Occasionally, when you are at Windows 10 login screen, your PC’s keyboard stops responding or working. The mouse or touchpad continues to work without any issues. The keyboard doesn’t respond, especially when you resume your PC from hibernation or sleep mode.
This is a serious problem for users who need to enter a password to sign in to Windows 10. If you are also experiencing the issue, you will be glad to know that it has nothing to do with your keyboard or touchpad.
It’s purely a software issue, and the keyboard will start working once you sign in to Windows 10. In other words, the keyboard doesn’t work only on the login screen and works perfectly fine the moment you sign in to your Windows 10 account.
If the keyboard is not working or responding at the login screen of Windows 10, you can use the below-mentioned troubleshooting tips to sign in to Windows 10 and make the keyboard work again.
Use the on-screen keyboard to sign in to Windows 10
Since the touchpad or mouse works at the login screen, you can use the On-Screen Keyboard to sign in to Windows 10. As said earlier, the keyboard starts working without any issues once you sign in.
To enter the password using On-Screen Keyboard:
Step 1: Click the Ease of Access button located bottom right of the login screen and then click On-Screen Keyboard to launch the same.
Step 2: Use the On-Screen Keyboard to type the password and sign in to Windows 10. That’s it!
The physical keyboard should work now.
Restart your PC
If the keyboard doesn’t work when you are at the login screen, you can simply restart your PC once to make the keyboard start functioning again. Click the power button at the login screen and then click Restart to reboot your PC.
However, note that you will lose all unsaved work when you reboot your PC.
Enable and use fingerprint sign-in
If your PC has a fingerprint scanner, we recommend you enable and use the fingerprint to sign-in to Windows 10. This method not only helps you sign in to Windows 10 faster but is also more secure as well.
You might also like to know how to show or hide email address and name on Windows 10 login screen.
Thirumalai B says
Please provide the way to fix the issue. We all know to use on-screen keyboard. However we require a permanent solution to use the keyboard normally to its purpose. And additionally for me the function keys are not working. Not sure it any update cause this to my HP laptop or something else.
Sudsy says
Here’s a simple solution I found and used from another website. It works!:
At the login screen, press and momentarily hold down BOTH sets of the ctrl-alt-shift keys with your left and right hands. Once you release the keys, you should be able to use the keyboard to login.
This is a one-time-only process. After this you should be able to shutdown/restart and login without any trouble.
LEONARD STUHLER says
The other day I had some free time away from desktop and thought I might spruce up my pc to run a little faster.I knew would take a few hours so I went thru windows recovery process as I have done before usually with improved results or at least unchanged . However, this time when I came back it was going thru the tail end of the process and had to reinstall windows ,which takes several restarts, it settled finally on the usual Login screen with date and time on one side and icon on other ,but somethings didn’t work. Notably, the keyboard not working nor the alternate and the mouse laser lite on ,but no pointer . The mouse is a brand new Microsoft mouse ,also tried an alternate .No good ! How, do do you access this thing. You can’t use the on screen keyboard if you can not get to settings . It’s dead at sea !I had a usable computer & now I have nothing .Is there a magical thing I don’t know about ,please tell me !! Do I have a reason to doubt the credibility of this tool in Microsoft recovery-reset or is there something I am not aware of ,please let me know
N says
So what do you do when the onscreen keyboard doesn’t work either. There is access to numerical entry but no letters.
AngryGuy says
Thankyou!
This saved me from throwing my computer against a wall.
Cheers!
Mohan says
Are my laptop keyboard not working i.e i join usb keyboard but at welcome screen my USB Keyboard not working PLZ tell me what i do now
Werner Huser says
Sometimes on my surface pro I have the same problem. I discovered that this seems to be a focusing issue. All what I do is tapping on another user and then back to my main login and voila the keyboard works again.
sharyn says
my screen comes up to sign in. keyboard will not type anything letters or numbers its just blank
MrFixit says
If you press the windows button + U you can open up the accessibility tools. Use the on-screen keyboard.
The reason I had this issue is because after the build the keyboard layout was wrong.
Due to the keyboard layout being used the delete button was on the wrong location.
So figure out where your delete button went via the onscreen keyboard, once logged in change the layout and don’t forget to push the admin settings so the changes reflect on the login screen.
Jacob says
This doesn’t apply. If you can’t press CTRL+ALT+DEL to sign in, you can’t get ease of access.
Please make an article that’s not full of it.
Jim says
The keyboard still does not work upon logging in. Not saying this is something else, all I am saying is this fixes nothing.
Thong says
This is only a workaround, not an fix.
I don’t want to reboot again, I don’t want using the onscreen Kbd, I want the harware keyboard working. it was never a problem with windows 7 and earlier. Why shout I use now crappy procedures?
E. Wright says
When you go to login, look for sign in options underneath, choose the one on the right, then you should be able to sign in normally, this is what worked for me.
Just new Guy says
I have this issue where my computer detect my keyboard but when I try to key in my password It doesnt work, So I search in internet And some of the feedback recommend to reboot your laptop by press the start button for a long time u til it restart, Then it worked.
Tim says
Just had this happen tonight on my desktop and the mouse doesn’t work either. Hopefully there is a fix soon.
foo says
Not a fix since the mouse does not work either (desktop). This happens after an update. If I could login I would try creating a USB reset app that runs when windows starts but I cant get in to do that. Grrrr.
Richard Coulombe says
On my Surface Pro (2017), the onscreen keyboard would not pop out automatically in DESKTOP mode for Edge and other windows system screens. Windows 10 was version 1709. After unsuccessfully trying all the fixes posted on the net, I revert to version 1703 using the recovery image available on the Microsoft site. Now, the keyboard is acting as it should, and further more, it has a smaller footprint than the monstrous one that comes with version 1709. Seems that some of the features of version 1703 were dropped when transiting to version 1709. Now I must make sure the auto updates will not take me back to 1709 once again.
F says
This is absolutely useless advice if you’re not using a laptop…
Sakshi says
In my laptop ease of access is also not working. What to do???
Michelle says
I’ve had the same issue. None of the recommendations work as if i click on power button on screen does not work and nor does the ease of access. I just simply had to power off/on my computer 5-10 times over and over again. Finally it works for a while and then couple of days later repeat. It is definitely annoying. Please recommend another fix.
Nicholas Markkula says
This is a really annoying issue, I wish Microsoft would fix it.
Dominic says
That’s not a fix, that’s just a work around!!! did anyone found out HOW to REALLY fix it?
Javlonbek says
Thank you!!!