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How to Fix a Laptop Keyboard When It’s Locked
Dwight Pavlovic
|
November 3, 2019
Is your HP laptop keyboard locked and preventing you from getting work done? While this can be frustrating, the good news is that there are several reasons why this may have happened and a handful of potential solutions.
In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive checklist for how to accurately identify the problem and safely address issues with your keyboard software. The explanation for these issues can be elusive, but the solution is generally easy. To get you started, here’s the basic checklist that we’ll explore:
- Confirm that your laptop isn’t just frozen
- Look for physical damage on your keyboard or individual keys
- Make sure the keyboard is clean and free of obstructions
- Shut down and try rebooting as usual
- Uninstall your keyboard drivers and reboot to reset
If none of these solutions work, there’s a good chance that you’re actually dealing with a bigger problem. In that case, you may want to contact the manufacturer’s support team or bring your laptop to a local repair shop.
How to unlock a locked laptop keyboard
1. Confirm that your laptop isn’t just frozen
You are much more likely to encounter routine computer freezing than a keyboard lock. That said, a frozen laptop can still give the impression that your keyboard or peripherals are malfunctioning.
While keyboards can periodically have issues, there are numerous explanations for why your entire interface is unresponsive. You can often save yourself a lot of time spent troubleshooting your keyboard or other devices if you can confirm that the problem stems from elsewhere.
Try this: If your device seems unresponsive, your first step should be pressing down on Ctrl + Alt + Del at once to see if you can end a malfunctioning program or process. You can also try using the Win + Ctrl + Shift + B command to reset your video drivers if you think a problem with your screen may be responsible.
2. Look for physical damage on your keyboard or individual keys
It may seem obvious, but checking your keyboard and individual keys for damage is also a good way to rule out mechanical failures. If the keyboard is damaged, you will have to determine the cost of replacing it vs the cost of a new laptop.
Try this: Examine each key for cracks then determine that it moves when you press it.
If you are experiencing long-term patterns of individual key failures or input problems, this is an indicator that you may be dealing with a bigger problem due to hardware or age rather than a simple keyboard software problem.
Small keyboard problems are rarely to blame when your entire keyboard isn’t functioning correctly, but they can accumulate and cause more difficult problems. If you’re dealing with something hardware related, we recommend contacting your manufacturer’s product support team.
3. Make sure the keyboard is clean and free of obstructions
Keeping your keyboard clean is also a critical part of preventing and ruling out mechanical or hardware failures. You should take care of your keyboard on a regular basis, but if you haven’t cleaned it in a while, a locked keyboard is the perfect excuse to do so now.
Try this: Clean with compressed air and only use solvents with caution in certain areas. There are also keyboard cleaning kits and solutions available, with brushes in a variety of sizes and shapes necessary to safely clean your device.
4. Try rebooting as normal
“Did you try turning it off and on again?” is such a frequent refrain because it’s often the quickest and best solution for many problems. We’ve all had inexplicable issues with a computer, and a simple reboot can really do wonders. It’s not only simple to communicate, it’s easy for users of any experience level to attempt.
Try this: If you’ve ruled out other issues and want to avoid a more technical solution, now is a good time to try a classic manual restart. Use your touchpad or mouse to shut down as usual, or hold down the power button if you’re experiencing other problems. Bear in mind some older HP laptop models have touchpad toggles that can be switched on and off, usually in the upper left corner of the pad.
5. Uninstall your keyboard drivers and reboot to reset
If none of these steps helped, you can perform a keyboard driver reset using your mouse or touchpad without too much difficulty. Here’s how you can access the Device Manager and uninstall your keyboard drivers
- Navigate to your laptop’s Control Panel, then select the Hardware and Sound tab
- You should see several new tabs, including one marked Devices and Printers. Without clicking through to the main Devices and Printers tab, select the Device Manager option
- Alternatively, you can use the search bar next to your Start button. Type in “device manager” to view it
- Click on the Keyboard tab. You should see a new sub-tab labelled Standard PS/2 Keyboard. Right-click on the sub-tab in order to access options for your keyboard
- Select the option marked “Uninstall device” and restart your computer. The keyboard driver should reinstall automatically
Contact customer support if nothing’s working
You may expect some irregularity from older or more heavily-used devices, but even then, keyboard issues don’t have to be debilitating. If you’re lucky, the vast majority of keyboard or driver issues are just a quick fix. Feel free to consult our checklist the next time you’re wondering what do you do when your keyboard is locked.
If the above procedures aren’t doing the trick or you can’t follow through completely for one reason or another, your device may have a more serious issue. In that case, bring it to a nearby repair center or reach out to your device manufacturer’s customer support for help. They can help you to avoid attempting to improvise or make repairs without the correct information, which is a huge risk not worth taking.
About the Author: Dwight Pavlovic is a contributing writer for HP® Tech Takes. Dwight is a music and technology writer based out of West Virginia.
