Is the keyboard on your Dell Latitude not working? Are the letters you type doubling? This will go over several common occurrences when it comes to your Dell Latitude keyboard not working. The problem can be caused by either software or hardware causes, so read on to determine the right solution for you!
First Steps
This may seem trivial but a restart of your computer is the first thing you should try. This tends to fix some innocuous issues.
- Press and hold the power button for 15 seconds to force restart it.
Check for updates. Sometimes these come with fresh keyboard drivers that can fix your problem.
- Open Settings from the Start menu > select Windows Update from the menu on the left > click Check for updates.
If that didn't work, you'll want to investigate how your keyboard isn't working. You can use this online Keyboard Tester App to check if certain keys are not functioning:
- Do only certain keys act up (don't respond, respond with double inputs)? Are certain keys sticky? Did you recently spill something on your keyboard?
- If so, you'll want to address Dirty Keyboard Switches,
- Does the entire keyboard not work? Are you getting double inputs for keypresses on multiple keys?
Dirty Keyboard Switches
Dirt or debris can find its way under your keyboard keys and affect the switches, especially if you are prone to spills. Luckily you can clean your keyboard with some high concentration isopropyl alcohol (at least 90% is recommended).
- Start by shutting the computer down. This will prevent keypresses from messing with anything on your computer.
- Turn the keyboard upside down and use a soft bristled brush (a new toothbrush should work fine) to wipe any hard debris from under the keys. Be sure to pay special attention to any areas that are particularly afflicted or sticky.
- Then swap the keyboard with a Q-tip or cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
- The higher concentration alcohol you use, the more comfortable you can be with saturating the keys.
- Allow the keyboard to dry, then turn on your laptop and check to see if functionality has returned.
Faulty Program
It's possible that an application on your computer is interfering with your keyboard input. Try closing all of the programs that are currently running on your computer and opening something simple like a notepad. If the keyboard starts working again, you've found your issue.
Operating System Overload
Are letters doubling or seemingly pressed multiple times? Is the keyboard not working in certain programs? Is there a delay when typing on the keyboard?
- Try closing some programs and using a single program. Restart the computer, any better?
- Plug in an external keyboard or use an on-screen keyboard if that works and you don’t have access to an external USB keyboard.
- Try using an on-screen keyboard. This will be slightly different if you are using Windows 10 and below.
- If your physical keyboard is not working, right-click on the Start Menu and select Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard > On-screen keyboard.
Corrupt OS
Your computer's operating system (OS) can become corrupted if critical files are tampered with improperly. This can happen if the computer is powered off during an update, malware infects the computer, a dual-boot partition is set up incorrectly, the computer dies while sleeping, or if the files critical to the OS are altered in any way. This can lead to weird glitches throughout the computer—sometimes affecting the keyboard functionality while the rest of the system runs flawlessly.
Windows provides access to repair tools that correct these corruption issues:
- Right-click on the Start Menu and select Command Prompt, Powershell, or Windows Terminal (Windows 8, 10, and 11 will provide different options).
- Type sfc /scannow
Run keyboard repair.
- Open Settings by right-clicking on the Start Menu and choosing Settings.
- Next, navigate to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Keyboard (Run).
- This will pop up a troubleshooting wizard that might alleviate the issue.
Use Device Manager to check for keyboard driver updates.
- Open Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start Menu and selecting Device Manager.
- From there, expand the Keyboards section and right-click on the keyboard device your laptop has (you might have more than one, try doing this to all of them).
If you're using a Linux distribution instead of Windows, you'll want to first check that you have the correct keyboard drivers installed. Beyond properly configuring the drivers, a fresh install of the distro should remove any worries of a corrupted OS being the cause.
Malware Infection
Check for viruses. Some forms of malware affect the ability to type and generally use the computer.
- Scan your computer with Malwarebytes or ESET Online Scan. These are free programs that provide some good malware scanning techniques.
Reinstall Windows. A full Windows reinstall may be necessary to restore the keyboard’s normal function as malware infections aren’t always fully cleaned out post-quarantine.
- Use a known good and “clean” computer to download the Windows operating system to create a bootable flash drive.
- Back up any files, bookmarks, pictures, etc you wish to keep onto a cloud platform like Google Drive or Dropbox after you have run antivirus scans. This can lessen the transfer of existing malware onto your fresh install of Windows compared to plugging in a flash drive and infecting multiple computers.
Faulty Keyboard
Is a certain key not working? It could be something sticky underneath the key preventing the key from activating.
- Cleaning the keyboard with isopropyl alcohol is ideal as the alcohol evaporates a short time later.
- Spray compressed air underneath the keyboard. Some Dell Latitude models have a bezel that can be removed.
Is the entire keyboard not working?
- Usually, the entire keyboard piece is replaced, not just an individual key. Search online for your exact model of Dell Latitude to find a keyboard replacement. An external USB or wireless keyboard is a great stop-gap until the main keyboard is fixed.
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