Fix On-Screen Keyboard not working in Windows 11

On-Screen Keyboard is a built-in feature that allows a user to use their computer even if their Keyboard is not working. It also is a bit more secure than an actual Keyboard as you are protected from keyloggers. It also helps when in the Tablet Mode.

Why is my On-Screen Keyboard not working?

If the On-Screen Keyboard is not working in Windows 11/10, t could be that the system files have become corrupted or it has been wrongly configured.

If the On-Screen Keyboard stops working, you can get in a bit of trouble. Fortunately, there are some simple troubleshooting tips to fix the On-Screen Keyboard not working in Windows 11/10.

On-Screen Keyboard not working in Windows 11/10

Before concluding that there is something wrong with the On-Screen Keyboard, you should know how to enable this feature.

To do that, hit Win + S, type “Turn the on-screen keyboard on or off” and click Open. Now, use the toggle to enable the “Use the On-Screen Keyboard” option.

Alternatively, you can use the Keyboard shortcut, Win + Ctrl + O, to enable Use the On-Screen Keyboard. If you are still facing the issue, try the following methods to fix the issue.

In this article, we will try to fix all the possible errors one can face while using On-Screen Keyboard, such as On-Screen Keybaord not launching during Startup, not registering inputs, not working with Edge or Chrome, etc.

Check Touch Keyboard Services
Enable Touch Keyboard when in Tablet Mode
Run a System File Check
Create a Shortcut of On-Screen Keyboard
Change Chrome Target

Let us talk about them in detail.

You might want to borrow a physical Keyboard as some of the solutions needs it. This post shows how to use a computer without a keyboard or mouse.

1] Check Touch Keyboard Services

The first and foremost thing you need to do is to check if the “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel” service is automated.

To do that, launch Services from the Start Menu, search for “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel” service, double-click on it, change the Startup type to Automatic, and click Apply > Ok.

Now, restart your computer and check if the issue persists.

Read: On-Screen keyboard appears on login or startup.

2] Enable Touch Keyboard when in Tablet Mode

If you are in a Tablet Mode but your Touch Keyboard/On-Screen Keyboard is not appearing then you need to visit the Tablet settings and check if you have disabled “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached”.

To do that, launch Settings and click System > Tablet > Change additional tablet settings. Now, use the toggle to enable “Show the touch keyboard when there’s no keyboard attached”.

Now, enter the Tablet Mode, and hopefully, the problem will be fixed.

Read: Onscreen keyboard becomes transparent or completely white.

3] Run System File Checker

If the problem is because of a corrupted file then using System File Check (SFC) can help. To do that, launch Command Prompt as an administrator from the Start Menu, type the following command and hit Enter.

sfc /scannow

It will search and fix all the corrupted files that you may have and hopefully, will fix the On-Screen Keyboard not working issue.

4] Create a Shortcut for On-Screen Keyboard

One of the ways you can launch an On-Screen Keyboard is by right-clicking on the Taskbar, selecting “Show touch keyboard button”, and then clicking the Touch Keyboard icon from the Taskbar. But if you are not able to launch On-Screen Keyboard with this method then you may want to create a shortcut to do the same.

To create an On-Screen Keyboard shortcut on the desktop, right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. Type the following address in the “Type the location of the item” section and click Next.

%windir%\System32\osk.exe

Now, give it a name and click Finish.

This way, a shortcut will be created on your computer’s desktop, and you can access the On-Screen Keyboard only from there.

5] Change Chrome/Edge Target

This is a niche scenario, but if you are facing trouble using the On-Screen Keyboard on Chrome then this solution is for you.

Right-click on Chrome Shortcut, select Properties, click on the Target option, give a space, copy and paste the following command, and click Apply > Ok.

--disable-usb-keyboard-detect

These were some of the solutions to fix the On-Screen Keyboard not working in Windows 11/10.

How do I enable my keyboard on my screen keyboard?

To enable the On-Screen Keyboard in Windows, go to Start, select Settings, then Ease of Access. Click on Keyboard and toggle the switch under “Use the On-Screen Keyboard” to turn it on. This virtual keyboard will appear on your screen and remain until manually closed.