Let’s say you’re writing a crucial document for your firm, or a letter to your boss, or just an article like this one for your page. You’re one hundred percent focused and determined to get up only when the document is done, but suddenly you notice that your keystrokes are not being registered. You try your best to solve the problem but fail to do so. Yes, that’s very frustrating and disappointing as well. And since nobody has an entire stack of backup keyboards and mice, you’re stuck with the defective one. In such a case, if you found this article, then you’re in luck because we bring you great solutions for the problem of a Windows 10 keyboard not working. Let’s drive straight in.
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How to Fix Windows 10 Keyboard Not Working Problem
1. The Obvious Way
Let’s start from the most obvious way of a Windows 10 keyboard not working, which is checking all the cables and connections. Hunt for loose and clumsy connectors or ports. When one is found, plug it in as firm as possible, and if the USB port is found to be broken, try plugging it in one of the other (each PC has at least two USB ports).
“But how do I tell if the port itself is faulty?” well, my friend, simple enough! Just take some other USB based gadget like a Pendrive, portable hard drive, or a Wi-fi adapter and plug it in the port while your PC is on. If you hear Windows notifying you that you have plugged in a device, then that port is working fine.
Also, check for damages caused by twisting, bending, or crushing in the cable. Maybe it was just some mouse who was looking for some cheese but found the lovely cable of your beloved Keyboard! The same applies to your mouse not working in Windows 10.
In the worst-case scenario, it might be that your entire Keyboard or mouse is dead, and you’ll have to try a new one. To test this, try plugging it in some other PC. If it doesn’t show some signs of life, then most probably you’ll have to pay a visit to the shopping mall.
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2. Clean the Device
It may be that the dust that your device has been collecting for ages, is the root of all the inconvenience. Keyboards have numerous keys or switches, which register the click and send it to the computer. But if the switches are being clogged due to dirt, they won’t be able to perform their job.
Also, the dust can settle on the fragile and delicate control electronics, which, when combined with the moisture present in the air, can short your Keyboard out.
To avoid this, clean your device regularly and if you never did that since you brought the device home, this could have caused some serious damage.
As a solution for this Windows 10 keyboard not working, keep it out in the sun for 4-5 hours, to dry out any moisture. After that, take a paintbrush or something like that and clean out the last spec of dirt from every single nook and corner. The same applies to a mouse not working in Windows 10.
3. Make Sure Windows is Up To Date
Many-a-times, the solutions to the most complex problems lie in the simplest of all approaches. Over here, that approach is updating Windows to the latest version. It might be that your operating system is way too old to work with the drivers of your Keyboard. This is very likely to be the case if you are using modern and mechanical keyboards from brands like Razer, Corsair, or Hyper X.
To update Windows, follow the instructions that follow:
- Open up Settings.
- Click on the Update and Security option.
- Click on the Download Updates button to start downloading the necessary updates for Windows.
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4. Install the Appropriate Drivers
This one will be best suited for keyboards and mice that you just picked up off the shelf of a store, but are not working for some reason.
Let’s understand this. A keyboard or a mouse requires a piece of software that serves as a link between the Operating System and the input device. It’s just as important as a bridge when you’re crossing a river. Without drivers, your PC and your device won’t be able to communicate. In such a case, the internet becomes of great importance, as you can search and download drivers for almost any device you can think of.
For downloading the drivers, follow the steps that follow:
- Head over to Google.com.
- Type in your device name, followed by the phrase ‘drivers download’.
- Download the appropriate drivers.
- Install the drivers and configure them accordingly.
5. Reinstalling the Device Driver
Don’t confuse this method with the 2nd one. This one is a bit different. What we aim to do here is to uninstall every single driver completely and then reinstalling them one by one. What this does is that if there is any piece of software that has become corrupt or is malfunctioning, it gets a complete factory reset.
For doing so, you ought to follow these steps:
- Right-click on the start button.
- Click on the Device Manager option.
- Scroll down and open the Keyboards sub-menu.
- Right-click on your Keyboard’s model name.
- Click on the Uninstall device option.
- Click Yes if asked for confirmation.
Follow the steps of method 2 to reinstall your drivers.
6. Disable Filter Keys
Windows 10, offers a feature called Filter keys that is designed to ignore repeated keystrokes to make typing easier. But sometimes it can be the root cause of some frustrating keyboard issues when it is enabled on your PC. For the next fix for a windows 10 keyboard not working, let’s turn it off.
- Open up the start menu.
- Search for the Control Panel and click on it.
- Click on the Easy of Access option.
- Click on the option which says ‘Make the keyboard easier to use.’
- Scroll down to find the option of ‘Turn on Filter Keys.’
- If it is checked, uncheck it.
- Click on Apply.
Hit OK to exit out of the Window.
7. Run the Troubleshooter
Running the Windows Troubleshooter can be a fix to a whole lot of problems and also for a Windows 10 keyboard not working. The troubleshooter automatically scans all the devices and their respective drivers for any kind of abnormal behavior or improper functionality.
Steps to run the troubleshooter:
- Open up the Control Panel.
- On the top right-hand side, in the search bar, search for the troubleshooter.
- Click on the first option that pops up.
- Click on View all in the left pane.
- Run the Troubleshooter for Keyboard.
The above troubleshooter should be able to fix Windows 10 keyboard not working.
8. Windows On-Screen Keyboard
This option is the absolute last resort. This may come handy when you have ensured that your Keyboard has gone dead, and will not work even after adopting any of the five methods mentioned above. Luckily, Microsoft developers acknowledged the fact that there can be situations like this, and providing an inbuilt on-screen keyboard would be a perfect solution for the problem.
Even if your problem is ‘mouse not working windows 10’, this option will still work! The Windows 10 on-screen keyboard also has basic mouse keys, just in case both your devices die out at the same time (you would need a touch screen display over here now).
Steps to enable the on-screen Keyboard:
- Go to the Start Menu.
- Click on the gear icon on the lower left side to open Settings.
- Click on the Ease of Access option.
- Go into the keyboard sub-menu.
- Toggle the Use the On-Screen Keyboard option.
Voila! You just got yourself an On-screen keyboard!
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Conclusion
So that was our take on the problem of a Windows 10 keyboard not working. We also looked at the solution for a mouse not working Windows 10.
We recommend adopting the given steps in chronological order. This is because of all the steps being arranged in increasing order of complexity. So, every method you try will ensure that nothing simpler than it will work for the same. Also, it can save you hours of frustration and tiring research. Simple techniques like checking the USB port, the cable, or the tidiness of your device solves the problem pretty much all the time. But if for some reason your device refuses to cooperate, you can try all the steps one after the other. We seriously hope that we solved your problem. Now give all that a shot!
