Trust me; nothing is more annoying than getting your workflow disrupted by a keyboard breakdown.
And it especially sucks when it happens while you are typing an important document or replying to an important email that needs your attention.
But don’t worry; the troubleshooting methods that we are going to discuss today will not only help you recognize the problem but will also allow you to potentially fix it.
Let’s dive in and fix this issue.
Why has my Keyboard stopped typing?
Your keyboard can stop typing due to a number of reasons. But mainly, it comes down to a few things. Faulty or broken hardware, external damage, or buggy software.
Bad Drivers
Bad and buggy drivers can certainly cause your laptop’s keyboard to malfunction and make it stop writing.
Your keyboard drivers can mess up due to a number of reasons, such as a bad Windows Update, interference with another HID device, etc.
Fortunately, the fix to this issue is very simple, and we are going to discuss it in detail.
Dust and Filth
Dust can ruin anything, including keyboards. There is a high chance that dust, along with other filth, is trapped beneath the keys and preventing them from actuating and registering a keystroke.
This can make your keys feel stiff and heavy. Apart from dust, if you are someone who eats near your laptop, then it’s possible that crumbs of food can also be stuck beneath the keys.
Accidental Spillage
If you have accidentally spilled any drink on your laptop’s keyboard in the past or recently, there is a high chance that it has ruined your keyboard.
Spilling water or a drink can shorten your keyboard which can permanently.
It can also cause corrosion which can damage the contact pins and other traces on your laptop’s keyboard circuit board, causing it to not type.
Faulty Motherboard
There is a high chance that your laptop’s motherboard is failing to recognize any HID devices, such as the keyboard, and failing to register any input from them.
This can be verified by installing your current internal keyboard on a different laptop of the same model. Though this may not be easy to check, so I recommend taking your laptop to a repair shop if you are unable to verify this yourself.
Improper connection to the Motherboard
There is also a possibility that the reason your internal keyboard is not typing is that its not connected to your laptop’s keyboard properly.
This can happen due to a number of reasons. Maybe the keyboard ribbon cable is not plugged in properly, there is some corrosion on the contact pad of the connector, or the connector on the motherboard is damaged.
Overheating Battery
If your laptop is quite old and your laptop’s battery heats up quite a bit during charging, then chances are that you have found the issue with your laptop.
Over time when batteries age and they are constantly charged, it’s possible for them to expand physically in size. Since components inside a laptop are tightly packed, the expanding battery can push the keyboard deck, which can cause it to malfunction and stop typing.
Let’s Troubleshoot your Keyboard
We will troubleshoot your laptop’s keyboard by getting Windows into an environment where any sort of software interference is minimal.
We can do this by booting the Windows into recovery and trying to type something in the Command Prompt.
You can do this by following these steps:
Step 1: Go to Windows Settings
Step 2: Update & Security
Step 3: Click on Recovery on the left side menu and then click on Restart now
Step 4: Once booted into Recovery, Click on Troubleshoot
Step 5: Click on Advanced Options
Step 6: Click on Command Prompt
Step 7: Type something in the Command Prompt
If you manage to type something in the Command Prompt with your internal keyboard, then congrats! Your keyboard does not have any hardware issues. And this issue can be fixed relatively easily.
However, if your laptop still fails to type anything, then we have some hardware malfunction.
Plug in an external keyboard
Another way to troubleshoot your internal keyboard is by plugging in an external keyboard. If your external keyboard manages to write anything, then your internal keyboard is to blame.
However, if you are still unable to type with an external keyboard, then there is some software/driver issue that is not allowing you to type.
How to fix your laptop’s Keyboard
Reinstall Keyboard Drivers
It’s possible that your keyboard is unable to type due to a driver malfunction. However, the solution to this is pretty simple.
Step 1: Press Win X +X and click on Device Manager
Step 2: Click on Keyboard and select your Keyboard, and then right-click on it.
Step 3: Click on Update Driver
Step 4: A window will open up; click on Search automatically for updated driver
Windows will automatically find the latest driver for your keyboard and then update it.
However, if Windows says that the latest drivers are already installed, then you have other options.
Your first option would be to reinstall drivers. Simply follow the instructions above, and now instead of clicking on update driver, click on uninstall the driver. After that, reboot your laptop.
Once you are back in Windows, go to the device manager again and update the keyboard driver. Windows will install the drivers, and your keyboard should start to work again.
Clean your Keyboard
Grab a can of compressed air and a cleaning brush.
Since every laptop is designed a bit differently, we recommend searching for a youtube video that shows how to remove your laptop’s keyboard.
Once you have removed the keyboard, blow some air between the keys with the can of compressed air. If you see some stubborn dust bunnies and other filth that is stuck between the keys, clean it with the brush.
After you are sure that you have successfully cleaned the keyboard deck, reconnect it to your laptop and see if it works. If the problem still persists, you can try some other things too.
Check Keyboard connections on the motherboard
As we mentioned before, it’s possible that corrosion has ruined the contact between the keyboard connector and the ribbon cable.
This can be fixed by cleaning the contact pins on the board.
To clean the keyboard, you would first need to get a Contact Cleaner spray. Once you have it, turn off your laptop and remove the battery.
Then spray it properly on the ribbon connector on the laptop. Plug in the keyboard ribbon cable after letting the liquid evaporate.
Put everything back together and turn on the laptop and check the keyboard.
Remove the battery and turn on the laptop.
As we discussed earlier, an inflating battery can push the keyboard deck, causing it to malfunction.
You can troubleshoot this by removing the battery and powering the laptop with the power adapter.
If your laptop’s keyboard has started typing, then the battery is to blame, and you need to get the swollen battery replaced with a newer, healthy battery.
Check for Viruses
It’s possible that your laptop is infected by malware that is preventing you from typing. A simple way to troubleshoot this is by running a virus scan in Windows Security.
Step 1: Go to Windows Settings
Step 2: Click on Update and Security
Step 3: Click on Windows Security on the side menu
Step 4: Click on Open Windows Security
Step 5: If Windows has already found some threats, click on Start Actions. If it says nothing, then Click on Scan options and choose Full Scan and then click on Scan now.
After getting rid of any malware, restart your laptop and check if your laptop works.
Check if you are using the right keyboard layout
It’s possible that you are using the wrong keyboard layout, which is causing some issues. You can simply solve this by changing the keyboard layout.
Step 1: Go to Windows Settings
Step 2: Click on Time & Language
Step 3: Click on Language in the side menu
Step 4: Click on your preferred language and click options
Step 5: Click on Add a Keyboard and add the English QWERTY Keyboard
At this point, your keyboard should start working; if at this point it still refuses to work, then you probably have a hardware issue to deal with.
Maybe after troubleshooting all these steps, you may come to the conclusion that you have a dead keyboard and you may need to replace it.
The cost of replacing the keyboard will vary depending on the laptop you have.
However, if you want a temporary solution to this issue, you can plug in an external keyboard.
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