PC FixLaptop keyboard or touchpad not working
Until it is fixed you can work with a USB keyboard or mouse, or with the on-screen keyboard: Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard.
What you seeKeys do nothing, type numbers for letters, or the pointer will not move
Touchpad not working
- The touchpad switch. Many laptops turn the touchpad off with a function key: look along the top row for a picture of a touchpad, often Fn + F6, F7, F9 or F10, or a double-tap on a dot in the touchpad's corner. Press it once.
- Settings. Open Settings with Windows key + I, use Tab and the arrow keys, and go to Bluetooth & devices › Touchpad. Turn Touchpad On. Tick "Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected" if the pad stops whenever a mouse is plugged in.
- Restart the laptop.
- Clean it. A damp, greasy or dusty pad misreads fingers. Wipe with a slightly damp cloth, dry, and try with dry hands.
- Driver. Right-click Start (or press Windows key + X) › Device Manager › Mice and other pointing devices or Human Interface Devices. Right-click the touchpad › Uninstall device › restart. Or install the touchpad driver for your model from the maker's support page.
- After an update: Properties › Driver › Roll Back Driver.
Whole keyboard not working
- Restart. If keys work in the BIOS set-up screen or on the sign-in screen but not later, the cause is software.
- Drain the power: shut down, unplug, hold the power button 30 seconds, start.
- Driver: Device Manager › Keyboards › right-click the keyboard › Uninstall device › restart.
- Filter Keys. Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard › turn Filter keys and Sticky keys Off. Filter Keys makes Windows ignore brief key presses; it switches on if the right Shift key is held for eight seconds.
- Test in Safe Mode. If the keyboard works in Safe Mode, a program or driver you installed is interfering.
- External keyboard test. If a USB keyboard works and the built-in one does not, even in the BIOS, the laptop keyboard or its ribbon cable has failed: a service job.
Some keys not working
- Dirt under keys: switch off, turn the laptop upside down and tap gently; blow between the keys with a hand blower. Do not prise off keys on thin laptops, as the clips break.
- A liquid spill: switch off at once, unplug, turn upside down to drain and leave it off for a day or more. Sugary drinks need a service centre.
- A row or block of dead keys usually means a damaged keyboard, not software.
Keys type the wrong characters
| What happens | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Letters on the right give numbers (U I O type 4 5 6) | Num Lock is on, on a laptop without a number pad | Press Fn + Num Lock (often Fn + F11 or Fn + Insert) |
| @ and " are swapped; # gives £ | Wrong keyboard layout (UK in place of US or India) | Settings › Time & language › Language & region › your language › Language options › add the right keyboard and remove the other. Windows key + Space switches layouts |
| Everything in capitals | Caps Lock | Press Caps Lock |
| Typing replaces text instead of inserting | Insert key | Press Insert |
| Function keys change volume and brightness instead of F1 to F12 | Fn Lock | Press Fn + Esc, or change "Action keys mode" in the BIOS |
| Keys repeat or lag | Filter Keys, a full memory, or a failing keyboard | Turn Filter Keys off; see slow computer |
| Shortcuts fire by themselves | A stuck Ctrl, Alt or Windows key | Tap each modifier key firmly; clean around it |
Wireless keyboards and mice
Replace the batteries, re-plug the receiver into another port close to the device, and pair again. See Bluetooth not working.
How do I sign in if the keyboard is dead?
On the sign-in screen, click the Accessibility icon at the bottom right and turn on the On-Screen Keyboard, then click your password or PIN.
Why does the touchpad stop while I type?
That is palm rejection. Its strength is under Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Touchpad › Taps › Touchpad sensitivity.
For Windows 11 and Windows 10. Written in November 2026. Menus move between updates; use the search box in Settings if a name differs. Back up important files before any step that resets, repairs a disk or opens the computer. This is an independent guide, not connected with Microsoft.