shift key acting like it’s stuck, ctrl and num keys don’t work
hi, so i did not use my laptop for around three weeks, finally turned it on today and was able to log in fine but after a few minutes i noticed something was off (clicking on icons on taskbar would launch a new window) and after googling around, i noticed all the symptoms: all caps lock, taskbar icons would open a new window, clicking on a desktop icon would select several icons, were the shift key acting like it’s being pressed (even though it wasn’t and it’s not physically stuck since i can press it down no problems), my ctrl key isnt working either and neither is my number keys. i resarted it and when i got to the log in screen, i couldn’t type in my pin, password wouldn’t work either since i have numbers in it.
ease of access button won’t work from the log in screen (it just won’t pop up) and the only way i could log in, i noticed, was by clicking ‘i forgot my pin’ and then it will take me to a new window asking me to type in my password (onscreen keyboard and ease of access works in this window), closing it and for some reason i type in my pin after that and the number keys work. i get to my desktop and everything seems to work fine for about a few seconds, then goes back to the whole ‘shift key being pressed’ situation.
tried the onscreen keyboard on my desktop and sometimes it would work, like typing in my onedrive login details, but other times, like typing on my chrome browser or on notepad, it’s all caps and i can’t type numbers, even if i click ‘shift’ off (like it types all caps on the browser but ‘shift’ is off, other times when i click the onscreen keyboard to type the shift key is colored blue, and that means it’s pressed). ran a scan on my antivirus, ran keyboard troubleshooter, ran malwarebytes and they all came up clean. tried toggling off sticky keys, etc and pressing the ‘shift’ key several times, and all other quick fixes i found, and nope, nothing worked. also updated windows and restarted but still the same.
like i said, its a laptop so i dont have an extra keyboard to plug in and i don’t really want to spend money buying a usb keyboard only to find out it having the same problem. i’m not sure if it’s a hardware issue since it does work fine for a few seconds after logging in. having a hard time running sfc since i can’t press the ‘/’ key and i’m wondering if i should just reset my pc (while keeping all the files)? i don’t have a problem doing that (apart from theanxiety
inducing 4 hours waiting for it to reset) since i don’t really have much programs in it that i can’t reinstall and all my files are backed up. i also reset it before to fix a display problem.
oh, i also play borderlands 2 in it, which does use the shift key a lot but, i dont really play that it much and this laptop is just about a year old, never spilled anything on it (i use a liquid lcd cleaner on a rag and i’m very careful about not getting any liquids on it at all), would go for periods of time without being used so its not like its being overused. the last time i used the laptop there were no issues at all.
so yeah, what i’d like to know is could it be hardware? or will resetting my pc hopefully fix it? or is there another fix that i don’t know about and could try? thanks in advance!
WINDOWS KEY NOT WORKING — Already tried all thing on this forum
My windows key simply stoped working
Now when I try to use WIN+ «something» it selects the icon with the letter I press. Like I press WIN+D(to desktop) it selects the icon with a letter D
Already tried everything I seen in this forum about it nothing seem to work
Replies (55)
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Method 1: Disable gaming mode on your keyboard
Some keyboards, usually marketed as “gaming”, have ability to turn off Windows keys via some hardware switch or Fn key combination in order to prevent pressing this key which usually exits your game. The gaming mode key is usually marked with a joystick drawing. Here is how to disable gaming mode on some of the popular gaming keyboards.
On Logitech keyboards, there is a switch above the F1, F2 & F3 function keys that you can flip to the right for gaming mode and to the left for regular use. Flip it to the left. Other versions have a gaming mode button above F4, press the button to toggle in between gaming and standard modes.
In some keyboards, beside the right Ctrl button, instead of a second Windows button, there is a “Win Lock” button (not the menu button). Press it to enable the Windows key.
Corsair keyboards have their own software to adjust lighting, functionality, etc. Run the Corsair software (which has an option to enable/disable the windows key) and enable your Windows key.
The Azio keyboard also has such a switch in the MGK1 series. MGK1 & MGK1-K: Press FN and F9 at the same time. For MGK1-RGB: Press FN and Windows Start Key at the same time.
For the MSI computer/laptop keyboards, you can switch turn on the Windows key from the Dragon Gaming Center > System Tuner.
For the ibuypower keyboard, press fn + ibuypower (aka windows key) to toggle Windows key on and off
For Alienware gaming keyboard, press Fn + F6 to toggle gaming mode on and off
For MS Sidewinder keyboard, go into MS Keyboard & Mouse Center and you can click the Windows key in the dashboard and set it to enabled/disabled
Method 2: Enable Windows Key using registry edit
The registry can allow or restrict a lot including keyboard keys and menu items. To enable your Windows key:
Click Start, type ‘Run’ and click Run, or in Windows 8/10 right click on the start button and click run
Type ‘regedt32’, and then click OK. Click Yes if you get any EULA message asking for confirmation.
On the Windows menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE on Local Machine.
Double-click the System\CurrentControlSet\Control folder, and then click the Keyboard Layout folder.
Right-click the Scancode Map registry entry, and then click Delete.
Click Yes on the confirmation/warning message.
Close Registry Editor and restart the computer.
If you need to disable Windows key again, go to the Microsoft page here and follow the instructions for disabling windows key. You can also use the easy fix tool from here to enable and disable the Windows Key.
Method 3: Re-Register all apps
This will clear any software conflict with your keyboard
Click on the Windows button.
Type ‘PowerShell’ and then right click on ‘Windows PowerShell’ and run as an administrator.
If your start button doesn’t work when you click on it, go to this location: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Windows PowerShell\ and right click on “Windows PowerShell” and run as administrator
Type or copy and paste the script below into the PowerShell window and press enter
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach
Restart your PC
Method 4: Enable the start menu
In cases where your start key does not bring up the start menu, there is a possibility the start menu was disabled. To enable it, follow the steps below.
Right click on the Start Button and select “Run” or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and go to File > click run a new task from task manager.
Type “regedit” (without the quotes)
Navigate to this key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advance
Right click on the right hand side panel and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value
Call the new key “EnableXamlStartMenu”
Restart your PC or restart Explorer using task manager as explained in method 5 below.
Method 5: Restart Windows/File Explorer
Explorer controls your Windows user interface. This method will restart Windows/File Explorer and clear any errors that prevented it from starting correctly.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Del on the keyboard and click on task manager.
Click on the Process tab and locate Explorer in the windows and right click on it and select end task.
Click on File and then click on Run New Task.
Type ‘explorer.exe’ and press enter.
Method 6: Turn off filter keys
This has been seen as one of the culprits in Windows 8 and Windows 10 issues. Turning on filterkeys ignores or slows down repeated key strokes and adjusts repeat rates. Somehow, the windows key is also affected on some keyboards. To turn off filter keys:
Drag your mouse to the right edge of your Windows 8 PC and click settings. In windows 10, right click on your start menu and select settings.
From the Windows settings page, scroll down and click on Ease of Access
Click on the keyboard tab on the left hand pane
Scroll down to ‘filter keys’ and turn it off
Method 7: Uninstall and reinstall your keyboard drivers
Uninstalling the bad keyboard drivers will reinstall the correct drivers for your keyboard.
Right click on the Start Button and select “Run” or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open task manager and go to File > run a new task.
Type devmgmt.msc and hit enter to open device manager
Expand the ‘Keyboards’ section
Right click on your keyboard drivers and select ‘Uninstall device’
On the warning message that appears, click on ‘Yes’ or ‘Uninstall’ to remove these drivers
If you have a USB keyboard, unplug it then plug it back in. Or restart your computer. Windows will reinstall the drivers automatically. Check if Windows key now functions.
Method 8: Unplug your game controller
Your Windows key might not function some times when your game pad is plugged in and a button is pressed down on the gaming pad. This could be caused by conflicting drivers. It is rear however, but all you need to do is unplug your gamepad or make sure no button is pressed down on your gaming pad or keyboard. Updating your gamepad or keyboard drivers might permanently solve this problem.
Please let me know if one of these will help you solve your concern.
Windows behaves as if the left shift key is stuck
I’ve had this reoccurring problem where Windows behaves as if the left shift key is stuck. I’ve opened the on-screen keyboard and it does not show the key to be pressed. While this issue is happening, unplugging the keyboard and plugging it back in does not fix this.
What I’m fairly certain to NOT be the problem:
(1) Something inside the keyboard causing it to stick.
(2) The keyboard is faulty.
(3) Because of a new update/program installed.
(4) User-initiated, (seemingly random).
(5) The motherboard is faulty.
After searching several forums it is clear this is a widespread issue and is NOT confined to my hardware or operating system.
Unfortunately, it seems most techs tack this up as an individual problem and only give the solution of rolling back/reinstalling windows, both of which are not an option for me.
The issue doesn’t last forever, meaning I do not always have to restart before it fixes itself(sometimes), and I have tried nearly every combination of buttons to try and fix it.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2700k CPU @ 3.50GHz
Total system memory: 8 GB DDR3 — 1600 (PC3 — 12800)
GeForce GTX 550 Ti 2 GB GDDR 5
In case you need something I haven’t not provide please ask.
Again, I have searched for awhile before posting this and have found no answers as of yet. Thank you for your time.
shift key acting like it’s stuck, ctrl and num keys don’t work
hi, so i did not use my laptop for around three weeks, finally turned it on today and was able to log in fine but after a few minutes i noticed something was off (clicking on icons on taskbar would launch a new window) and after googling around, i noticed all the symptoms: all caps lock, taskbar icons would open a new window, clicking on a desktop icon would select several icons, were the shift key acting like it’s being pressed (even though it wasn’t and it’s not physically stuck since i can press it down no problems), my ctrl key isnt working either and neither is my number keys. i resarted it and when i got to the log in screen, i couldn’t type in my pin, password wouldn’t work either since i have numbers in it.
ease of access button won’t work from the log in screen (it just won’t pop up) and the only way i could log in, i noticed, was by clicking ‘i forgot my pin’ and then it will take me to a new window asking me to type in my password (onscreen keyboard and ease of access works in this window), closing it and for some reason i type in my pin after that and the number keys work. i get to my desktop and everything seems to work fine for about a few seconds, then goes back to the whole ‘shift key being pressed’ situation.
tried the onscreen keyboard on my desktop and sometimes it would work, like typing in my onedrive login details, but other times, like typing on my chrome browser or on notepad, it’s all caps and i can’t type numbers, even if i click ‘shift’ off (like it types all caps on the browser but ‘shift’ is off, other times when i click the onscreen keyboard to type the shift key is colored blue, and that means it’s pressed). ran a scan on my antivirus, ran keyboard troubleshooter, ran malwarebytes and they all came up clean. tried toggling off sticky keys, etc and pressing the ‘shift’ key several times, and all other quick fixes i found, and nope, nothing worked. also updated windows and restarted but still the same.
like i said, its a laptop so i dont have an extra keyboard to plug in and i don’t really want to spend money buying a usb keyboard only to find out it having the same problem. i’m not sure if it’s a hardware issue since it does work fine for a few seconds after logging in. having a hard time running sfc since i can’t press the ‘/’ key and i’m wondering if i should just reset my pc (while keeping all the files)? i don’t have a problem doing that (apart from theanxiety
inducing 4 hours waiting for it to reset) since i don’t really have much programs in it that i can’t reinstall and all my files are backed up. i also reset it before to fix a display problem.
oh, i also play borderlands 2 in it, which does use the shift key a lot but, i dont really play that it much and this laptop is just about a year old, never spilled anything on it (i use a liquid lcd cleaner on a rag and i’m very careful about not getting any liquids on it at all), would go for periods of time without being used so its not like its being overused. the last time i used the laptop there were no issues at all.
so yeah, what i’d like to know is could it be hardware? or will resetting my pc hopefully fix it? or is there another fix that i don’t know about and could try? thanks in advance!
