Runs in your browser: nothing you enter or choose is uploaded.

This keyboard tester shows whether every key on your keyboard works. Click the test area, press each key, and watch it light up on the keyboard map. Keys you haven’t pressed yet are listed under the map, so a dead key stands out.

It works with laptop, USB and Bluetooth keyboards on Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Linux. It runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere.

How to use the keyboard tester

Click the box labeled Test area: click here, then press keys. Keys only register while this box has focus.
If your keyboard has a number pad on the right, tick My keyboard has a number pad to add those 17 keys to the map.
Press each key once. A key turns solid when the browser receives it, and turns dark while you hold it down.
Check the large readout. It shows the last key’s value, its code, and its location: standard, left or right (for Shift, Ctrl, Alt and the Windows key), or number pad.
Look at Not pressed yet under the map and press anything still listed. If a key stays on the list however you press it, that key isn’t reaching the browser.
Press Tab and F5 last: Tab moves you out of the test area, and F5 reloads the page. Select Reset to start again.

Letters you type also appear in the test area. Type a word slowly and read it back: a key that types twice or misses presses shows up right away. To test rollover, hold several keys at once and count how many stay dark on the map.

How the keyboard map works

Every key press sends the browser a keyboard event with two useful values. The key value is the character or action, like a or Enter. The code value names the physical key, like KeyA. According to MDN, code is not changed by the keyboard layout or by modifier keys, so the tool uses it to light up the right spot on the map even when Windows is set to a different language.

The map is a US ANSI layout: the function row, the main typing block, the Insert, Home and Page Up cluster, the arrow keys and an optional number pad. That’s 87 keys without the number pad and 104 with it. Keyboards with other physical layouts still work. Keys that aren’t on the map appear in the readout, but they aren’t counted.

On a Mac keyboard, Command lights up the Win key on the map and Option lights up Alt.

Shortcuts it leaves alone, and the few it blocks

The tool doesn’t stop your browser’s normal shortcuts. Tab still moves focus, F5 still reloads and Ctrl+W still closes the tab, so your keyboard is never trapped in the box. It only blocks a few presses that would pull focus out of the test area or leave the page mid-test: Alt on its own, F1, F3, F6, F7 and F10, and Alt with the left or right arrow, which goes back or forward in most browsers.

Keys that may never show up

Some keys are handled before the browser sees them, so no web page can test them:

Fn is usually read by the keyboard itself to switch the top row between F1 to F12 and media keys. It doesn’t send a key code. Test it by holding Fn and pressing an F-key instead.
Windows key shortcuts such as Windows+L are handled by Windows. The Windows key on its own usually shows up, but the shortcut won’t.
Print Screen is taken by Windows on some PCs to open a screenshot tool, so the browser may only see the key being released, or nothing. The tool counts a key on release too. If Print Screen opens the wrong thing, see our guide to fixing Snipping Tool on Windows 11.
Media, volume and brightness keys on many laptops and Mac keyboards go straight to the operating system.

Keyboard keys not working on Windows 11

If the keyboard tester shows dead keys, or the whole keyboard acts strangely, work through these checks in order. The menu paths come from Microsoft Support.

Turn off Sticky Keys and Filter Keys

Accessibility settings change how keys respond, and they’re easy to turn on by accident. Microsoft lists the shortcuts: press Shift five times to toggle Sticky Keys, or hold Right Shift for eight seconds to toggle Filter Keys. Filter Keys makes Windows ignore brief or repeated presses, which looks a lot like a broken keyboard.

Open Start → Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard.
Turn off Sticky keys and Filter keys, unless you use them on purpose.
Click back into the test area and press the problem keys again.

Check the keyboard layout and language

If keys work but type the wrong characters, such as @ and " swapped, Windows is using a different layout from the one printed on your keys. Microsoft notes that changing the Windows display language can change the keyboard layout too.

Go to Start → Settings → Time & language → Language & region.
Select the three dots next to your language, then Language options.
Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard and pick the layout that matches your keys. Remove layouts you don’t use.
To switch layouts, select the input language icon in the system tray of the taskbar, or hold the Windows logo key and press Spacebar.

Update the keyboard driver

Type check for updates in the search box on the taskbar, open it, and install any updates.
Type device manager in the search box and open Device Manager.
Find your keyboard (usually under Keyboards), double-click it, open the Driver tab and select Update Driver.

Rule out the hardware

For a USB keyboard, try another USB port, plugged straight into the PC rather than a hub.
For a wireless keyboard, charge it or replace the batteries, and check its receiver or Bluetooth connection.
Try the keyboard on another computer, and another keyboard on this one. That tells you whether the keyboard or the PC is at fault.
Crumbs and spills cause stuck or dead keys. Unplug the keyboard, or shut down the laptop, before you clean it.

Laptops: check Fn Lock and Num Lock

If F1 to F12 change the volume or brightness instead of working as function keys, or the other way round, your laptop’s Fn Lock is probably switched. Many laptops toggle it with Fn+Esc or a key with a padlock icon, but the key differs from maker to maker, so check your laptop’s manual. On some older small laptops, letters on the right side type numbers when an embedded number pad is on: press Num Lock to turn it off.

More Windows fixes are on our Windows hub, and our list of Windows 11 settings to change covers other defaults worth checking.

Keyboard keys not working on a Mac

Apple’s Mac User Guide suggests these checks when keys don’t respond:

Open Apple menu → System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard and make sure Slow Keys is off. With Slow Keys on, you have to hold a key longer than usual before it registers.
Open Apple menu → System Settings → Accessibility → Pointer Control and make sure Mouse Keys is off. You can also press Option-Command-F5 and turn it off in the Accessibility Shortcuts panel.
Check the layout: in System Settings → Keyboard, go to Text Input, select Edit, turn on Show Input menu in menu bar, then choose the right layout from the Input menu.
Caps Lock and Media Eject need a press and hold. Hold Caps Lock until its light comes on.
On a MacBook, connect the charger: if the battery is very low, you’ll see the alert once it’s plugged in.

If a Magic Keyboard won’t connect, Apple suggests switching it off and on again, checking that Bluetooth is on in System Settings, and connecting it to the Mac with its cable for a minute before unplugging it. More Mac guides are on our Mac hub.

Bluetooth keyboard not working on Android or iPhone

You can run the keyboard tester on a phone or tablet with a hardware keyboard connected. Phone on-screen keyboards often don’t send key codes, so they aren’t a fair test.

Android

Put the keyboard into pairing mode. Its maker’s instructions explain how.
Open Settings → Connected devices → Pair new device, then tap the keyboard under Available devices.
If keys type the wrong characters, go to Settings → System → Keyboard → Physical keyboard, choose your keyboard, then choose the language and layout.

Google notes that some of these steps only work on Android 14 and up, and menu names can differ on Samsung Galaxy and other phones. More fixes are on our Android hub.

iPhone

Make sure the keyboard is turned on and charged.
Go to Settings → Bluetooth, turn on Bluetooth, then select the keyboard when it appears under Other Devices.
If the keyboard is already paired with a Mac or another device, unpair it there first.

Apple says Magic Keyboard disconnects when you switch it off or move it out of Bluetooth range, about 33 feet (10 meters). To reconnect, switch it on or bring it closer, then tap any key. See our iPhone hub for more.

Privacy

The tool runs entirely in your browser. Key presses and anything you type in the test area stay on your device, and they’re gone when you close or reload the page. Nothing is recorded or sent. Still, there’s no need to type a real password to test your keys.

Limitations

It checks that a key press reaches the browser. It does not measure how hard you had to press.
It can’t test Fn, or shortcuts the operating system keeps for itself.
The map is a US ANSI layout. Other layouts work, but keys that aren’t on the map aren’t counted.

Related free tool: our word counter.

FAQ

How do I test my keyboard online?

Open a keyboard tester like this one, click the test area and press every key. Each key should light up on the map. Any key left on the Not pressed yet list did not reach the browser.

Why doesn’t my Fn key show up?

The Fn key is usually handled inside the keyboard to switch what the top row does, so it never sends a key code to the computer. No browser-based test can detect it.

Why do some keys type the wrong characters?

Usually the keyboard layout set in Windows, macOS or Android doesn’t match the keys printed on your keyboard. Change it in the language or keyboard settings.

Can I test a laptop keyboard?

Yes. A built-in laptop keyboard works like any other. Tick the number pad box only if your laptop has a separate number pad.

What does it mean if a key doesn’t light up?

Either the key is faulty, or something catches it first: a setting like Filter Keys, a shortcut the operating system uses, or a keyboard utility. Try the fixes above, then test the keyboard on another computer.

Keyboard Tester (Check Every Key Online)