How Do You Fix a Laptop Keyboard That Won’t Type? (Explained)

Laptops are convenient portable tools, but their all-in-one design can cause difficulties when something goes wrong.

This is especially true if your keyboard isn’t functioning properly. There are a few things you may do to get it back up and running; some are simple, while others are more involved.

In any event, you can usually resolve your keyboard-related issues; it’s only a matter of how quickly and whether you’ll have to pay to do so.

It could be a hardware issue, however, we have some suggestions to determine if it is anything less serious.

How Do You Fix a Laptop Keyboard That Won’t Type? 

1. Reboot your computer.
2. Clean the keyboard.
3. Consider using an external keyboard.
4. You should update your keyboard drivers.
5. Uninstall keyboard drivers
6. Examine your keyboard layout options.
7. Examine for malware or viruses.
8. Navigate to the BIOS.
9. Try removing the battery.
10. Is there anything unplugged inside?

• Reboot your computer.

When you have PC problems, try this first before proceeding with troubleshooting. Restarting the computer is quick and simple, and it may resolve the problem with your keyboard not working.

The good news is that you might not need a working keyboard to restart your laptop. This can be done with a mouse or a touchpad.

How to Restart a Computer:

1. Select the Windows option.
2. Choose the Power button.
3. Choose Restart.

If your mouse and touchpad aren’t working properly, hit and hold the dedicated power button on your PC for a few seconds, and the device should turn off. Then, using the same button, turn it back on.

If your keyboard still does not work after a fresh restart, proceed to the next steps.

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• Clean the keyboard.

The thing about laptop keyboards is that the keys have very little spacing and travel, which means that the distances between the keys are significantly tighter.

Dust, hair, and other contaminants can sometimes impair keyboard functionality. Clean your keyboard as much as possible; this may be enough to get your keyboard working again.

Before you begin, make sure to switch off and unplug the laptop for safety reasons. After that, turn the laptop upside down and gently shake and tap it on the bottom.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to remove some of the dust and debris that has settled behind the keyboard. You can also use a can of compressed air or blow it into the keyboard.

• Consider using an external keyboard.

It never hurts to plug in an external keyboard and try if it works. If the external keyboard does not work, the problem is most likely software-related.

If the external keyboard works, you should be concerned because this could indicate a more serious hardware issue with your laptop’s keyboard. But don’t despair; there is yet hope!

• You should update your keyboard drivers.

Sometimes software corrupts or goes rogue. The same is true for component drivers, which you may quickly update if your laptop keyboard isn’t working.

To upgrade keyboard drivers, follow these steps:

1. In your Windows taskbar, click the Search button.
2. Look for and select Device Manager.
3. Keyboards should be expanded.
4. Locate your keyboard and right-click it.
5. Select Update driver.
6. Select Search for drivers automatically.
7. To update drivers, follow the instructions.

You can now restart the computer to verify if the keyboard is still not operating properly.

• Uninstall keyboard drivers

If updating your drivers doesn’t help, you can delete them completely. Don’t be concerned. The operating system will automatically recognize your keyboard and reinstall the drivers.

Uninstall your keyboard drivers as follows:

1. In your Windows taskbar, click the Search button.
2. Look for and select Device Manager.
3. Keyboards should be expanded.
4. Locate your keyboard and right-click it.
5. Select Uninstall device.
6. Select Uninstall to confirm.

Restart your computer and check to see whether the keyboard works.

• Examine your keyboard layout options.

Is your keyboard still not functioning properly? Let’s go over the settings again. If your keyboard works but you’re typing different characters, you might be using a different keyboard layout. Let us return to English (or whichever language layout your keyboard uses).

How to Change the Language Layout of Your Keyboard:

1. Select the Windows option.
2. Locate and launch the Settings app.
3. Enter Time & Language.
4. Choose your language and location.
5. Locate your language under Preferred languages. Next to it, click the three-dot menu button.
6. Choose Language choices.
7. Go to the Keyboards section and make sure you’ve installed the native language layout for your keyboard.

• Examine for malware or viruses.

Malware and viruses can have a variety of effects on your computer, one of which is reducing your keyboard capability.

It is difficult to remove spyware or viruses on your own, but there is plenty of excellent software available to assist you.

Popular apps to handle malware and viruses:

• Malwarebytes
• Avast
• McAfee
• Norton

You can also utilize Windows Security, Microsoft’s native antivirus program. It is pre-installed on Windows computers and performs admirably.

• Navigate to the BIOS.

We’ve exhausted all of the basic software and configuration choices. It’s time to look at the computer’s more serious options. Let’s check the BIOS to see if the machine detects the keyboard.

Here’s how to go about it. Reboot your machine and go into the BIOS. You can achieve this by pressing a specific key repeatedly while the computer is booting up. Depending on your laptop, the key you press is usually F2 or Delete

. While your computer is booting up, the exact keys to use are frequently presented at the bottom of the screen.

However, this is not always the case. A short Google search should help you uncover your laptop’s exact BIOS access procedure.

If you can access the BIOS, your keyboard problem is due to a software issue. However, if you are unable to access BIOS, you are most likely dealing with a hardware issue.

• Is there anything unplugged inside?

If you are familiar with PC internals, you may want to look inside to see if anything is unplugged (or damaged).

Keyboards might become separated from the motherboard at times. While you’re in there, check to see if anything else appears to be amiss.

• Try removing the battery.

The battery can occasionally create keyboard-related issues, especially if it overheats.

Furthermore, as batteries age, they might expand, producing pressure inside the gadget and forcing the keyboard out of place.

Simply unplug it and plug the PC directly into the electricity. Turn on your laptop and test the keyboard.

Final thought 

If all else fails and you still have problems with the keyboard not working, it’s time to consult a specialist.

If your computer is still under warranty, contact the manufacturer and attempt to have it fixed.

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