13 Best Fixes For The Keyboard Won’t Type Issue

We will tell you the best ways to solve the issue of The Keyboard won’t type. Keyboard and mice are the quintessential duos to navigate any computer system. If either one stops working, it is a nightmare for the user. Not everyone uses a touch-enabled laptop/ display.

So, it isn’t easy to work on a PC without a functioning keyboard. If you face the same problem that your keyboard won’t type, you are not alone.

The keyboard can stop working temporarily for many reasons. There’s no reason to panic as it is fixable using basic troubleshooting methods. We will elaborate on all the possible solutions for the keyboard won’t type problem.

Thus, you can get it working again as soon as possible. Without further wait, let’s jump into the article.

Causes of Keyboard won’t type issue

There can be many software and hardware problems behind the keyboard won’t type issue. Some of them are as follows:

• Your keyboard has an outdated driver installed on the system.
• The keyboard cord plug is partially connected to the port.
• Your keyboard recently fell prey to a hardware-damaging accident(liquid spillage, broken mechanism).
• The batteries powering up the keyboard are weak or drained.
• Your system doesn’t recognize the keyboard anymore.
• You have misconfigured the keyboard to power off after some time.

Solutions for Keyboard won’t type issues

Here are 13 easy solutions for keyboard won’t type issues. Try the software and connection fix methods before replacing your keyboard with another.

1. Restart the PC
2. Check your connection
3. Check the wireless keyboard power switch
4. Check wireless keyboard battery and wireless adapters
5. Check USB hub
6. Check for the keyboard in Device Manager
7. Update keyboard device driver
8. Reinstall the Keyboard Driver through Device Manager
9. Adjust Keyboard Settings
10. Turn off the Filter Keys feature
11. Uncheck the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option
12. Check your keyboard for physical damage
13. Replace your Computer keyboard

Note: Since your keyboard won’t type anymore, you won’t be able to input commands or use shortcuts.

You have to rely on your mouse or trackpad to use most of these solutions. Or, you can use the on-screen keyboard feature of Windows OS. That way, you can enter text and even use shortcut keys.

Restart the PC

If a program is causing the keyboard to freeze and stop typing, restart the PC. Restarting will close all programs which were meddling with the keyboard.

• Drag your mouse cursor to the Start button and click on it.
• Then find the power icon and tap on it.

• Select Restart from the context menu.
• Wait for the system to restart, and then try using your keyboard.
• If it doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Check your connection

A loose connection may be the culprit behind the keyboard won’t type issue if the connection cable is loosely fitted in the USB port.

Your system may not detect it as a device. Moreover, USB ports become loose and unhinged with extensive usage. They often fail to recognize devices or need continuous pressure to detect a device.

If that’s the case with your system, use another USB port. Try to use the keyboard buttons to check if they work now.

Check the wireless keyboard power switch

It is an honest mistake to forget to flip on the keyboard switch. A keyboard switch is present on the wireless keyboards.

If you didn’t turn it on, your system wouldn’t be able to detect it. Most wireless keyboard switches are located at the backside.

So, try flipping the switch to disconnect and resupply the power. Check if the keyboard buttons work now.

Note: This method is only for wireless keyboards with a power switch. Wired keyboards don’t have a power switch except hybrid ones like the Keychron keyboard.

Check wireless keyboard battery and wireless adapters

Wireless keyboards come in two types. The majority of them use replaceable AA batteries, which drain fast.

A few of them may have inbuilt and rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. If your battery level stoops very low, the keyboard will stop registering keystrokes.

So, if you have a keyboard with a replaceable AA battery slot, insert new batteries. If you use a rechargeable keyboard, reconnect it with the power cord.

Wireless keyboards sometimes use small USB Bluetooth dongles for connectivity. Pull out the dongle and examine it for damages. Reconnect it properly into a USB port and check if the keyboard works now. If it doesn’t, move to the next solution in the list.

Check USB hub

If you use a USB hub to connect your peripherals, it is advisable to check it. USB hubs come in two types; powered and non-powered.

Non-powered USB hubs cannot run high power consumption devices like external HDD. Moreover, most of us only use inferior quality USB hubs that can manage two to three devices. If you connect more devices, it cannot provide the necessary power to them.

So, check your USB hub and disconnect multiple devices from it. Try to reconnect the USB cord and check if it works now.

If it doesn’t work, the USB hub may be faulty. Try connecting the keyboard to a direct USB port on your system. If you don’t have a spare port, replace your USB hub with a powered USB hub.

Check for the keyboard in Device Manager

If the keyboard doesn’t type, you need to check if it is displayed in Device Manager. Device Manager shows all the connected and active devices of your system. It includes external devices like a keyboard and mouse too. To check for the keyboard in Device Manager, do as follows:

• Go to the start button using your mouse and click on it.
• Now, tap on the search area and type device manager. You can use an on-screen keyboard for this method.
• Select the device manager from the search results and open it.
• Now, please scroll down the devices list, locate the Keyboards option, and expand it.

• Check if it displays any keyboard devices. If it doesn’t, move to the top menu and tap the Action option.
• Select the Scan for hardware changes option in the drop-down menu.

• Now, repeat this process three-four times to check if the keyboard is now added as a device.
• If not, move to the next step to solve your keyboard won’t type problem.

Update keyboard device driver

If running an older version of the keyboard device driver, your keyboard can act finicky. Outdated device drivers must be updated to avoid incompatibility issues with the device. To update your keyboard device driver, do as follows:

• Go to the Start button and right-click on it.
• Now, find the Device Manager option from the menu and open it.
• Scroll down to the devices section and locate the Keyboards option.
• Select and expand the Keyboards option to reveal all the keyboard devices.

• Now, double-click on one device to open the Properties menu.
• Please switch to the Drivers tab, find the Update driver button, and select it.

• Now, the Update drivers window will open with two options.
• Select the Search automatically for drivers option and let it search for the latest ones.
• Once the program finds the new drivers, it will download and install them on your system.
• Now, reboot your system and try using the keyboard buttons to check if they work.

Note: You will see a message if no driver updates are available. It states, ” The best drivers for your device are already installed.” You are running the updated version of keyboard drivers on your system.

Reinstall the Keyboard Driver through Device Manager

If updating the device driver didn’t solve the issue, try reinstalling the keyboard. You must first remove the device from the system and then reinstall it. Repeat the following steps:

• Go to the Start button and right-click on it.
• Now, find the Device Manager option from the menu and open it.
• Scroll down to the devices section and locate the Keyboards option.
• Select and expand the Keyboards option to reveal all the keyboard devices.

• Now, double-click on one device to open the Properties menu.
• Switch to the Drivers tab and then find the Uninstall Device button.
• Tap on the  Uninstall Device button.

• A warning pop-up window will appear to warn you about removing the device.
• Select the Uninstall button and remove the keyboard from the system.
• Now, restart your computer and then connect the keyboard to the system.
• Windows will install the device drivers automatically. Then try using the keyboard to access the computer.
• If you don’t see any response, open the device manager again.
• Click on the Action button and then select Scan for hardware changes.

• If you still can’t use the keyboard, move to the next step.

Adjust Keyboard Settings

Windows 11 has an extensive keyboard settings feature. It can help you fine-tune what your buttons and shortcuts do.

It is not limited to windows 11 and is present in older OS versions. In Windows 7, you can find it in the Ease of Access settings in the Control Panel.

Sticky keys is a keyboard feature that lets you delay the keypress time while using a shortcut. It is beneficial for users who cannot use default shortcut combinations.

There are other features in Keyboard settings which include the Filter keys feature. Make sure to disable all these and try using your keyboard again.

Turn off the Filter Keys feature

Filter keys are helpful if you want to delay keypresses and multiple keystrokes. The filter keys feature is of little to no use to the average user. So, it is best to turn the feature off. To turn off the filter keys, do as follows:

• Navigate your mouse cursor to the start button and right-click on it.
• Find the Settings option in the context menu and open it.
• Now, locate the Accessibility option in the left-hand side menu.

• Open the Accessibility option and find the Keyboards option under Interaction settings.
• Please open it and toggle off the Filter keys option.
• Now, try using your keyboard and check whether it responds or not.

Note: Filter keys may be present under other settings in older versions of Windows. You can also find them under the Ease of Access options in the Control Panel.

Uncheck the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option

Power Management settings can turn off your USB hub to save power. It is auto-enabled by default, and you can disable it to stop cutting the power to your connected devices. To turn off this power management setting for your USB hub, do as follows:

• Please hover over the Start button and right-click on it.
• Select the Device Manager option from the list and open it.
• Find the Generic USB hub device in the USB Controllers option.

• Double-tap to open its properties and then switch to the Power Management tab.
• Deselect the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option and click on OK.

• Now, attempt to use your keyboard.

Check your keyboard for physical damage

Keyboards wear out with time. Suppose some buttons on your keyboard are not working; it’s best to check for physical damage. Unplug your keyboard and closely examine the keys. Try pulling the keycaps out and checking if there is a lot of dirt.

While you are at it, clean your keyboard with a soft brush. Dirt can prevent the buttons from sticking to the membrane. So, cleaning it may resolve the keyboard won’t type issue.

Replace your Computer keyboard

If cleaning your keyboard did not do any good and showed physical damage, you should replace it. Before replacing your keyboard, check it on another system. If it works, there is a driver issue causing the keyboard not to type the problem.

Conclusion

These were the 13 easy solutions to fix your keyboard won’t type issue. Mostly, it is a corrupt or outdated driver behind the keyboard that won’t type problems. But if your keyboard has some form of physical damage, it may stop responding.

FAQ