First, work out what kind of device you have: wired USB, wireless with a USB receiver, Bluetooth, or the laptop's built-in keyboard and touchpad. Each one fails for a different reason. If it is USB, change ports and skip any hub (Solution 1) - that covers most cases. If it is Bluetooth, the fix is to remove it and pair it again (Solution 5). If you have no keyboard at all, turn on the Windows on-screen keyboard (Solution 2) so you can type and follow the rest of this guide. When nothing works even on the startup screen, before Windows loads, the problem is hardware (Solution 8).
What causes this problem
- A USB port without enough power, or a hub or extension cable in the way, very common with wireless keyboards and mice that use a receiver.
- Weak or dead batteries in a wireless mouse or keyboard, which usually fail intermittently before stopping altogether.
- USB selective suspend and Windows power saving switching the port off and failing to bring it back after sleep.
- A corrupted or stalled human interface device driver, after an update or a forced shutdown.
- A lost Bluetooth pairing, which happens when the device was connected to another gadget or ran out of charge.
- A laptop touchpad or keyboard disabled by a shortcut key, or accessibility features such as Filter Keys interfering with typing.
- Identify the device type: USB cable, wireless receiver plugged into USB, Bluetooth, or built into the laptop. The fixes change completely depending on the answer.
- Have a second device nearby if you can, even a borrowed one. A plain USB mouse is the quickest way to confirm whether the problem is the device or the computer.
- If the keyboard is wireless, put in fresh batteries before anything else. A half-charged battery causes intermittent failures that fool a lot of people.
- Note whether the problem started after something specific: a Windows update, a power cut, the computer going to sleep, or a cleaning session. That points to the right fix.
- If the mouse died but you still have a keyboard, learn two shortcuts: the Windows key opens the Start menu, and Tab with the arrow keys moves between items on screen.
Solutions, in the order to try them
1Change USB ports and remove hubs and extensions
This is the most common cause and the fastest to rule out. Front-panel ports, USB hubs and extension cables deliver less power than ports wired straight to the motherboard, and wireless keyboards and mice are exactly the devices that suffer from it. A single port can also have failed or come loose.
- Unplug the device or the wireless receiver and connect it to a different port.
- On a desktop, use the ports at the back of the case, which are soldered directly to the motherboard.
- If you are using a hub, an extension or a monitor with USB ports, plug straight into the computer to test.
- With a wired keyboard or mouse, swap sides too: if it works in one port and not another, the port is at fault, not the device.
- Test with the wireless receiver close to the keyboard or mouse, with no metal nearby.
2Turn on the on-screen keyboard so you can operate the computer
If you have no keyboard at all, you need a way to type before fixing anything else. Windows has an on-screen keyboard that works with the mouse and can even type your sign-in password. Leave it running while you apply the other fixes.
- On the sign-in screen, click the accessibility icon in the bottom right corner and turn on the On-Screen Keyboard.
- With Windows open, go to Settings, Accessibility, and switch the On-Screen Keyboard on.
- Alternatively, right-click the taskbar and enable the touch keyboard button that sits next to the clock.
- If the mouse is what died and the keyboard works, turn on Mouse Keys under Accessibility to move the cursor with the numeric keypad.
3Do a full shutdown, not a restart
Windows uses a fast startup that keeps part of the previous state, including stuck USB ports. That is why restarting sometimes does nothing while a real shutdown fixes it. Cutting the power for a few seconds drains the capacitors and the ports are recognised from scratch.
- Shut the computer down from the Start menu by choosing Shut down, not Restart.
- On a desktop, unplug the power cable and hold the power button for about ten seconds.
- On a laptop, disconnect the charger and, if the battery is removable, take it out for a minute.
- Plug everything back in and only then power up, with the keyboard and mouse already connected.
- If this fixes it but the problem keeps coming back after sleep, go straight to Solution 4.
4Turn off power saving for the USB ports
If the keyboard or mouse works until the computer sleeps and then disappears, Windows is switching the port off to save power and failing to bring it back on wake. The fix lives in two places and it is worth doing both.
- Right-click the Start menu and open Device Manager.
- Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, right-click each item called USB Root Hub and open Properties.
- On the Power Management tab, untick the option that lets the computer turn the device off to save power. Repeat for every root hub.
- Then open the Windows power options, go into the advanced settings for the active plan and disable USB selective suspend.
- Restart and test by putting the computer to sleep on purpose to confirm.
5Bluetooth: remove the device and pair it again
Bluetooth keyboards and mice lose their pairing often, mostly when they have been connected to a phone or tablet in between, or when they ran out of charge. Removing the old entry and pairing from scratch fixes almost all of these. Remember that without a keyboard you will need the on-screen keyboard from Solution 2.
- Confirm that the computer's Bluetooth is on and that Airplane mode is off.
- Open Settings, go to Bluetooth and devices, find the keyboard or mouse in the list and choose Remove device.
- Put the device into pairing mode, usually by holding its connect button until the light blinks quickly.
- Click Add device, choose Bluetooth and select your device when it appears.
- If the computer does not even show a Bluetooth option, the adapter may be disabled in Device Manager - re-enable it there.
6Reinstall the keyboard or mouse driver
When the device shows a yellow warning mark in Device Manager, or when it stopped working right after an update, the driver is the prime suspect. Uninstalling forces Windows to install it again from scratch at the next startup, which clears the corrupted entry.
- Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu.
- Expand Keyboards, Mice and other pointing devices, and also Human Interface Devices.
- Look for any item with a yellow warning symbol, right-click it and choose Uninstall device.
- Do not tick the option to delete the driver from the system unless you have the manufacturer's installer to hand.
- Restart the computer: Windows reinstalls it by itself on startup.
- If the device has its own manufacturer software, reinstall that program afterwards, from the manufacturer's official account.
7Laptop: re-enable the touchpad and turn off Filter Keys
On a laptop, the built-in touchpad and keyboard often stop for reasons that have nothing to do with a fault. Almost every model has a shortcut that disables the touchpad, and accessibility features switched on by accident make the keyboard ignore keys or repeat letters.
- Look along the F key row for the one with a crossed-out touchpad icon and press it together with the Fn key.
- Open Settings, go to Bluetooth and devices and check that Touchpad is switched on.
- Under Accessibility, in the keyboard section, turn off Filter Keys and Sticky Keys.
- If only some keys fail, test with the on-screen keyboard: if every letter works there, the fault is physical.
- On many laptops, one key stuck under the keyboard locks up all typing - turn the machine over and clean it with compressed air.
8Separate hardware faults by testing before Windows loads
This is the test that gives the definitive answer. The motherboard setup screen, the one that appears in the first seconds after power-on, runs without Windows and without drivers. If the keyboard works there but not inside Windows, the problem is software. If it does not work there either, the device or the port has a physical fault.
- Power on and repeatedly press the key shown on the first screen to enter the motherboard setup, usually Delete or one of the F keys.
- If you got in and can navigate with the arrow keys, the keyboard is fine and the problem is Windows: go back to Solutions 4 and 6.
- Exit without saving anything so you do not change settings by accident.
- Also test the same keyboard or mouse on another computer, or a different device on yours - it is the most direct way to isolate the culprit.
- If the device fails on any computer and in any port, it is faulty and replacement is the way forward.
Applies to
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 (22H2-24H2) | Confirmed |
| Windows 10 (21H2-22H2) | Confirmed |
| Windows 8.1 and 7 | Device Manager and the power options work the same; the Settings menus live in Control Panel |
Menu names can change slightly between versions. If a step above does not match what you see on screen, the official support page from the manufacturer has the most current wording for your version.
Frequently asked questions
Last checked: Sep 28, 2026 · We review this guide whenever the manufacturer changes the process.