Laptop keyboard not working: causes and repair

One key, a whole row or the entire keyboard doesn't work. Or the laptop types by itself. Let's sort it out.

First, simple checks

1. Restart the laptop.
2. Check that Num Lock, Fn Lock or the keyboard layout aren't on — some keys may behave differently.
3. Plug in an external USB keyboard. If it works, the problem is the laptop keyboard, not the system.
4. If the keyboard doesn't work in the BIOS either (at startup), it's definitely hardware.
5. Update or reinstall the keyboard driver in Device Manager.

Common causes

• Spilled liquid — the most common. Sugar and coffee glue the membrane and contacts oxidise. Sticky keys and dead rows are classic. See spilled liquid on a laptop.
• Crumbs and dust under the keys.
• A damaged keyboard cable after a drop or careless disassembly.
• A swollen battery pushing the keyboard up from below, so keys in the middle stop pressing. This is dangerous — see swollen battery.
• Wear: on old laptops individual keys stop registering.

Can you clean it yourself

Turn the laptop over and shake it gently; blow compressed air under the keys at an angle. We don't recommend prying off keycaps without experience: the clips break easily.

Repair or replacement

• If one key sticks, cleaning is sometimes enough.
• After a spill or with dead rows, it's usually a keyboard replacement. On many laptops the keyboard is riveted to the top case, so it's replaced together with it or re-riveted.

More: laptop keyboard replacement. Send your laptop model on Telegram and we'll check keyboard availability and price.

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