Keyboard Tester

How to test your keyboard

1. Click anywhere on the keyboard diagram so the page receives your key presses. Pick the size that matches your keyboard: Full with a number pad, TKL without one, 75% with the arrows tucked in, or 60% for compact boards. Choose ISO (UK/EU) if your Enter key is tall and there is a key between left Shift and Z, and Mac for Command and Option labels.
2. Press every key, one at a time, including Shift, Ctrl, Alt, the function keys and the arrows. Each key lights up while held and turns green once it has registered.
3. Hold several keys together and read Max at once. Most keyboards register at least 6 keys (6-key rollover); gaming keyboards with NKRO register all of them.
4. Type a sentence in the typing area. Watch for letters that appear twice, appear late or do not appear at all. The key log lists your last 10 presses with their key, code and keyCode, and Copy log puts them on the clipboard for a bug report or a game's support team.
5. Any key still gray after you have pressed it is a dead key. A key that lights up on its own is stuck.

What the results mean

• All keys turn green: every switch and the keyboard's controller work. If a key still fails in one program, the problem is a shortcut or setting in that program.
• A key never lights up: dead key. Dirt under the keycap, a worn membrane or a failed switch. On laptops a cluster of dead keys often means a damaged ribbon cable.
• A key lights up without being pressed, or stays lit: stuck key. Usually something spilled or crumbs under the cap.
• A letter appears twice when typed once: chatter, common on worn mechanical switches. Cleaning or a switch replacement fixes it.
• Max at once stays at 2 or 3 on certain combinations: ghosting or limited rollover. Normal on budget keyboards; gaming keyboards should handle 6 or more.
• The wrong character shows in the typing area: a layout mismatch (for example a UK keyboard set to US), not a hardware fault. Change the keyboard layout in your system settings.

Key, code and key code

Last key is the character or name your operating system produced, so it follows your language layout. Code is the physical position of the key (such as KeyQ or ShiftLeft), which is the same on every layout and is what this diagram uses to light keys up. Key code is the older numeric value some programs and games still read. If a game ignores a key, compare the code shown here with the game's key binding screen.

Media keys, Fn-combinations and some laptop special keys are handled by the system and may not reach the browser at all, so they can appear not to work here even though they do their job.

Test a laptop, mechanical or wireless keyboard

This keyboard checker works with any keyboard your computer sees, including laptop keyboards, mechanical and membrane desktop keyboards, Bluetooth keyboards and keyboards connected to a phone or tablet. For wireless keyboards, a key that works only sometimes usually points to a low battery or interference rather than a broken switch. To test the spacebar at speed, or your other input devices, try the mouse tester and gamepad tester.

Common problems and fixes

A key does not work

Turn the keyboard over and shake out debris, then blow compressed air around the key. On desktop keyboards pull the keycap off and clean under it. Try the keyboard on another computer or port; if the same key fails everywhere, the switch or membrane is faulty.

Keys type twice or repeat

For mechanical keyboards this is switch chatter: clean the switch with contact cleaner or replace it. On any keyboard also check Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard for Filter Keys (Windows) or the key repeat delay, which can mimic the problem.

Whole keyboard stopped working

Unplug and reconnect it, or replace the batteries and re-pair a wireless keyboard. On laptops, restart; if keys still fail after a restart and in the BIOS or boot menu, the keyboard or its cable is faulty.

Wrong characters appear

Your system keyboard layout does not match the printed keys. Windows: Settings > Time & language > Language & region > choose the right layout. Mac: System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources. Also check that Num Lock is on if the number pad types nothing.