How to Disable Your Laptop Keyboard in Windows and macOS

There are many reasons to do this

There are many reasons why you may want to disable a laptop keyboard.

You may want to prevent others from accidentally pressing keys on your laptop and possibly causedata lossor corruption. You could also disable the keyboard whencleaning out your laptopto remove accumulated dust or debris.

Your laptop keyboard may also bedamaged from a spillor broken. In this case, you may need to use another keyboard instead of your laptop keyboard.

Whatever the reason, we’ll show you different safe methods you can use to disable the keyboard on a Windows 10 laptop or MacBook.

Disable a Windows Laptop Keyboard

You can disable a laptop keyboard in Windows 10 using:

Device Manager is a Windows tool that shows a graphical view of all the hardware installed in your laptop. You can use it to see and manage the hardware devices along with their drivers.

You can quickly and safely disable your laptop’s keyboard using Device Manager, though it may not work for all laptops.

Note: Restart your laptop if the keyboard isn’t disabled immediately.

If you can’t use Device Manager to disable the keyboard on your laptop, you can enable a hardware installation restriction via theGroup Policy Editor. Doing this stops your keyboard from being reinstalled each time your computer starts up.

Note: You need to know the keyboard’s hardware ID, and then you can tell the Group Policy Editor to prevent Windows from installing devices associated with that ID.

Restart your laptop to disable the keyboard.

Note: Repeat steps 11 and 12 with other hardware IDs on the list. The ID you used probably didn’t work, so it’s good to be sure by adding each ID from the device list.

If you want to undo the restriction installation, turn on the keyboard, set the policy toNot Configuredin the Group Policy Editor, and restart your laptop.

You can also disable a laptop keyboard by forcing it to use an incompatible driver. We don’t recommend using an unorthodox method because it may cause aBSODor other issues. Plus, if the same driver controls the keyboard and touchpad, you’ll lose the functionality of both.

However, it’s a viable option when it’s necessary to disable the keyboard, and the other two methods don’t work.

After the laptop restarts, the keyboard will cease to function.

Note: You can re-enable it by repeating the first two steps but selectSearch automatically for driversinstead.

Disable a Laptop Keyboard on a Mac

If you’re using a MacBook, you can disable a laptop keyboard, albeit temporarily using Mouse Keys or a third-party keyboard utility app.

You can use the Mouse Keys setting to disable a laptop keyboard in older versions of macOS. In newer versions, it will only disable the trackpad.

Enabling Mouse Keys disables the keyboard and makes specific keys available for you to move the mouse pointer. The overall goal is to prevent accidental typing or unwanted input.

Note: The Mouse Keys setting is available in macOS Big Sur, but you can’t use it to disable the keyboard.

Using the Mouse Keys setting disables other keys temporarily on your keyboard. But, it only works with older macOS versions.

With a third-party app likeKarabiner-Elements, you can disable your keyboard without locking the screen or your laptop. Under the Advanced settings, you can have it disable the built-in keyboard when another device is connected.

Prevent Accidental Typing and Unwanted Input

Disabling your laptop’s keyboard has several advantages. You can replace your built-in keyboard, preserve its quality, or keep curious fingers from accidentally typing unwanted characters.

We hope you were able to disable your laptop’s keyboard using the steps in this guide. Leave a comment and let us know what worked for you.

Elsie is a technology writer and editor with a special focus on Windows, Android and iOS. She writes about software, electronics and other tech subjects, her ultimate goal being to help people out with useful solutions to their daily tech issues in a simple, straightforward and unbiased style. She has a BCom degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her Masters in Communications and New Media.Read Elsie’s Full Bio

Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use

Copyright © 2008-2024 Help Desk Geek.com, LLC All Rights Reserved