How To Clean Out Under Your Keyboard

Picture of the keyboard of a dell laptop

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Laptops are convenient portable machines, but they can cause headaches when anything goes wrong, given their all-in-1 nature. This is especially the case if you lot're having problems with the keyboard not working. Y'all tin can do a few things to get information technology back up and running — some are relatively easy, others are a flake more than complicated.

In any case, you lot can often ready your keyboard-related problems; it's just a affair of how quickly, and whether or non yous'll have to pay to get the job done. It may exist a hardware problem, but we take some tips to see if the problem is something less crucial.

Related: The best Bluetooth keyboards you tin currently purchase

Editor's annotation: Some of the steps in this article were put together using a custom PC running Windows 11. Keep in listen steps might differ depending on your device and software version.

Restart your computer

Image of Huawei Windows tablet on home screen.

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Whenever y'all're having PC problems, this is the first thing to try before troubleshooting further. Restarting the computer is fast, easy, and might solve the issues you're experiencing with your keyboard not working. The good news is you may non demand a functioning keyboard to restart your laptop. You lot can exercise this using a mouse or touchpad.

How to restart a PC

Click on the Windows button.
Select the Power button.
Select Restart.

In instance you're experiencing problems with your mouse and touchpad every bit well, press and hold the dedicated power button on your PC for a few seconds, after which the device should plough off. And so turn it back on past pressing the same push.

If your keyboard isn't working after a fresh restart, then it'south time to movement on to the following tips.

Clean the keyboard

Acer Chromebook Spin 514 keyboard closeup

Eric Zeman / Android Authority

The thing about laptop keyboards is that keys tend to accept minimal spacing and travel, which means the spaces within the keys are much tighter. Sometimes dust, hair, and other debris can affect keyboard functionality. Endeavour to clean your keyboard as much as you can, and that may be enough to get your keyboard back in working order.

Before yous get started, brand sure to turn off the laptop and unplug it for safety reasons. Plow the laptop upside down once you've washed that, and and so gently milk shake it and tap information technology on the bottom. Hopefully, you'll be able to become rid of some grit and other dirt that found its way under the keyboard. You can also accident into the keyboard, or amend yet, use a can of compressed air.

Try using an external keyboard

Information technology never hurts to plug an external keyboard into your laptop and see if it works. If the external keyboard doesn't work, odds are your problem is software-based. You should worry if the external keyboard works, though, as this could be at that place is a more serious hardware event going on with your laptop's keyboard. Don't worry, though; there's still hope!

Related: Find the best mechanical keyboards here

Update your keyboard drivers

Sometimes software goes rogue or corrupts. The same applies to component drivers, which yous can easily update.

How to update keyboard drivers

Click on the Search push button in your Windows taskbar.
Await for Device Director and select it.
Expand the Keyboards option.
Observe your keyboard and right-click on it.
Hit Update driver.
Select Search automatically for drivers.
Follow instructions to update drivers.

Now you lot can restart the figurer and see if you're still having issues with the keyboard not working.

Uninstall keyboard drivers

Windows tablet with open Start menu, surrounded by devices and accessories.

Edgar Cervantes / Android Potency

If updating your drivers isn't helping, yous can go all out and uninstall them. Don't worry. The operating system volition recognize your keyboard and reinstall the drivers on its own.

How to uninstall your keyboard drivers

Click on the Search push button in your Windows taskbar.
Look for Device Director and select it.
Expand the Keyboards choice.
Find your keyboard and right-click on it.
Hit Uninstall device.
Confirm past selecting Uninstall.

Restart your reckoner again and check if the keyboard is working.

More: Should you upgrade to Windows xi?

Check your keyboard layout settings

Is your keyboard still not working? Let's dig into the settings over again. If your keyboard works, but it's typing different characters, there's a chance you're using a dissimilar keyboard layout. Let's get it back to English (or whichever language layout your keyboard uses.)

How to change your keyboard's language layout

Click on the Windows button.
Observe the Settings app and open up it.
Go into Time & linguistic communication.
Under Preferred languages, find your language. Click on the 3-dot bill of fare button next to it.
Select Language options.
Become to the Keyboards department and brand certain y'all've installed your keyboard's native language layout.

Check for malware or viruses

Malware and viruses can bear on your reckoner in many ways; 1 of them is limiting your keyboard functionality. It's hard to go rid of malware or viruses yourself, but at that place is enough of bang-up software to aid yous clean up your computer.

Popular apps to handle malware and viruses

Malwarebytes
Avast
McAfee
Norton

Alternatively, you can use Windows Security, Microsoft's native antivirus tool.

Enter the BIOS

We've exhausted all the basic software and settings options. Now information technology's time to dig deeper into the computer's more serious options. Let's look into the BIOS to detect out if the system recognizes the keyboard at all.

Here's how to do it. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS. Yous can do that past repeatedly pressing a specific key while the computer is booting upwardly. Which key to press depends on the laptop you own — information technology'southward unremarkably F2 or Delete. The exact central to apply volition often be displayed at the lesser of the screen while your PC is booting upwards. This isn't e'er the instance, though. A quick Google search should help yous find your laptop's specific process for accessing the BIOS.

Warning: We have established the reason for your keyboard not working may be a hardware problem. All upcoming recommendations require at to the lowest degree a slight level of tinkering with your hardware. Keep in listen doing this may void your warranty, and you tin can damage your device if you don't know what you're doing. Do your research, be conscientious, and be mindful that anything that happens will be just your responsibility. If you lot don't feel confident virtually playing effectually with your device, skip everything and get professional person assist.

Is anything inside unplugged?

If yous know your manner around PC internals, you may want to look inside and see if anything is unplugged (or damaged). Sometimes keyboards get disconnected from the motherboard. While yous're in there, you lot should too see if anything else looks off.

Endeavor removing the battery

Sometimes the battery tin cause keyboard-related bug, particularly if it overheats. In addition, batteries can expand when they become older, causing pressure inside the device and pushing the keyboard out of place. Just try removing it and plugging the reckoner directly into the power. Plough your laptop on and see if the keyboard works.

If all fails and you're still having issues with the keyboard not working, it's fourth dimension to get to a professional. If your computer is however under warranty, go far touch with the manufacturer and try to become information technology repaired. You lot can as well discover local repair shops or become extra assistance from JustAnswer, an Android Say-so partner.

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