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How to Fix an HP Laptop Keyboard That's Not Working
Troubleshooting tips to get you typing again
By Jerri Ledford Jerri Ledford Writer, Editor, Fact Checker Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on April 20, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Accessories & Hardware Keyboards & Mice The Ultimate Guide to Keyboard Shortcuts The Ultimate Guide to Keyboards The Ultimate Guide to Computer Mice The Quick Guide to Webcams Monitors Cards HDD & SSD Printers & Scanners Raspberry Pi This article provides troubleshooting tips to get your keyboard going again in no time. Reasons an HP Laptop Keyboard Won' t Work
There may be several reasons your HP keyboard won't work, including: A locked keyboard.Outdated or corrupted drivers.Interference from other connected keyboards.Dirty keys.A damaged keyboard. How to Fix an HP Laptop Keyboard
These troubleshooting steps start from easiest and most likely to work to the hardest and least likely to solve the problem. Restart your computer. Occasionally, errors can happen in drivers, firmware, or software that will clear out when you restart your computer. Once you've restarted, check your keyboard to see if it is responding. Unlock your keyboard. Some HP laptops have a shortcut that will allow you to lock your keyboard to prevent unwanted touches. Unfortunately, it's easy to trigger this shortcut accidentally, so even if you don't think you've locked the keyboard, press and hold the right Shift key for 8 seconds. Doing this should unlock the keyboard so it will begin responding again. Remove and turn off any external keyboards connected to your laptop. If you're using an external keyboard with your laptop, it might not recognize the built-in keyboard. Try disconnecting from any external keyboards and powering them down completely so they don't automatically reconnect (as they might if they use Bluetooth connections). Turn off Cortana. Despite being useful, Cortana can sometimes interfere with other functions on your laptop. Try disabling it to see if it gets your keyboard working again. Clean your keyboard. You spend a lot of time at your computer. And you shove it in your laptop or bag and carry it everywhere. It's to be expected the keyboard is going to get dirty, and this can cause problems. Give it a good clean and then see if it starts working again. Run Windows Troubleshooter. Windows Troubleshooter is a built-in tool that might be able to diagnose and repair whatever is causing your keyboard to be unresponsive. Run the troubleshooter, and work through any suggestions it returns. Update your drivers. Outdated or corrupted drivers could prevent your keyboard from connecting and responding. Update the driver, restart the computer, and then test the keyboard again to see if it's working again. Check your keyboard language settings. If you can, check your keyboard settings to make sure you're using the correct settings for the keyboard that's installed. Go to Start > Settings > Time & Language.Select Region & language and make sure English is selected.If it is not, choose Options and select US. Try an external keyboard. This won't fix the problem, but if you can connect and use an external keyboard, then you can narrow down the problem quickly to either the built-in keyboard's connection or the keyboard itself. Disable other input methods. The windows Collaborative Translation Framework (CtfMon.exe) is designed to allow multiple input types, including a keyboard, touch, and stylus. However, it can also interfere with your keyboard. Try disabling ctfmon.exe to see if that might make your system default back to the keyboard. Know When to Seek Repair
If you've tried the steps above and none of them worked, then it might be time to call in the professionals, or at the very least, someone who feels more confident about digging around inside your laptop's case. If you're unsure who to turn to next, read How Do I Get My Computer Fixed? for some quick tips on what to do next. How to Fix It When an HP Laptop Has a Black Screen Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Fix It When a Keyboard Won't Type How to Connect AirPods to an HP Laptop How to Unlock a Keyboard That's Locked How to Fix It When a Lenovo Keyboard Is Not Working How to Fix It When WhatsApp Isn't Working How to Fix It When Your Headphones Aren't Working on Windows 10 How to Fix It When a Laptop Microphone is Not Working How to Fix It When an HP Laptop Has a Black Screen How to Fix It When Mobile Data Is Not Working How to Fix It When a Lenovo's Mic Is Not Working How to Fix It When the Cursor Disappears in Windows 10 How to Fix the Microphone on an HP Laptop How to Fix It When Copy and Paste Isn't Working in Windows 10/11 How to Fix It When Discovery Plus Is Not Working How to Put a Key Back on a Laptop Keyboard How to Fix It When Windows 11 Is Stuck in Airplane Mode Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies