Before concluding it is a fault, check that the keyboard is typing what you think it is : half these cases are settings, not failures.
A keyboard that "no longer works" covers three distinct situations : it types the wrong characters, some keys do not respond, or nothing appears at all. The causes have nothing in common.
You press A and get Q, the numbers need the shift key : the layout has switched to QWERTY. It happens through a shortcut pressed unintentionally.
The fix is immediate : the Left Alt + Shift shortcut switches from one layout to the other. If it keeps coming back, simply remove the unwanted layout in the Windows language settings.
Another variant : only the numbers on the numeric keypad fail to respond - the Num Lock key is off.
Most often this is dirt. Crumbs, dust or residue under the mechanism prevent contact.
If the affected keys are next to each other, it is more likely a contact or a ribbon. If they are scattered with no pattern, dirt or wear of the conductive film is likely.
Test with an external USB keyboard first. If that works, the machine and Windows are fine, and only the built-in keyboard is at fault. If it does not work either, look at the system or a driver.
On a laptop, a completely silent keyboard often comes from a badly connected ribbon - after a knock, a dismantling or a move. It is a simple job for anyone who opens the machine.
At startup, open the BIOS menu with the key the manufacturer specifies - often F2 or Delete. If the keys respond normally there while they are dead under Windows, the hardware is good and the problem is software : driver, layout or an accessibility setting.
Filter keys ignores brief or repeated presses, and can give the impression of a keyboard skipping letters. Sticky keys is triggered after five presses of Shift and changes how key combinations behave. Both get switched on by accident and are turned off in the accessibility settings.
A keyboard that goes haywire after a spill calls for entirely different treatment, and the urgency is not the same : see liquid spilled on a computer.
On a laptop, the keyboard is replaced as a whole part. Depending on the model it unclips from above - a quick job - or requires complete dismantling, which changes the cost. In the meantime an external USB keyboard lets you carry on working without interruption.
No, the layout has switched to QWERTY. The Left Alt + Shift shortcut restores AZERTY immediately.
Sometimes, if the mechanism under the keycap is intact. If the clip is broken, the whole keyboard has to be replaced on most laptops.
Yes, with no technical problem at all. It is a perfectly viable answer on a machine used mainly in one place.
Would you rather we took care of it ? See our laptop keyboard replacement service, in Lyon and across the Rhone.
We separate a setting from a real fault before quoting anything.
Automatic assistant: it can make mistakes. Never share a password or a card number.
