Keyboard fault in South West London? We diagnose and replace laptop keyboards across Putney, Clapham, Wimbledon, Wandsworth, and surrounding areas. Get in touch or call 020 7610 0500 and tell us your laptop model.
First: Is It Software or Hardware?
Before doing anything else, plug in a USB keyboard. If the USB keyboard works normally, the problem is either with the laptop’s built-in keyboard hardware, its driver, or a Windows setting. If even the USB keyboard behaves oddly, the issue is deeper — a corrupted input driver, an OS problem, or something affecting all input devices.
The other quick test is to restart and enter the BIOS setup screen (usually by pressing Del, F2, or F12 during startup — your laptop’s startup screen will show which key). If your built-in keyboard responds in BIOS but not in Windows, the hardware is fine and you have a software problem. If it doesn’t respond in BIOS either, the keyboard itself has a hardware fault.
These two tests tell you where to start and save a lot of time.
Software Fixes
Reinstall the keyboard driver
Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button → Device Manager), expand the Keyboards section, right-click your keyboard device, and choose Uninstall device. Restart the laptop and let Windows detect and reinstall the driver automatically.
This fixes more keyboard problems than you’d expect — particularly ones that start immediately after a Windows update, which can occasionally push a driver update that doesn’t agree with the hardware.
Check Sticky Keys and Filter Keys
These accessibility features, when accidentally enabled, cause keys to behave in ways that look like a hardware fault. Sticky Keys makes modifier keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt) latch on after a single press. Filter Keys causes the keyboard to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes.
Go to Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard and check that both are turned off. Sticky Keys can also be triggered by pressing Shift five times in a row, so if that’s happened unintentionally it’s easy to miss.
Check for software conflicts
Keyboard remapping software — whether it’s a gaming peripheral app like Razer Synapse or Corsair iCUE, an AutoHotkey script, or SharpKeys — can intercept keystrokes and produce unexpected results. If the problem started around the time you installed or updated software, that’s worth investigating. Try disabling startup applications through Task Manager (Startup tab) to test in a clean state.
Sound like your problem?
If the BIOS test shows no keyboard response, or you're seeing ghost typing, it's almost certainly a hardware fault. We can usually diagnose it quickly — often without you even needing to leave the laptop.
Physical Issues
Debris under keys
Crumbs, dust, and hair can lodge under keys and prevent the mechanism from making proper contact. A can of compressed air, held upright and used in short bursts across the keyboard, dislodges most of it. Work across the whole keyboard rather than just the affected key.
If a specific key is physically stuck down, it’s often possible to carefully lever the keycap off with a flat plastic tool, working from one corner. Laptop keycaps use small scissor mechanisms that are fragile, so go slowly and don’t force it. Clean underneath with compressed air or a cotton bud, then press the cap back on until it clicks.
Sticky keys from a spill
If liquid has been on the keyboard at any point — even weeks ago — residue can cause keys to stick, misfire, or stop registering. This is different from the Sticky Keys accessibility feature described above. Sugary drinks and coffee are particularly bad because they leave a conductive residue that gets worse over time as it oxidises.
A keyboard that’s become sticky from liquid usually can’t be adequately cleaned at the key level. The membrane underneath has been affected, and the fix is replacement.
When It’s a Hardware Fault
If the BIOS test shows the keyboard isn’t responding in hardware, or if cleaning and driver reinstalls make no difference, the keyboard itself needs replacing.
On most Windows laptops, the keyboard is a separate component that sits in the top case and connects via a ribbon cable. Replacement is usually straightforward: remove the bottom panel, disconnect the old ribbon cable, and swap in a new keyboard unit. Some models — particularly certain HP and Dell designs — require more disassembly because the keyboard clips into the top case from underneath.
A few signs that the fault is definitely hardware rather than software:
- Ghost typing — characters appearing on screen without you pressing anything. This is almost always a short circuit in the keyboard, often caused by liquid damage or a failed membrane, and it needs professional attention.
- An entire row of keys failing together — keyboards are wired in rows and columns; a full row failing points to a hardware fault at that row’s connection.
- No response in BIOS, as described above.
Most of the keyboards we replace at our Putney workshop are on laptops three to six years old, where the membrane has worn or a mechanism has broken. Replacement typically takes an hour or two and costs considerably less than a new machine.
Getting It Sorted
If you’re not sure which category your fault falls into, get in touch and describe what’s happening — we can often narrow it down over the phone before you bring the laptop in. We cover Putney, Clapham, Wimbledon, Wandsworth, Battersea, Fulham, and surrounding South West London areas. Call 020 7610 0500.