Test Every Key in Your Browser
- Open the keyboard test with a mouse or touchpad, since the keyboard may not get you there.
- Press each key once. It lights up while held and stays tinted once tested, and the counter shows how many keys you have tested.
- Hold several keys together to see how many register at once.
What the result tells you:
- Every key lights up: the keyboard works. If one app still ignores it, check that app's settings or shortcuts.
- Only some keys light up: those keys may be blocked by dirt or worn out. Clean the keyboard, then test again.
- No key lights up: the computer isn't getting anything from the keyboard. Start with the connection below.
- A key types twice: the test flags it when it registers again within 30 ms of being released. See how to fix a keyboard typing double letters.
Some keys never reach a web page, such as Fn, and the Windows key and some shortcuts are handled by the system first. Try those in another app before you decide they're faulty. What you type stays in the page, and nothing is uploaded.
Check the Connection and Power
- Wired: Microsoft says to unplug the cable, wait a little while for Windows to unload the driver, and plug it back in. Then try a different USB port, and make sure the cable isn't damaged.
- Through a USB hub: make sure the hub has power, or plug the keyboard straight into the computer.
- Wireless with a receiver: unplug the receiver, wait about 10 seconds, and plug it back in. Microsoft also suggests looking for a Reset button on the bottom of the keyboard.
- Bluetooth: go to Start, then Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, and make sure Bluetooth is on. Dell then suggests finding the keyboard in the list of paired devices and connecting it again.
- Batteries: replace or recharge them. Dell also suggests taking the batteries out for 15–20 seconds and putting them back.
If the number keys on the right don't type, press Num Lock to turn the number pad on, as Dell suggests.
Turn Off Settings That Hold Keys Back
A keyboard can seem dead when an accessibility setting is ignoring short presses.
- Windows: Filter Keys sets the keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes. Turn it off in Start, then Settings, then Accessibility, then Keyboard. Microsoft says holding Right Shift for eight seconds turns it on and off, so it's easy to switch on by accident.
- Mac: Slow Keys makes you hold a key longer than usual before it counts. Apple says to turn it off in System Settings, then Accessibility, then Keyboard.
- Mac: Mouse Keys lets the keyboard move the pointer instead of typing. Turn it off in System Settings, then Accessibility, then Pointer Control.
If keys type the wrong characters, the layout may be wrong. On a Mac, open System Settings, then Keyboard, then Text Input. Apple says to turn on "Show Input menu in menu bar", then pick the right layout from that menu.
Update or Reinstall the Driver
Microsoft suggests Windows Update first: search for "check for updates" from the taskbar and install what it offers. To reinstall the keyboard, Dell gives these steps:
- Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
- Expand Keyboards.
- Right-click each entry and choose Uninstall device.
- Restart the computer. Windows reinstalls the drivers it needs.
Dell also suggests checking the computer maker's site for driver and BIOS updates.
If a Laptop Keyboard Stopped Working
- Unplug USB devices, external monitors, and docking stations, then try again.
- Blow debris out from between the keys with compressed air, as Dell suggests.
- Connect an external keyboard. If it works, the laptop's own keyboard is the problem, not Windows.
- On a Mac laptop, connect the power adapter or an external keyboard. Apple says the Mac may be showing a low battery alert you can't see.
- After a spill, Dell says to turn the laptop off at once and tilt it to drain the liquid. Then let it dry for at least 24–48 hours.
On a Dell, run the keyboard test in SupportAssist. If the keyboard still fails, contact the computer maker before you open anything up.