Sometimes you don't want your laptop's keyboard to accept input.This is usually because you have an external keyboard plugged in, either because the built-in keyboard is broken, or you want a larger typing space and a full-size keyboard.
However, since the keyboard is an integral part of the laptop, disabling its primary input method is a bit troublesome.Here, we'll show you how to temporarily and permanently disable your laptop keyboard in Windows 10 and 11.
How to find laptop keyboard in device manager
Whether you want to disable your laptop keyboard temporarily or permanently, you need to uninstall the input device from Device Manager.
To do this, you need to identify the integrated keyboard in Device Manager.Since Device Manager lists all recognized keyboards, including external keyboards, here's how to identify your laptop keyboard from the list.
Identify the built-in keyboard in Device Manager:
1. Press Win + R to open "Run".
2. Type devmgmt.msc and click OK to open Device Manager.
3. In Device Manager, expand the Keyboard section.
4. Right-click on the first keyboard item (HID/Standard) and select Properties.
5. In the "General" tab, check the "Location" section.If it says "Position 1" or "Plug into keyboard port," it may be your laptop's built-in keyboard.
6. The location of Bluetooth and USB keyboards will be displayed on Bluetooth Low Energy and US input devices respectively.
If you don't find the keyboard listed, make sure Device Manager is set to show hidden devices.
How to temporarily disable your laptop keyboard
Temporarily disable the laptop keyboard:
1. Right-click on all HID and PS/1 keyboard entries that have their property position set to position 2 or have a keyboard inserted.
2. Next, select "Uninstall device" from the context menu.
3. Click "Yes" to confirm the operation.
4. Now, you have successfully disabled your laptop’s built-in keyboard.
That said, this is a temporary solution.Once you restart your system, Windows will look for connected but unrecognized devices and install the necessary drivers to make them function properly.
How to permanently disable your laptop keyboard
If you want to permanently disable the notebook keyboard, you can use the command prompt to disable the notebook's built-in keyboard driver PS/2 i8042prt service.We will configure the service using the sc command line utility and set its startup parameters to disabled.
To permanently disable your laptop keyboard:
1. Press the Win key and enter cmd in the Windows search bar.
2. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.Click Yes when the UAC prompt appears.
3. In the Command Prompt window, type this command and press Enter: sc config i8042prt start= disabled
4. After the success message appears, close the command prompt and restart the computer.After rebooting, the laptop keyboard will stop recording any input.
Note that for this to take effect, you need to uninstall the keyboard from Device Manager as shown above and then restart your computer.
If you change your mind and want to re-enable the keyboard, you can use this command in Command Prompt: sc config i8042prt start= auto
Disable the built-in keyboard using incompatible drivers
Another odd way to disable the built-in keyboard is to install incompatible drivers for the input device.The specific method is as follows:
1. Open Device Manager and expand the Keyboard section.
2. Right-click the notebook keyboard device and select Update Driver.
3. Select "Browse my computer for driver".
4. Next, select "Let me choose from a list of drivers available on my computer."
5. Uncheck the Show compatible hardware option.
6. Select a manufacturer at random under the Manufacturer column.
7. Click Next.If the "Update Driver Warning" dialog box appears, click "Yes".
8. After the installation is complete, close Device Manager and restart your computer.
After restarting, the laptop keyboard will stop working.If you need to install the correct driver again to enable the keyboard, right-click the keyboard device and select Update Driver.Next, select Search for drivers automatically. Windows will find and install compatible drivers.
Alternatively, select "Browse my computer for the driver" in the "Update Driver" dialog box.Next, select "Let me choose from a list of available drivers on my computer."Make sure the "Show compatible hardware" option is enabled.Select a HID keyboard device driver from the list and click Next.
Wait for the driver to be installed.Once completed, restart the computer and the keyboard will start working again.
Permanently disable laptop keyboard in Windows
The built-in chiclet keyboard on your laptop is the primary input method available, so it cannot be disabled with a single click.Also, you don't want to accidentally disable the keyboard.If you determine that your keyboard is malfunctioning and typing on its own, you can permanently disable it using Command Prompt and Device Manager.
That said, your laptop keyboard can malfunction for many other reasons besides hardware issues.To fix your keyboard, check for pending driver updates, use the built-in troubleshooter, or simply disable individual keys.
Copyright Notice:The article only represents the author's point of view, the copyright belongs to the original author, welcome to share this article, please keep the source for reprinting!
