Before concluding it needs replacing, two far more common causes have to be ruled out: a layout setting, and dirt.
Half the keyboards reported to us as faulty are not. A shortcut pressed by accident, crumbs under a mechanism, an accessibility setting switched on unintentionally: all of these imitate a hardware fault perfectly. So that is where the diagnosis starts.
You type A and get Q, the numbers need the shift key: the layout has switched to QWERTY. It is a keyboard shortcut pressed by accident, and it is corrected instantly. If it keeps coming back, the unwanted layout can be removed for good in the language settings.
A frequent variant: only the numeric keypad fails to respond. The number lock key is switched off.
Most often this is dirt: crumbs, dust or residue preventing contact under the mechanism. Careful cleaning is enough in a fair number of cases.
Which keys are affected is a useful clue. If they are next to each other, the trail leads to a contact or a ribbon cable. If they are scattered with no pattern, dirt or wear of the conductive film is more likely - and in that second case, the keyboard is reaching the end of its life.
Test with an external USB keyboard. If it works, the machine and the system are fine, and only the built-in keyboard is at fault. If it does not work either, the trail becomes a software one - a driver, or an accessibility setting.
A further test settles it for good: at startup, go into the machine's setup menu, before Windows loads. If the keys respond there but are silent afterwards, the hardware is fine and the problem is software.
Filter keys ignores brief or repeated presses: the keyboard then seems to skip letters. Sticky keys, triggered after five presses of the shift key, changes how combinations behave. Both get switched on by accident, and cause call-outs for a fault that does not exist. We always check them.
This is the most serious situation, and it calls for different handling. A keyboard misbehaving after a spill is often only the visible symptom: the liquid may have reached the motherboard underneath, and corrosion carries on its work for days, silently.
Replacing the keyboard without having the inside examined means treating the symptom and leaving the cause. So we always open the machine in this case. See our article on a spill on a computer.
On a laptop, the keyboard is changed as a complete part - there is no key-by-key repair beyond an unclipped keycap whose mechanism is intact.
Two configurations depending on the model. On some, the keyboard unclips from above: the job is quick. On others it is fixed to the palm rest by numerous rivets, and the machine has to be fully stripped down - which changes the time, and therefore the cost, appreciably. We identify which case applies at the diagnosis stage, before giving you the quote.
The work is done in the workshop.
It is a perfectly viable solution, and we suggest it openly when it makes sense. On a machine used mainly at a desk, on an external monitor, a USB or Bluetooth keyboard solves the problem with no stripping down and for a trivial cost.
Replacement does make sense if you travel with the machine, or if the device has several years ahead of it. It is your call, and we give you both options rather than only the one that suits us.
A laptop keyboard rarely dies all at once: it gets dirty gradually. A few simple habits make a clear difference to its life. Turn the machine over when it is off every few months and tap the back gently to shake out debris. Avoid eating over it - crumbs work their way under the mechanisms and the sugar in drinks glues the contacts for good. And clean the surface with a barely damp cloth rather than a household product, which attacks the key markings.
If you use the machine at a desk most of the time, an external keyboard preserves the built-in one for travel. It is the most effective solution, and the cheapest.
It often fails at the same time as the keyboard, because on many models the two share the same ribbon cable. A trackpad that stops responding much more often comes from a disable key pressed by accident, though. And if it is bulging or hard to press, look underneath: that is usually a swelling battery, and it cannot wait.
No, the layout has simply switched to QWERTY. A keyboard shortcut restores AZERTY immediately, and the unwanted layout can be removed for good.
Sometimes, if the mechanism under the keycap is intact. If the clip is broken or the conductive film is worn, the whole keyboard has to be replaced.
From thirty minutes on models where it unclips from above, to several hours on those that require the palm rest to be fully stripped down.
Can't find your question? It may be in our full FAQ.
Everything worth knowing before you hand over your equipment.
278 questions on breakdowns, security, networking and backup.
What the households and businesses we work with have to say.
Lyon, Villeurbanne, Caluire, Tassin, Écully and the whole Rhône.
Describe your problem: we reply with an initial assessment.
We tell a setting from a real fault before proposing anything at all.
Automatic assistant: it can make mistakes. Never share a password or a card number.
