6 Best Fixes for Windows 10 On-Screen Keyboard Not Working

The Windows operating system offers users the option of a secondary keyboard that can be used on the PC screen. Dubbed the onscreen keyboard, you will find this very handy if you are using a PC / laptop with a touchscreen or if your PC’s physical keyboard is faulty. But then, what happens when the onscreen keyboard doesn’t work when you need it? And how to fix it?

When the on-screen keyboard doesn’t work, the problem is usually system-wide. However, there are rare occasions when the virtual keyboard does not only work with a particular application. Either way, refer to the proven solutions in this guide to get your PC’s on-screen keyboard working again.

Quick advice: Press Windows logo key + Ctrl + O to quickly launch the onscreen keyboard on your Windows 10 computer.

1. Modify the touch keyboard settings

If your computer’s on-screen keyboard does not come up when tablet mode is not enabled or when there is no keyboard connected, follow the steps below to change Windows 10 Touch keyboard settings . This will allow the onscreen keyboard to be accessible at all times.

Step 1: Launch the Windows Settings menu and select Devices.

2nd step: Select Input from the menu on the right.

Step 3: Scroll down to the Touch keyboard section and activate the option “Show touch keyboard when you are not in tablet mode and no keyboard is connected”.

2. Use Windows Run

If your computer’s on-screen keyboard still does not appear when you activate it via a keyboard shortcut or from the Settings menu, you can try to force it on using the running Windows. Simply open the Windows Run console using the keyboard shortcut “Windows logo key + R”, type the command line below in the Open dialog box, and press Enter on your keyboard.

osk.exe

This should immediately launch the onscreen keyboard on your PC screen.

3. Create a shortcut for the onscreen keyboard

This is another easy way to open the onscreen keyboard if it refuses to run / start via conventional methods. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Right-click an empty space on your PC desktop and select New from the context menu.

2nd step: Then select Shortcut.

Step 3: Type the directory below in the box provided and tap Next.

%windir%System32osk.exe

Step 4: Enter a preferred name for the shortcut and press Finish to complete the shortcut creation process.

This will close the Create Shortcut window and you should now see the shortcut on your desktop.

Double-click on the newly created shortcut to launch the on-screen keyboard. If that doesn’t work, go to the next troubleshooting fix.

4. Change the startup type of the on-screen keyboard

The Windows 10 onscreen keyboard is powered by the “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service”. If this service is disabled, your computer’s on-screen keyboard may not work. Additionally, you may experience issues while using the on-screen keyboard if the service is configured to start manually.

Reconfiguring the touch keyboard service (through “Windows management console”) to start automatically could help resolve the onscreen keyboard operation issue.

Step 1: Launch the Run Windows window using the “Windows Key + R” keyboard shortcut.

2nd step: Enter service.msc in the Open dialog box and press OK.

Step 3: Locate ‘Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service’ and double click on it.

Step 4: Press the Startup type drop-down button and select Automatic.

Step 5: Finally, press Apply and click OK to save the changes.

Now try to open your PC’s onscreen keyboard and check if it works.

In addition to changing the startup type, you should also check the service status of “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service”. If the status reads Operation, your on-screen keyboard should work fine. If the service status reads Stopped, press the Start button, click Apply, and press OK to save the changes.

5. Uninstall Windows Update

If you noticed that the Windows 10 on-screen keyboard stopped working after a recent OS update, you should uninstall the update and revert to the previous version. You can reinstall the update when the bug that causes the issue has been resolved by Microsoft.

Here’s how to uninstall a Windows update.

Step 1: Launch the Run Windows window using the “Windows Key + R” keyboard shortcut.

2nd step: Type control in the dialog box and press OK.

This will launch the Windows Control Panel.

Step 3: Then select Programs.

Step 4: Under the “Programs and Features” section, tap “View installed updates.”

Step 5: Right-click on the recently installed update and tap Uninstall.

You can check the “Installed on” section to see the exact date the buggy update was installed.

Step 6: Tap OK on the confirmation prompt to start the update uninstallation process.

6. Change the target of Chrome

In some cases, the Windows onscreen keyboard does not work when using Google Chrome. Some users have been able to resolve this issue by adding a command line to the browser shortcut. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Right click on the Google Chrome icon on your PC desktop and select Properties from the context menu.

2nd step: In the Target dialog box, press the space bar (to leave a space after the directory) and paste the command below.

--disable-usb-keyboard-detect

Press Apply and OK to save the changes. Restart Chrome after doing this and check if the onscreen keyboard now works with the browser.