If you ’re using an aftermarket keyboard on your Windows laptop , or find that you unintentionally press keys on the built - in keyboard while using the pinch screenland , it can be a good mind to invalid your laptop ’s keyboard . It ’s easy enough to re - enable again if you get stick , but turning it off can be a bang-up way to improve functionality of your laptop if you do n’t require to utilise the built in keyboard .
Here ’s how to incapacitate your laptop computer ’s keyboard inWindows 11 .
observe : The succeed instructions have screenshots taken in Windows 10 , but they are very in Windows 11 and can be followed in the same fashion .
Open Device Manager
Turn your laptop computer on and lumber into Windows . It ’s always a good idea to check that your operating organization and number one wood are update ( automateddriver update toolscan help ) so you ’re working with the tardy interface and data , but it ’s not dead necessary if you are in a hurry . If in dubiousness , run Windows Update and see if there any downloads available .
footfall 1 : Select theStartmenu ’s lookup box .
Step 2 : Type inDevice Manager . The top result in the hunt loge should be theDevice Managerapp itself . Select it to open up this app .
Find your keyboard
machine Manager holds all the crucial ironware of your system , including the keyboard(s ) . It ’s here you may disable and re - enable various component .
measure 1 : In the machine Manager , you ’ll see an alphabetical list of devices your computing machine is using . depend for theKeyboardsoption on this list , and choose it to keep on .
Step 2 : TheKeyboardsdropdown bill of fare will show you any keyboards accredit by your laptop computer . If you have connected an extraneous keyboard , for instance , you should see it here .
However , right now you are count for the internal keyboard your laptop computer normally uses . The problem is that this keyboard may have different names look on the character of laptop computer you are using . unplug your outside keyboard if necessary , and attend for keyboards that say “ Standard ” or “ HID ” as these are often the intimate keyboard .
Disable the keyboard
The next footmark will depend on the laptop computer you are using and what options are available to you . Some laptop make this a lot easier than others , but we ’ll overlay what to do in either type .
dance step 1 : pop out by right - clicking on the intimate keyboard . In the menu that appears , seem for the pick that saysDisable . If you see it , you could simply select and your laptop keyboard will be turn off . This is by far the easiest method .
pace 2 : If theDisableoption is n’t there for some reason , you could choose theUninstalloption to remove the keyboard driver completely . Without the equipment driver , the keyboard wo n’t officiate . There ’s just one catch – Windows tend to automatically detect its inner keyboard and re - deploy the drivers when you adjudicate this , especially if you exclude down the laptop and then restart it again . So you may chooseUninstall , but you may have to do it a couple of times to check that Windows gets the message , and it will plausibly only last until you turn your laptop off again .
For users that only need to stop the laptop computer ’s keyboard temporarily for this session , theUninstallmethod can work well . Otherwise , it ’s a great deal of work to get rid of keyboard functionality over and over again .
On some laptops , you’re able to apply sopor or hibernation modes to safely semi - shut things down , but without the full restart that will trip automatic instalment for the keyboard driver . Try this uninstall - and - sleep option on your laptop to see if it work .
How do I turn my keyboard back on?
To change state your keyboard back on again , regain it in the equipment Manager list as before , aright - press it and selectEnableorUpdateand the keyboard should work again – potentially after Windows re - installs the drivers . If that does n’t run , try resume . That should make Windows to re - turn on the keyboard for use again .
But how do you get back to equipment Manager without a keyboard ? If you ’ve navigate away from the equipment Manager , or found your keyboard disabled by chance event ( or someone else as a caper ) , you need n’t worry . If you have another keyboard handy , you could plug that in and practice it to pilot toDevice Managerand then re - turn on the keyboard as instructed above . If you do n’t though , that ’s not a problem . but right on - tap your Start Button and selectDevice Managerfrom the list that pops up . Then follow the instructions above .
If you are n’t quenched with your current keyboard , why not check out our templet to thebest mechanical keyboardsout there ? Or what about thebest keyboards for gaming ?
Whether you end up using the build - in keyboard or an extraneous one more often , you may also need to mark off out our guide to thebest Windows 11 keyboard shortcutsto help you save some time !
