mistakenly hits a key repeatedly, this feature ignores those brief keystrokes. It considers them as a single press.
In Windows 10 laptops, the Filter Keys feature is enabled by default. You need to turn off this feature and test its impact on your malfunctioning keyboard.
To disable Filter Keys,
- Right-click on Start menu icon
- Click on Control Panel from the menu
- In the Control Panel window, go to Ease of Access Center and open it
- Scroll down
- Select the option that says – Make the keyboard easier to use
- Locate the Filter Keys option (scroll down)
- Uncheck the option – Turn on Filter Keys
- Click on Apply and OK to save the changes
Check if this helped you get your keyboard back to normal.
5. Rollback Windows Updates
Your keyboard was working normally, but then it stopped working after you installed something. This is a common scenario on Windows 10.
And, in most cases, the recent activity that disabled your laptop’s keyboard is a newly-installed update. If you remove the Windows 10 update , your keyboard may start working as usual.
To rollback Windows Update,
- Click on the Start menu icon
- Go to Settings menu (click on the gear icon)
- Now, click on Update & Security
- Go to Windows Update
- Click on the Update History link
- Select the most recent update
- Click on ‘ Uninstall update ’
- Follow the onscreen instructions
- Reboot your system
If this doesn’t fix the keyboard, reinstall the update to avoid implications with any other Windows program.
Some Quick-Fixes
If you’re looking for ways to instantly resume keyboard work on your Windows laptop, you can opt for the solutions below –
1. Perform a Clean Boot
A clean-boot can reset all system devices, including keyboards. To clean-boot Windows 10 laptop, follow the steps below –
- Press ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ R ’ key to the open Run dialog box
- Type ‘ msconfig ’ and click on OK (to type, use the on-screen keyboard from default apps)
- Go to General tab
- Click on Selective startup
- Uncheck – Load startup items
- Go to Services tab
- Select – Hide all Microsoft services
- Click on Disable all
- Go to Startup tab
- Click on – Open Task Manager
- Right-click the enabled service and click on ‘ Disable ’
- Confirm with OK and click on Restart
Now, repeat the same steps, and select Normal Startup instead of a Selective startup. And, then use ‘ Enable all ’ instead of ‘Disable all’. Restart your PC thereafter to complete the clean-boot.
2. Press ‘Windows’ + ‘Space’
Sometimes, it may be that only a certain key or set of keys is not working on the keyboard. In such a case, you can press the ‘ Windows ’ and ‘ Space ’ key together to reboot all keys on the keyboard.
3. Get a USB Keyboard
Your last resort is using a plug-in keyboard. Buy a USB keyboard online or from your nearest tech store. You can get a decent USB keyboard under $5. After you plug in the USB keyboard, its driver software gets installed automatically. Now, you can use this keyboard on your Windows 10 laptop.
Let us know if you have any other solution to fix – ‘ Keyboard Not Working on Windows 10 Laptops .’ Drop your suggestions in the comments below.