Why Isn't My Keyboard Working?
Nothing derails a work session like a keyboard that's suddenly typing gibberish, or not typing at all. Before you panic about a dead board: this is one of the most reliably fixable input problems there is, and a real hardware failure is actually the least likely explanation. Work through these five checks in order — most people find it in the first two.
First, confirm exactly which keys are affected.
Run the keyboard test →1. Wrong layout selected, not a broken key
If certain keys produce the wrong letter — especially Y/Z, Q/A, or M — the OS keyboard layout probably doesn't match your physical keyboard. On Windows, check Settings → Time & Language → Language & region → keyboard layout. On Mac, check System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources. This is the single most common cause of "half my keyboard is broken."
2. Check the connection
For USB keyboards, try a different port — some ports lose power under load. For Bluetooth or a wireless dongle, re-pair it and swap the battery. A keyboard that connects but reports nothing is almost always a connection issue, not a dead board.
3. Sticky keys, filter keys, or a stuck modifier
If normal typing produces odd repeated characters or nothing at all, an accessibility feature may have been toggled on by accident (holding Shift 5 times enables Sticky Keys on both Windows and Mac). Turn off Sticky Keys / Filter Keys in accessibility settings, and check that no key is physically stuck down — a stuck modifier key silently changes what every other key does.
4. Debris under specific keys
A handful of dead keys clustered together (not layout-explainable) is usually crumbs or dust under those keycaps. Compressed air, held at an angle, clears most of it without popping caps off.
5. Driver or firmware, for specialty keyboards
Mechanical keyboards with custom firmware (QMK/VIA) or programmable macro keys can end up with a corrupted layer or remap. Reflash to a known-good layout, or reset to factory defaults, before assuming a hardware fault.
Made a change? Confirm every key registers.
Re-run the keyboard test →FAQ
Why are some of my keyboard keys typing the wrong letters?
This is almost always a keyboard layout mismatch, not broken keys — the OS thinks you're typing on a different physical layout than the one you actually have. Check Settings → Time & Language → Language & region on Windows, or System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources on Mac.
What is Sticky Keys and how do I turn it off?
Sticky Keys is an accessibility feature that changes how modifier keys behave, and it toggles on by accident when Shift is pressed 5 times in a row. Turn it off in Ease of Access (Windows) or Accessibility (Mac) settings if typing suddenly feels wrong after normal use.
Is a keyboard that won't type anything always broken?
No. A completely unresponsive keyboard is more often a connection problem — a USB port losing power, a Bluetooth pairing that dropped, or a dead battery — than a failed circuit board. Confirm the connection before assuming it needs replacing.