What to do if the keyboard is out of control and independently presses the keys

During the use of devices, users encounter various failures that may be due to software or hardware faults. Some problems can be fixed on their own, while others require elimination by specialists. One of the unpleasant phenomena, when the keyboard is working by itself on a laptop or desktop computer, may indicate various malfunctions. Failure occurs when you start a certain software, while working with any applications or immediately after starting the OS, is permanent or occurs periodically, but it is possible one-time. In this case, it is possible to uncontrolledly print both one character and several, as well as perform other actions with functional buttons, for example, browsing pages in the browser, using some options during gameplay or in programs. If the keyboard has healed with its life and can not be controlled, most often you can solve the problem of spontaneous keystrokes yourself. Of course, this applies to those cases when it is not about equipment failure. Consider what can cause such an abnormal behavior of the input device and what to do if the keyboard itself presses the buttons.

Troubleshooting keyboard problems.

The reasons

Such a device behavior is not always associated with its old age. Many users drink and eat without leaving the computer, so it’s not surprising if the keyboard started to fail after something was spilled or spilled on it. But what's the matter if such events did not precede what happened, and the device suddenly became out of your control? This behavior is typical for a laptop keyboard, and connected to a computer. The problem may be related to software failure or hardware malfunctions. In the first case, it is easy to solve the problem on your own, in the second you can cope only with minor damages, it is better to entrust serious breakdowns to professionals. If you are not, and there is clearly something wrong with the device itself, then you have a direct route to the service, because, without knowing the features of the structure and functioning of the equipment, you can only do harm, after which it is not always repairable. The most likely reasons why a keyboard on a laptop or plug-in works by itself:

  • Viruses.
  • Unsuitable, damaged drivers.
  • The ingress of moisture, dust, liquids of different origin.
  • Breaking contacts.
  • Sticking of certain keys (membranes under the buttons) due to ingress of foreign particles.
  • Physical damage to the device.
  • Failures in the device memory and other malfunctions.

Troubleshooting methods

When it comes to a one-time failure, very often after a normal reboot of the device, there is no trace of the trouble that has arisen. In cases with periodic or constant manifestations of spontaneous key presses, it is necessary to resort to more decisive actions to eliminate the problem. The first step is to inspect the device for damage. Perhaps you yourself know the cause of the malfunction, for example, shortly before the failure occurred, you spilled coffee on the keyboard or it experienced a fall. In case of contact with liquids, dry them and then clean the device. If you poured the buttons on the laptop’s keyboard and didn’t turn it over in time, and also didn’t remove the moisture, it is also likely that they hit the motherboard.

Keyboard cleaning

For internal cleaning of the keyboard from dust, crumbs and other foreign particles, USB vacuum cleaners with nozzles to remove dirt are used, or cans of compressed air that clean the contacts with pressure stream. There are also special cleaning products that can be purchased at any office equipment store. In the absence of such devices at home, you can arm yourself with a brush or brush and, turning the laptop over, clean it, sometimes you need to remove the buttons from the carriages (this should be done very carefully). In case of total pollution, it is better to contact the service, where they provide the service of cleaning equipment.

Virus check

Malicious software that attacks the system is becoming one of the main causes of all sorts of failures in work, and the "initiative" of the periphery is no exception. If the keyboard works by itself on a laptop or computer, then one of the user's primary tasks is to check the system for viruses. In addition to the deep scan of the existing antivirus, it is better to additionally use third-party software. Good tools for catching pests are special utilities Dr.Web CureIt and AdwCleaner. They use the latest anti-virus database and carefully check the system for viruses, then eliminating detected threats. After removing the malware, check if the situation has changed.

Reinstalling drivers

Another common cause of keyboard failure is irrelevant or damaged drivers. Driver failure is easy enough to fix. You can download them on the official website of the device manufacturer or perform an automatic search and install, for which you need to do the following:

    • Go to the Device Manager in any convenient way (for example, via Start or Control Panel).
  • Go to the "Keyboard" section.
  • Pressing the PCM on the name of the keyboard brings up the context menu and selects the "Delete" option.
  • After such actions, the keyboard will cease to function, but the drivers will be installed automatically by the system as soon as the computer is restarted, so we reboot the device.

In many cases, reinstalling the drivers allows you to regain control of the peripheral device, but if it does not help, we go further.

System Restore

Many users, faced with the problem of "independence" of the keyboard, are helped by a universal way, which is often used to eliminate various system failures. He intends to return the system to the state when such a phenomenon has not yet occurred. If there is a recovery point, then returning to it can solve the problem of spontaneous key presses.

Reinstall Windows

The extreme measure is to reinstall the OS. It should be performed only if other methods were powerless and it’s not the damage to the keyboard itself. We connect the external keyboard and check whether the same problems occur on the new device. We conclude and resort to the desired solution. If the problem is hardware faults, no software methods will be effective. In this case, the device must be diagnosed and brought back to life in the service, perhaps the keyboard will even require replacement.