The keyboard is an important element. With its help, you enter and search for the necessary information, as well as control a laptop or computer. But she is not immune to damage, no matter how expensive and high-quality.
Why the USB keyboard may not work on a laptop
The content of the article
- Why the USB keyboard may not work on a laptop
- What to do if the laptop keyboard does not work
Despite the fact that the laptop has a built-in keyboard, many users for convenience connect an additional device using a USB jack. Sometimes a properly working external input device suddenly stops responding to commands. It may look like this:
- when you try to print something, the commands are not executed;
- Operation buttons do not have a light backlight - these buttons include: Numlock, ScrollLock, CapsLock, and others.

ATTENTION! The causes of breakdowns and methods for their elimination will be the same for keyboards of all types and price categories.
The reasons why the product stops working are several:
- Failure of the device itself or damage to the USB cable. The most common possible problem. Therefore, you must first check the connection. To do this, the cable must be disconnected and reconnected. Then restart the laptop.
- Failure of the USB jack. To check its performance, the device must be connected to a guaranteed working connector.
- Viruses or malfunctioning device drivers. To verify this, enter the BIOS. If the navigation buttons work, then the problem is in the OS. To troubleshoot, you must update all the necessary drivers, as well as clean the operating system using the antivirus program.

You also need to make sure that the USB controller in the BIOS is turned on. Often with a sudden power surge, the USB connectors turn off. To check this, go to the settings menu and find the item “Keyboard support” or “USB Support” there. If the value is Disabled there, it must be changed to Enabled.
ATTENTION! Some modern keyboard models have a USB 3.0 plug that may not be supported by your laptop!
If none of the above helps, this indicates that the external keyboard itself is out of order and needs to be replaced.
What to do if the laptop keyboard does not work
Often, laptop users are faced with the fact that the standard keyboard stops working. Part of the buttons or the entire keyboard may fail. Usually, the trouble that has arisen is eliminated quite easily:
- First of all, press the Fn or NumLock system buttons. Very often, by pressing these buttons, the work of others can be blocked.
- Since there is a small space under the buttons, something can get there. To clean the product, you need to take a soft brush and carefully walk over the entire surface of the device.
- A malfunction in the operation of the operating system can lead to failure. Therefore, sometimes you just need to reboot the device.
- If this does not help, then you should update the driver. This can be done through the "Device Manager" or using special programs.
- Since the keyboard is connected using a loop, you need to check it for possible damage. If there is no necessary experience, then you need to entrust this to a professional. If there is mechanical damage on the cable, it should be replaced with a new one.
REFERENCE! Special small vacuum cleaners are available for cleaning the keyboard.
If all else fails, then most likely the reason is quite serious and it is worth contacting specialists.