How to Fix Laptop Keyboard When It Stops Working

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 06 February 2022, 06:02 pm

Laptops are portable devices convenient to use because you can get work done anywhere. But what happens when its most important part, the keyboard, suddenly stops working?

How to Fix a Laptop Keyboard That Doesn't Work

The first thing that may cross your mind is to go to a repair shop and have it fixed. However, that will take time as you will need to leave your laptop to a professional to diagnose the issue. You would not want to spend money on something that you can solve yourself.

Luckily, there are a couple of troubleshooting tips that you can follow to fix your keyboard on your own.

Also Read: Japanese Laptop Includes Fold-Out 12-Inch Keyboard

Restart the Laptop

When any device malfunctions, the first rule is to restart it. Sometimes your laptop gets overworked without you realizing it. If it has been on for hours, its performance levels will deteriorate. In some cases, the keyboard would freeze up.

If your keyboard does not work, you can turn off your laptop. You need to give it a couple of minutes to rest and turn it back on again.

By restarting your laptop, you are giving it time to reset all of the programs that you have open. Restarting your laptop allows it to boost its performance and operate fully again, according to PCMag.

Use an External Keyboard

If you want to know if the problem is your laptop's hardware or software, then you can plug in an external keyboard. If the external keyboard works, it means that your laptop's built-in keyboard has a hardware issue, and you will need to have it repaired by a professional.

Clean the Keyboard

There are instances wherein the keys won't work properly, or it takes you longer to press on them just so the letters would appear on the screen.

If this happens, there may be dust and debris that has accumulated underneath and on the sides. All you will have to do is clean your keyboard thoroughly.

Use a small brush or a piece of cloth to wipe the keys of your keyboard. This can help extract the dirt and debris that got caught underneath.

You can also use rubbing alcohol to wipe the keys and remove dirt that got stuck on the sides. You can also use a computer vacuum cleaner to clean the keyboard thoroughly.

Update the Keyboard Drivers

Sometimes the component drivers of a laptop go rogue, including the keyboard drivers, according to Business Insider.

After restarting your computer, you can update the keyboard drivers by clicking on the Search button in the taskbar.

Search for Device Manager and click on it.

Make sure to expand the Keyboards option and find your keyboard. Once you've found it, just right-click on it and hit Update Driver.

Select Search automatically for drivers and follow the instructions to update the keyboard drivers. Once you are done, restart your laptop again and check if you are still having keyboard issues, according to Android Authority.