What Causes a Keyboard to Lock Up?
Any number of problems can cause your keyboard to lock or freeze up. You may have inadvertently pressed a key combination that causes your keyboard to hibernate (this is especially true on a laptop), of your keyboard, may not be properly connected to your system. If using a wireless keyboard, it’s possible that there’s a connection problem. Regardless of the issue, a keyboard that’s locked isn’t very useful, so you need to get it going again as quickly as possible.
How to Fix a Keyboard That’s Locked
The method you’ll use to fix your keyboard if it’s locked or frozen will depend on the cause of the problem, but these troubleshooting steps should work. These solutions are listed from the easiest and most likely to work to harder, but could possibly work. So, try each step in order until you find the solution that gets your keyboard active again.
When to Replace Your Keyboard
If none of these troubleshooting steps get your keyboard working again, then it might be time to replace your keyboard. There are plenty of wireless keyboards, ergonomic keyboards, and keyboards that are designed for specific purposes, like wireless gaming keyboards, to choose from. So, maybe a keyboard that’s locked and can’t be unlocked is a good opportunity to upgrade to something better. Restarting may also fix the problem if what’s actually going on is that your computer is frozen, and not just the keyboard. If that’s the case, the issue is probably not with the keyboard at all. If you’ve accidentally enabled Filter Keys, it could be the cause of your keyboard not working. Try disabling to get functionality back. If the keyboard works with the other computer, then the problem you’re facing is with the machine and you may need to open the Device Manager to see if your keyboard is being recognized by your computer, especially if it seems a USB-connected keyboard isn’t being recognized. It’s also possible that the USB dongle that the keyboard connects through could be loose or not well seated in the USB port. Try unplugging it and then reconnecting it. If you’re using a wireless keyboard, the USB dongle that the keyboard connects through should also be properly seated in the USB port. Try completely disconnecting it and then re-pairing the keyboard to the computer to get a clean, fresh start. If that doesn’t work, then you can completely uninstall and reinstall the device driver. You may need to download drivers from the manufacturers’ website.
