Here's how to fix a corrupted keyboard driver in Windows 10

by Milan Stanojevic

Deputy Editor

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• Corrupted keyboard driver issues aren’t uncommon, so let us list the quickest solutions to apply.
• You may try to reinstall the keyboard drivers or take your time to check the keyboard connection.
• If you want to keep your keyboard neatly tucked away, pick one of these great keyboard sleeves.
• When encountering similar issues, try some of the workarounds in our Computer Peripherals Hub.

A corrupted keyboard driver can make your keyboard inoperable, which leaves you having to struggle using mouse-only operations.

Windows, however, offers a few quick solutions you can use through the Device Manager, but you need to verify a few things first about your keyboard.

To resolve the corrupted keyboard driver issue, below are a few preliminary checks and quick fixes, as well as solutions that you can use going forward.

How can I fix corrupted keyboard driver issues?

1. Reinstall keyboard driver
2. Examine your keyboard to ensure it isn’t damaged physically
3. Check the keyboard connection
4. Check installation of Windows driver
5. Use proprietary software
6. Use Device Manager to update existing drivers
7. Use a command prompt
8. Hardware and devices troubleshooter
9. Install keyboard drivers in compatibility mode

1. Reinstall the keyboard drivers

If you want to keep your PC and all its components safe and working flawlessly, you need to use third-party programs to update your keyboard drivers.

Needless to say, downloading and installing the wrong system drivers will cause permanent damage to your system, so we suggest you try a third-party tool such as DriverFix.

We strongly recommend this program over many others from al already cluttered market with various options to pick from since it does precisely what it claims.

Instead of trying the workarounds in this guide one by one, you could only install DriverFix and use it to reinstall your keyboard driver or, even better, all your corrupted drivers.

They all deserve this special treatment since no driver problem can remain unnoticed for too long. And do keep in mind that besides discovering faulty drivers in seconds, this tool gives you access to a large database of 18 million driver files.

DriverFix

Don’t know how to reinstall keyboard driver? Let DriverFix handle this task for you and solve corrupted keyboard driver issues!

2. Examine your keyboard to ensure it isn’t damaged physically

Keyboard drivers (and other drivers generally) can cause issues, and sometimes the simplest of things can cause such malfunctions.

If for example, liquid spilled into the keyboard, you may have to replace it altogether. Another thing to examine is the cord of your keyboard to ensure no wires have been exposed.

If yours is a wireless keyboard, change the batteries to see if the corrupted keyboard driver issue disappears.

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3. Check the keyboard connection

Before you resolve to find solutions for the corrupted keyboard driver, check that your keyboard is connected properly. If not, the driver probably didn’t load.

Follow the keyboard cable and ensure it is connected to the correct port.

USB keyboards have to be connected to USB ports on your PC, while the round PS/2 port keyboard should be connected to their corresponding port labeled with a keyboard icon or picture.

For wireless keyboards, check manufacturer instructions on how to connect them.

4. Check installation of Windows driver

There is a standard Windows keyboard driver that comes packaged with Windows operating system, so there’s no need for installation CDs or more downloads.

For the best driver installation for your keyboard, uninstall the previous or original driver and let Windows reinstall it once you restart your computer.

You can do this through Device Manager using mouse-only navigation.

5. Use proprietary software

There are keyboards that require proprietary drivers that are Windows-based so as to access any advanced keyboard features like hotkeys and media controls.

These drivers come with the CD that accompanied your keyboard, but you can also get them from the brand manufacturer’s official website.

Once the driver installation program is in place, run the program based on the given instructions from the manufacturer’s website.

6. Use Device Manager to update existing drivers

1. Right-click Start.
2. Select Device Manager.
3. Expand the Keyboards category.
4. Right-click the keyboard you want to repair.
5. Select Update driver software and follow the prompts.
6. A new window will appear asking How do you want to search for driver software?
7. Select Search automatically for updated driver software – Windows will search online for an update to your keyboard. If one is available it will apply the update to your keyboard.
8. Reboot to complete the change.

Often times, the keyboard driver, if incorrect or outdated, can be corrupted. You can update it to the next version and see if it resolves the issue.

7. Use a Command Prompt

1. Open the on-screen keyboard so as to type some commands below.
2. Click Start.
3. Using the on-screen keyboard, type This PC and wait for it to appear on the list.
4. Right-click This PC.
5. Select Properties.
6. In the System window, click the Device Manager link.
7. Find Keyboards and click to expand the list.
8. Find Standard PS/2 keyboard – it may have an exclamation point next to it which indicates an error.
9. Double left-click Standard PS/2 keyboard.
10. A window with the title Standard PS/2 keyboard properties will display.
11. Under General tab, it will show There’s a problem with the keyboard. Normal functioning shows The device is working properly.
12. Delete the keyboard device.
13. Re-detect it in the Device Manager.
14. Click the Keyboards category to expand the list.
15. Left-click Standard PS/2 Keyboard to highlight it.
16. Press DEL on your keyboard to delete it. Windows will warn you that You are about to remove the device from the system.
17. Click OK. If it asks whether you want to remove the driver, click Yes.
18. Go to the Device Manager window, at the top.
19. Click Action.
20. Select Scan for hardware changes.
21. Your keyboard will re-detect itself. Try and update it using Device Manager.
22. Right-click Start.
23. Select Device Manager.
24. Expand the Keyboards category.
25. Right-click the keyboard you want to repair.
26. Select Update driver software and follow the prompts
27. A new window will appear asking How do you want to search for driver software?
28. Select Search automatically for updated driver software – Windows will search online for an update to your keyboard. If one is available it will apply the update to your keyboard.
29. Reboot to complete the change.
30. If Windows reports that The best driver software for your device is already installed, go to the next step.
31. Open an administrative command prompt by typing CMD in the search bar.
32. Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.
33. Use your mouse to highlight this text: rem value was previous set to 3
    reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesi8042prt" /v Start /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
34. Right-click over top of the above-highlighted text.
35. Select Copy from the dialogue menu.
36. Right-click in the middle of the command prompt window.
37. Select Paste.
38. The text you copied should output to the command line.
39. Restart your computer to force the keyboard to detect itself again.
40. Check if the keyboard now works.

If you’re having trouble accessing Command Prompt as an admin, then you better take a closer look at this handy guide.

If the keyboard isn’t working, a simple registry edit can resolve the issue. To do this:

1. Right-click Start.
2. Select Run.
3. Type regedit and press Enter.
4. Click Edit.
5. Click Find.
6. Type kbdclass and press Enter.
7. Find any key that has the name UpperFilters and Data of.
8. If you find the key, double click on it.
9. Edit the text to include only kbdclass and press OK.
10. Continue searching until you find and edit all UpperFilters keys. All of these should have a data file that includes only kbdclass
11. Close Registry Editor.
12. Right-click Start.
13. Select Device Manager.
14. Click Keyboards to expand the list.
15. Find your keyboard and uninstall it.
16. Restart your computer and see if after this your keyboard works.

If none of these solutions work, your keyboard is probably damaged so you can replace it.

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Can’t access the Registry Editor? Things aren’t as scary as they seem. Check out this guide and solve the issue quickly.

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8. Hardware and devices troubleshooter

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Troubleshooting.
3. Select View all.
4. Click Hardware and devices troubleshooter and follow the prompts.

This is a built-in tool to detect and fix the most incorrect settings and errors that cause issues with hardware. To do this, complete the above procedure.

9. Install keyboard drivers in compatibility mode

1. Right-click on the setup file of the driver.
2. Select the Compatibility Tab.
3. Check the box next to Run this program in Compatibility mode.
4. Select the operating system accordingly from the drop-down list.
5. Let the driver install and check the functionality.

Were any of these solutions helpful? They are useful when you intend to update the HID keyboard device driver, uninstall the keyboard driver, or solve pretty much any keyboard driver error.

Let us know in the comments section below which tip worked for you.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2018 and has been since revamped and updated in September 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

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