How Do I Fix My Laptop Keyboard?
This is a problem that many of us have come across at one point or another: you go to type, and the letter isn’t appearing. You check the backspace key, but it’s not working either. What do you do? Well, if you’re lucky enough to be reading this post, then I’m going to give you some tips on how to fix your laptop keyboard!
If your keyboard test online is just not working, the first thing we should do is check it’s plugged in. In many laptops (and PCs), there is a tiny light on the edge of the laptop case, and if you press Fn + the Function key (F1 through to F12), you can use this light as a status indicator.
The easiest way to fix this problem is to remove all of the keys from your keyboard and clean them, but this might take some time, so it isn’t convenient in most circumstances.
You could also try taking out each individual keycap one by one and cleaning underneath with something like an earbud or something small enough for under there – I found that works pretty well too!
The next step would be to Google your laptop model, along with keyboard problems, and there will likely be several articles describing how exactly to fix your broken/missing keys.
But if you’re lazy like me, or something is seriously wrong with your keyboard, like all the keys are sticking or missing, then here we go!
Removing the Keys:
First thing’s first – take out the battery from the back of the laptop (if it has one). The next step is to remove any screws holding down the plastic around your keyboard (usually on the bottom) and remove that plastic carefully to not pull too hard because now you have access to all those wires under there… gently lift up. If it seems stuck anywhere, make sure you put the screws back in place.
Now that you have access to your wires take a picture with your phone or something if you get stuck later because it will be tough to describe where everything is!
Now there’s generally an obvious thing holding down the keyboard (the key above mine says “Fn,” which means Function Key – so look for yours!). There should also be at least one screw underneath. The Fn and screws are usually on opposite ends of each other. Take out any marked screws and then pull up gently on the part that covers the keys. Do not force this part off as it won’t come loose quickly, but remove the screws otherwise before trying to lift anything off! If removing them is difficult, there’s probably one or two more underneath holding it down.
Now be very careful – you do not want to break the ribbon cables leading from your computer to your keyboard! There are at least five of them in various shapes and sizes going through several plastic connectors (blue connectors for those wondering), and they are all delicately placed on the underside of your keyboard, so do take care that you don’t rip these out accidentally. Also, note that depending on what laptop you have, it may look completely different underneath but just follow the general principle, which is as above.
The keys will either lift straight up off their springs, or they’ll just fall straight out because nothing is holding onto them anymore (don’t worry – they’ll all be there later). Now you have access to the underside of your keyboard, clean it up (i.e., take out the earbuds – make sure you don’t lose any screws/keys or springs – I’ve done this once before, and it’s not fun!).
Now for putting the keys back on! The trick is making sure that they are exactly in place so that their springs can click back down correctly without getting stuck anywhere. The easiest way to do this is to pop them on one at a time, then test each one with your fingers.
I hope this helped everyone! Please share if you liked the post 🙂