Dell Laptop Keyboard Not Working – 11 Fix You Can Try.
Dell keyboards are reliable, but every hardware sometimes crashes and we often throw out perfectly good hardware. Troubleshooting any equipment is a three-step process: probing, identifying, and fixing. If that doesn’t fix the problem, we move on to the next step and repeat until the problem is identified and fixed. Well, give you a step-by-step guide to fix if your Dell keyboard (should work with another Windows keyboard too) is not working.
Before we start, check to see if you have a Disable Keyboard button on your keyboard. Not all keyboards, with the exception of some, have a dedicated keyboard mute button (such as a mute or Wi-Fi button) that temporarily disables the keyboard when pressed. Sometimes you don’t even notice that it gets pressed accidentally, like my grandmother has a laptop with a shutdown button and it gets pressed accidentally when she cleans the keyboard. With that out of the way, let’s see how to fix keyboard issues on Windows laptop.
Dell laptop keyboard not working
Step 1
Probe: If the keys are sticky and not working properly, check for dust and debris under the keys. Keyboards are thinner to fit the compact laptop style, and there is generally little space between the key head and the components below it. Dust, fluff and other atmospheric debris will inevitably accumulate on the keys. Getting under the keys can make work difficult and ultimately render the key useless.
Solution: Use a brush or can of compressed air to blow off the dust under the keys and check if they are back to normal.
Step 2
Probe: If the keys work but some keys print different characters when pressed, check the keyboard settings. Almost all keyboards that we see on laptops are Qwerty. This means that the layout of letters and other characters is standardized, but the US, UK, and Europe have their own standard key positions and differ slightly from country to country.
Solution: you can go to settings and change the layout that is standard for your country.
To change the layout to QWERTY in Windows 10, select Start Settings Time & Language Region & Language Language Options Change QWERTY (US).
Step 3
Probe: If most of the keys are typing letters other than the keyboard, then you need to check the keyboard layout. QWERTY isn’t the only keyboard layout, and AZERTY and Dvorak are the less popular keyboard layouts available for Windows. The difference lies in the arrangement of the keys on the keyboard. On the AZERTY keyboard, the Q and W keys have been replaced with A and Z respectively. DOORK has a completely different layout. The thing is, if your keys are typing something else when you press G, most likely the layout is different and you need to check and fix that.
Solution: Start Settings Input Methods Options select US QWERTY.
Step 4
Test: If the keyboard doesn’t print anything, check the keyboard drivers. Before we conclude that your keyboard is not working, we need to determine if this is just a driver issue. Sometimes drivers get corrupted and your keyboard stops working. It is possible that the driver is to blame.
Solution: Update your drivers by updating Windows or Device Manager. To update Windows, go to Start search for Windows Update click Update. To do this from Device Manager, right click on My Computer Properties Device Manager Internal Keyboard right click Properties Drivers tab Update Driver.
Step 5
Try it: If updating your drivers doesn’t work, check for conflicting drivers such as Windows and Dell drivers. If you ever reinstall Windows and try to install the drivers that came with your laptop, it could cause a conflict between your Windows driver and the driver that came with your Dell laptop.
Solution: Try uninstalling all drivers in Device Manager and restart. To uninstall drivers, right click on Computer Properties Device Manager Internal Keyboard right click Properties Drivers tab Uninstall Driver.
Step 6
Probe: test the keyboard in safe mode. More often than not, there is software that changes the keyboard input while using the software. If you are typing in multiple languages ​​and you have special software, you can boot your computer in Safe Mode, this will disable all third-party software and drivers. If it is running in safe mode, the problem might be caused by your software.
Solution: If it runs in Safe Mode, try uninstalling software that configures keyboard input for special purposes.
Step 7
Probe: check if the BIOS settings are correct. We are not saying there is a virus on your computer, but it is imperative that you have updated antivirus software. Some viruses affect BIOS settings and can potentially render your computer unusable. Now, if you do not turn off the computer, the virus can certainly disable the keyboard in the BIOS. you can enable legacy USB keyboard support.
Solution: Go to BIOS settings by restarting your computer and at the boot splash screen press F12 (or any key that is supported on your laptop) Advanced Integrated Peripherals USB Controllers Legacy Keyboard Switch to “on”
Step 8
Probe: Check if the external keyboard works? If you have followed all the steps above but nothing has worked so far, try connecting an external keyboard to your computer and see if it solves the problem. If so, then your keyboard has a hardware problem.
Solution: Try removing the keyboard and plugging it back in, the tape may be loose.
Step 9
Probe: if some keys don’t work (not in series), check for dead keys. While there may be other reasons if you have broken keys, there is no reliable way to know for sure without further research. We can test this with a keyboard testing tool. You can also use the onscreen keyboard, but I used PassMark to detect dead keys. It is a very intuitive tool that detects which keys are pressed and then released, giving you an idea of ​​whether any key is pressed continuously or not working.
Solution: try to parse the key and check if the dome is intact. If it is broken, you will have to contact a service center to have it repaired or replace the keyboard.
Step 10
Probe: If keys don’t work (series, row of keys, or even patch), check for possible loosening of the connection. Keys work by sending a signal to the microcontroller, which processes the signal that is essentially generated through the matrix network under the keyboard. In layman’s terms, the keyboard is a grid and each key is a combination of a certain signal. A loose connection can cause this problem.
Solution: Try unplugging the keyboard from USB if it’s a desktop computer and plugging it into a different slot, or if it’s a laptop, you can remove the keyboard and check if the connector is secure ribbons. right.
Step 11
Tryout: If you’ve tried everything and still doesn’t work, you probably should service center and will be repaired by professionals, or if it’s too cool you can replace it yourself
Solution. Find your Dell laptop make and model and search for your keyboard online. Find a guide on how to replace your keyboard, trust me, it sounds complicated, but not that hard. If you are afraid of screwing up and ruining everything, seek professional help
Read: How to Use PC and Mac Keyboard on Android
Have you repaired your Dell keyboard?
We’ve shown you how to troubleshoot when your Dell keyboard keeps showing problems or even stops working. These methods only work if the keyboard has software issues or poor connections. If you have a dead keyboard, you are unlikely to find an article on how to fix it. Or on the other hand, you can, and if you really tell us about it in the comments.