Laptop keyboard or trackpad not working

A few dead keys, letters that repeat on their own, a whole row that has stopped, or a trackpad that no longer clicks. Annoying, but usually a contained repair.

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Why keys and trackpads fail

A laptop keyboard is a sealed membrane with a thin ribbon cable to the motherboard. Liquid, crumbs and wear break the tracks inside the membrane, which is why keys tend to fail in groups along a row or a column. Once that happens the keyboard is replaced, not repaired.

A trackpad that has become stiff, raised or hard to click needs a closer look. On many thin laptops the battery sits directly underneath, and a battery that has started to swell pushes the trackpad up from below. If your trackpad is lifting or the case is bulging, stop charging the laptop and read our battery page.

Checks worth trying first

Plug in a USB keyboard or mouse. If those work, Windows is fine and the fault is in the laptop's own hardware.
Restart and enter the BIOS setup screen. If the keys fail there too, it is hardware, not Windows.
Look for a trackpad on/off key on the top row, often F6, F7 or F9 with a small touchpad symbol.
In Windows Settings, check that Filter Keys and Sticky Keys are off under Accessibility.
Check whether the faulty keys sit together in a row or block. That pattern points to the membrane.

How we fix it

Where the keyboard is a separate part, we fit a new one in the correct UK layout and test every key. On many current laptops the keyboard is riveted into the top case, so the keyboard and palm rest are replaced together. Trackpads and their cables are replaced as needed, and a swollen battery is always dealt with first.

If the fault followed a spill, tell us. Liquid that reached the keyboard has often reached the board beneath it, and we will check for liquid damage while the laptop is open.

Common questions

Can a single key be replaced?

If only the plastic cap has come off and the mechanism underneath is intact, sometimes. If the key no longer registers, the fault is inside the membrane and the keyboard needs replacing.

Will the new keyboard have a UK layout and backlight?

We match the layout and the backlight to the keyboard your model was sold with.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm