Some keys stopped typing
A few keys on my laptop keyboard stopped working. Can I fix it myself?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Dirt under a key, a wrong keyboard language, or a sticky keys setting explain most cases before hardware failure does. The quickest thing to try first: check the language layout — If pressing the at symbol gives quotation marks, the layout is wrong. Press Windows and Space to switch, or set the correct layout in Settings, Time and language. Most people are done in about 15 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 5 steps for Windows and Mac, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •Certain letters do nothing
- •Wrong characters appear
- •Keys repeat by themselves
Why it happens
Dirt under a key, a wrong keyboard language, or a sticky keys setting explain most cases before hardware failure does.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Check the language layout
If pressing the at symbol gives quotation marks, the layout is wrong. Press Windows and Space to switch, or set the correct layout in Settings, Time and language.
- 2
Turn off the accessibility settings
Open Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, and switch off Sticky keys, Filter keys and Toggle keys. Filter keys is what makes keys need a long press.
- 3
Clean under the keys
Switch off, turn the laptop upside down, and use compressed air along the rows. Crumbs and dust cause a large share of dead keys.
- 4
Test with an external keyboard
If a plug-in keyboard works perfectly, the built-in one has failed, which confirms it is a hardware repair.
- 5
Reinstall the keyboard driver
In Device Manager expand Keyboards, uninstall the device, then restart. Windows reinstalls it automatically.
If none of that worked
Never pour liquid on a keyboard to clean it. If something was spilled, switch off immediately, turn the laptop face down, and have it opened and dried professionally.
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Who wrote this and how we checked it
The CommonFixes team
Writer and researcher
We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
- Everyday repairs
- Windows and Mac
- Plain language
CommonFixes review desk
Technical editor
Before a guide goes live, a second person walks through it on a real machine and checks each instruction against the maker's own support pages. Anything we cannot confirm is removed rather than guessed at.
- Fact checking
- Safety warnings
- Source links
This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
A gentle reminder: back up anything you cannot afford to lose before major repairs. If a step ever feels risky, stop and ask a technician. There is no shame in that.