How to Disable On-Screen Keyboard on Windows 10

Are you greeted with an onscreen keyboard when using a Windows 10 PC? Does it appear randomly or when you are using a specific app? These questions will determine the solutions that will help you to get rid of that virtual or onscreen keyboard for good.

It is not only touch screen laptop users who are facing this error. Others have reported seeing the onscreen keyboard notification in their system tray or on their Windows lock screen. There are several ways to fix this annoying feature.

Let’s start.

1. Remove from system tray

Have you noticed the onscreen keyboard icon in the system tray area? Right-click anywhere on the taskbar and deselect the Show Touch Keyboard Button option.

This will disable and hide the onscreen keyboard and also protect you from accidental clicks that activate it.

2. Easy access to the center

Microsoft offers several ways to use Windows 10 computers for people with disabilities. Some of these resources are available in the ergonomics center. One of those features is the onscreen keyboard option.

Step 1: Open the Start menu and search for “Ease of Access Keyboard Settings” and open it.

2nd step: Disable the “Use on-screen keyboard” option and restart the computer if necessary.

Check if you are still faced with the onscreen keyboard when using the computer in the same scenario.

Notice the handy keyboard shortcut (Windows key + Ctrl + O) mentioned under the setting? Use it to activate the setting if you need it quickly.

6. Remote desktop application

RDP or a remote desktop app can trigger the onscreen keyboard app. Check if such an application or browser extension is active. Some popular examples are Team Viewer and Chrome Remote Desktop.

7. Registry Hack

Step 1: Find and open Registry Editor from the Start menu.

2nd step: Navigate to the folder structure below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionAuthenticationLogonUI

Step 3: Find the ShowTabletKeyboard file on the right, double click to open it, and enter the hex value data like 0 (zero). Save everything and restart if requested.

8. Use the restore point

Windows 10 comes with a feature called Restore Point where it creates a regular backup of your computer. Backups are usually performed when the system believes everything is working as it should.

Check the date of your last restore point and if you weren’t facing the onscreen keyboard pop-up error, restore. You will not lose any data except recently installed apps which you can always reinstall. The process is safe but irreversible.

Everybody aboard

I guess what users worry about is that the onscreen keyboard
usually stays over the open window. The onscreen keyboard
The option is a feature used by some people. There is a reason why
it’s there and hating it won’t make it go away. Hopefully one of the
the solutions above worked for you. If you have found another way to resolve this problem, let
we know that in the comments section below.