Keyboard Not Typing at All? Step-by-Step Fixes

A keyboard that types nothing is either not connected, not powered, not recognized, or being blocked by software. That is four things, and each has a quick check. Follow them in order; most dead keyboards come back before step five.

Before anything else

Click into a text field. A keyboard cannot type into a window that has no focus; click the document or the address bar and try again.
Press Caps Lock and watch for its light. If the light responds, the keyboard has power and a data connection, so the cause is software.
Press keys in the tester above. If they register there, the keyboard works and one particular app is the problem.

Wired keyboards

1. Reseat the cable and change port

Unplug the keyboard, wait ten seconds, and plug it into a different USB port directly on the computer, not a hub, dock or monitor. Front ports and USB 2 ports are the most reliable for keyboards. If the cable is detachable, swap it for another USB-C or micro-USB cable.

2. Look for a lock or mode switch

Some keyboards have a physical lock, a Windows/Mac mode switch, or a wired/Bluetooth toggle on the back edge or underside. Gaming keyboards may have a game mode that disables certain keys.

3. Try the keyboard on another computer

If it works elsewhere, the problem is this computer. If it fails everywhere, the keyboard is faulty.

Wireless and Bluetooth keyboards

4. Power and batteries

Replace the batteries or charge the keyboard fully, then turn it off and on with its switch. A low battery causes intermittent typing before it causes total failure.

5. Re-pair Bluetooth

Windows: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → find the keyboard → Remove device. Put the keyboard in pairing mode (usually hold the Bluetooth or power button until a light flashes) → Add device.
Mac: System Settings → Bluetooth → hover over the keyboard → Remove → pair again.

Keep the keyboard within a couple of meters and away from USB 3 hard drives and hubs, which cause 2.4 GHz interference.

6. Move the receiver

For keyboards with a USB dongle, plug the dongle into a port on the front or side, away from other USB 3 devices. A short USB extension cable to bring the dongle onto the desk solves many dropouts.

Software fixes

7. Restart

A restart resets the USB controllers and reloads drivers. Use Restart rather than Shut Down on Windows, because Fast Startup can keep a bad driver state across a shutdown.

8. Turn off Filter Keys and Sticky Keys

Filter Keys with a long delay can make a keyboard feel dead. Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard on Windows; System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard on a Mac, where the equivalents are Slow Keys and Sticky Keys.

9. Reinstall the driver (Windows)

Open Device Manager, expand Keyboards.
Right-click each entry → Uninstall device.
Also check Universal Serial Bus controllers for entries with a warning icon; uninstall those too.
Restart. Windows reinstalls everything.

If your keyboard has vendor software (Logitech Options, Razer Synapse, Corsair iCUE), update or temporarily uninstall it.

10. Try another user account or Safe Mode

Create a new local account or boot into Safe Mode (Settings → System → Recovery → Advanced startup → Restart now → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings). If the keyboard works in Safe Mode, a startup program or driver is blocking it; disable startup apps in Task Manager and remove keyboard utilities one at a time.

11. Test in BIOS

Restart and press the setup key as the machine boots (F2, F10, F1 or Delete). If you cannot get in because the keyboard is dead, that alone tells you the keyboard is not sending anything at the hardware level. If you can navigate the BIOS, the keyboard works and the operating system is the problem.

Laptops

Laptop keyboards add a few causes of their own: a loose ribbon cable after a drop, liquid, and power management faults that a full power reset clears. Laptop keyboard keys not working covers those, and an external USB keyboard gets you typing in the meantime.

Typing while you fix it

On-screen keyboard: Win+Ctrl+O on Windows, or the accessibility button on the sign-in screen. On a Mac, System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Accessibility Keyboard.
Dictation: Win+H on Windows, or press the microphone key or Fn twice on a Mac.
Any other keyboard: a spare USB keyboard or a phone with a remote keyboard app.
Symbols: copy anything you need from Copy and paste symbols.

Signs that point straight to hardware

Caps Lock and Num Lock lights never change after a restart, on any port and any computer: the controller is dead or the cable is broken internally.
Some keys work, but a whole row is dead: a matrix fault. See Some keys not working.
The keyboard works when you press on the case or flex it: a cracked circuit board or a loose internal connector.
A wired keyboard is not listed in Device Manager (Windows) or System Information → USB (Mac) even after changing ports: the computer cannot see it at all, which is the cable, the connector or the keyboard’s controller.
A laptop keyboard fails after a drop or after being opened for another repair: the ribbon cable has come loose.

Signs that point to software

The keyboard works in the BIOS or at the sign-in screen but not after login: a startup program, driver or accessibility setting.
It works in one user account but not another: a per-user setting, usually Filter Keys or a remapping tool that starts with that account.
It works in Notepad but not in one app: the app captures the keyboard or has a stuck modal dialog behind its window.
Typing works, but with a long delay: Filter Keys. See Keyboard lag or input delay.
It stopped after a Windows update: roll the keyboard driver back in Device Manager.

Troubleshooting flow

Click into a text field and test Caps Lock’s light.
Wired: new port, no hub, another cable, check mode switches.
Wireless: batteries, re-pair, move the dongle.
Restart.
Filter Keys and Sticky Keys off.
Reinstall the keyboard and USB drivers.
Another account, then Safe Mode.
BIOS test to confirm hardware.
Try the keyboard on another computer; replace if it fails there.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my keyboard light up but not type? +

Power is reaching it but data is not, or the computer is ignoring it. Try another port or cable, re-pair a wireless keyboard, and check that the cursor is in a text field. Backlights run even when the data connection has failed.

How do I type my password if the keyboard is dead? +

Click the accessibility icon on the Windows sign-in screen and choose On-Screen Keyboard. On a Mac, use the Accessibility Keyboard from the login window's accessibility options, or plug in any other keyboard.

Why does my keyboard work in BIOS but not in Windows? +

The hardware is fine and a Windows driver, setting or startup program is blocking it. Boot into Safe Mode; if it works there, uninstall the keyboard driver and any keyboard software.

Can a USB hub stop a keyboard working? +

Yes. Unpowered hubs and some monitor hubs cannot supply enough power or drop devices. Plug the keyboard directly into the computer.

How long do wireless keyboard batteries last? +

Months to years depending on the model, but a keyboard that becomes intermittent before dying completely is the classic low-battery sign. Replace or charge them before doing anything else.