Even though the locked Window key might not be available on your keyboard, it is possible that some other causes, such as filter keys, corrupted driver, and enabled game mode prevent you from using the Windows key. Now after understanding the leading cause, let’s have a look at some other contributors:
Disabled Windows key- If your Windows key is locked, you won’t be able to use it until you unlock the Windows key. To do that, you should carefully look for the lock key on your keyboard.Corrupted Keyboard Driver- It might be possible that your keyboard driver is corrupted, which is why the issue is occurring. However, if your driver is corrupted, you can easily fix this by updating or reinstalling the keyboard driver.Hardware Issue- On the other hand, the issue can also be caused by the defective Windows key. To ensure that your Windows key is working, try plugging another keyboard into your computer to check if this is your keyboard issue. As a result, your Windows key should not work on your other keyboard if it’s locked or if some other reason is causing this issue. Otherwise, it will be your keyboard issue. Enabled Game Mode- Even though Game Mode is designed to increase performance for low-end and high-end computers, it sometimes stops the Windows key from functioning. Hence, try disabling Game Mode to fix this issue.Interference Of Filter keys- As per the affected users, the filter keys often prevent the users from using the Windows key. You can try disabling the filter key from settings to fix this issue.
Before determining and fixing this issue, you must confirm that your Windows key is not broken. Go to this website from Microsoft and press the Windows key repeatedly to test your key. If the website detects the Windows key, that means your Windows key is working fine. If that’s the case, just follow the below methods to troubleshoot your issue. You can also try pressing the other Windows key to check if it’s working. If it’s not working, it might be disabled from your keyboard. If one Windows key is working and another is not, it might be broken. However, you can use the PowerToys application to divert your keys. To do that, scroll down to the 8th method.
1. Unlock Your Windows Key
Some modern gaming keyboards have a “Game Mode” that disables the Windows key. There is a high chance that you accidentally pressed the lock key, which is why the Windows key is not working. To fix this, you will need to unlock the key by pressing the lock key again. You can find the lock key in the functions keys on the top of the keyboard, it should have a lock icon, which you can use to recognize the key. HyperX has Fn + F12, which you can press to enable and disable the Windows key. If your keyboard does not have a lock key, you can try pressing FN + F6, FN + F12, or FN + Win simultaneously to unlock the Windows key. If that does not fix this issue, follow the next method.
2. Use Registry Editor
Another method to fix this issue is to delete the Scancode Map entry from the registry editor. This entry allows the user to disable the Windows key, so the game will not minimize when you accidentally press the Windows key. You can fix this issue by deleting the Scancode Map entry via the registry editor. Before making changes to the registry editor, make a full backup. Below are the steps:
3. Run Keyboard Troubleshooter
Usually, troubleshooting tools fix various issues automatically. Microsoft developed troubleshooting tools to resolve common issues. Therefore, running the keyboard troubleshooter might fix your issue if this issue occurs due to some common reason. Here are the steps:
4. Turn Off Filter Keys
Filter keys are the special keys that allow the users to write without repeated keys. Microsoft introduced filter keys to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes for users with hand tremors. However, the affected users have claimed on forums that disabling the filter keys is one of the ways to fix the Windows key not working issue. To disable the filter keys, follow the steps:
5. Update or Re-Install Keyboard Driver
The issue can also be caused by the corrupted keyboard driver, if that’s the case, you will need to reinstall the driver. Reinstalling the keyboard driver is very simple, but before that, try updating the keyboard driver. If the device manager does not find the latest driver, then go for the reinstalling option. Follow the steps:
6. Switch to Generic Keyboard Driver
You can try using the generic keyboard driver if reinstalling or updating the driver does not fix your Windows key. Below are steps on how you can switch to a generic keyboard driver.
7. Use PowerToys to Divert Windows Key
If your Windows key is not working due to hardware damage and you need the Windows key to work temporarily, you can download the PowerToys application. PowerToys is an application that customizes Windows features and remap keys to other keys. You can simply divert the Windows key function to another key on the keyboard to use the start menu. Below are the steps you can follow to remap your Windows key:
8. Enable Start Menu
It is possible that your Windows keys are working, but the start menu is not working. We have a detailed article on it that turns the start menu into a working condition if it’s not working. Here is the link to How to Fix Start Menu Not Working in Windows 10/11? In case none of the solutions have worked, it is also possible that your taskbar is not working. To fix this issue, you can visit this article on How to Fix Taskbar Not Working on Windows 10. Despite this, if you use any start menu third-party application, uninstall it and check if the issue is resolved.
9. Replace Your Keyboard
We have described all the scenarios above that are possible in this case. However, if none of the methods have worked for you, try changing your keyboard. At the beginning of this article, we have given a link that will take you to a keyboard test, you can try pressing the Win key to check if it’s damaged or not. If it is, changing the keyboard will fix your issue.
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