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The Windows key not working often occurs when the Windows key is locked. If you’re wondering, it’s possible that you accidentally pressed the lock key on your keyboard, which was put there so you wouldn’t be able to minimize games when you hit the Windows key.
Even though the locked Window key might not be on your keyboard, you might not be able to use it because of things like filter keys, a corrupted driver, or a game mode that is turned on. The Windows key is an important shortcut that can be used on its own to open the Start menu or in combination with other keys to switch between apps, use virtual desktops, and more.
If your Windows key doesn’t work, it’s hard to do work the usual way, just like if your Alt, Ctrl, or Fn keys don’t work. If your Windows key not working the way you want it to, try these steps to get it back to full functionality.
Windows key not working: Best 8 ways to fix it
Restart the Windows/File Explorer
- To open “Task Manager,” press the CTRL, SHIFT, and ESC keys on the keyboard at the same time.
- Now, click on the “Details” tab and find the “explorer.exe” process in the list.
- Make sure to right-click on it and choose “End task” from the menu that comes up.
- Next, in the confirmation box, click “End process.”
- Once the process is done, the screen will go black for a while, and you won’t be able to see the taskbar. Don’t panic because it’s quite common.
- To open “Task Manager,” press the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keys again.
- Then, in the top right corner, click “File Menu” and choose “Run new task.”
- Make sure to type explorer.exe into the “Create new task” box and click “OK.”
- When Windows Explorer starts up again, check to see if the Windows key is working.
Reinstall the Keyboard Driver
Try uninstalling and reinstalling the active keyboard driver on your Windows 11 computer to make sure there isn’t a problem with the driver. To do so:
- When you right-click on the Start Menu, the Quick Access Menu will appear.
- From the list, click on Device Manager.
- Now, double-click on the section called Keyboards to make the list bigger.
- Then, click the right mouse button on the name of the active keyboard device.
- Choose “Uninstall,” then click “Uninstall” again to move forward.
- Wait until the driver for the keyboard is fully removed.
- Once you’re done, you’ll need to restart your computer to see the changes.
- After restarting the computer, disconnect and reconnect the keyboard so that Windows 11 can find the missing generic keyboard driver and install it automatically.
Turn Off Filter Keys, Sticky Keys, and Toggle Keys
Filter keys, sticky keys, and toggle keys can sometimes give you a lot of trouble with how your keyboard works or how certain functions work. It’s easier to just turn off all three extra keys from the settings menu by doing the following:
- Click on the cogwheel icon on the Start menu to get to the Windows Settings menu.
- Now, go to Accessibility and click on Keyboard.
- Make sure to turn off each Filter Key, Sticky Key, and Toggle Key one at a time.
- Restart the computer to make changes take effect and check again for the problem.
Run Keyboard Troubleshooter
- When you click on the Windows icon, the Start menu will appear.
- Now, click on Settings, then go to Troubleshoot under “System.”
- Click on Other Troubleshooters, then look for “Keyboard” and click on “Run” next to it.
- The next step is to wait until the troubleshooting process is done.
- When you’re done, close the settings menu and restart the PC for the changes to take effect.
Check for Windows Updates
- Open Windows Settings by clicking on the Start menu.
- Click on Windows Update, then click on Check for updates.
- Make sure to Download and Install any updates that are available.
- The process of installing a software update may take a while, and you may need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
- Once you’re done, check for the problem again.
Check for Corrupt Files
- Press Windows key + S to open your computer’s search box, then type command into it.
- Right-click the icon for Command Prompt and click “Run as administrator.”
- Type SFC /scannow into the Command Prompt and press Enter.
Disable Gaming Mode
Instead, a keyboard’s “gaming mode” turns off some keys that shouldn’t be used when playing games. One of these keys is the Windows button, which you might have guessed. You might have turned it on by accident.
Every keyboard is different, but you can look at the keys to see if you can find anything that might be a gaming mode. It could be a joystick or a Windows logo with a line through it, like on the Logitech G915 TKL above. It could also be on a Function key. For example, some Razer keyboards switch to gaming mode by pressing FN + F10.
Close Background Applications
If your Windows key works, but shortcuts that use it don’t (like Windows key + L to lock your account or Windows key + R to open Run), it’s likely that a programme on your computer is overriding these shortcuts.
The best thing to do is open Task Manager, which you can find by right-clicking an empty space on the taskbar. The Processes tab shows all the apps and other processes that are running in the background. Close each app one at a time and see if the Windows key works after each one. Do the same for tasks that run in the background. Don’t mess with how Windows works.
If the error keeps happening, you can also fix it by going to the Microsoft Support Center.
FAQ
Why is one key not working on my keyboard
To get the key off the keyboard, use a small screwdriver with a flat blade. Put the blade of the screwdriver under the key and turn it gently until the key pops off. When the key is out of the lock, you can clean anything near it. To put the key back, put it where it belongs and press down on it.
What is the dead key on a keyboard
On a mechanical typewriter or computer keyboard, a dead key is a special kind of modifier key that is used to add a certain diacritic to a base letter. The dead key doesn’t make a complete character on its own. Instead, it changes the character made by the key pressed right after it.
How do I reset my keyboard keys
Hold down the ESC key while the keyboard is unplugged. Plug the keyboard back into your computer while you hold down the ESC key. Let go of the ESC key after about 5 seconds. If the reset works, the lights on the keyboard will flash.