How to disable the keyboard on a laptop

Important! Modern laptops have a series of function buttons that are used to adjust the sound, change the brightness of the screen, and other similar actions. Some models are also equipped with a special key lock button. Its exact location and method of use are described in a separate article on our website, and an application that allows you to do the same at the software level can also be found there.

Read more: How to lock the laptop keyboard

Windows 11

If it is necessary to disable the keyboard instead of locking it, special system utilities must be used for this purpose. There are three tools available in Windows 11 to accomplish this task.

Method 1: "Device Manager"

Each component of the laptop is responsible for the operation of the corresponding driver, which is installed with Windows 11 or during the operation of the device. Therefore, if you uninstall this software, the keyboard will automatically turn off.

1. Open "Device administrator" by any means available. The easiest way to do this is through a search. Click the corresponding icon on the taskbar, then enter your query "Device administrator".. In the output click "Opened"..

2. In the window that appears on the desktop, expand the device branch "Keyboards".Then right-click the hardware it contains, and from the context menu click "Delete device"..

3. In the new dialog, confirm this action by clicking the corresponding button.

Also Read: How To Enable And Disable Fn Key On Laptop

Keep in mind. To re-enable the keyboard, you will need to install the driver in the same window. This can be done through the hardware properties or by clicking the menu "Action". By option. "Update hardware configuration". Also, the missing drivers are usually installed automatically at system startup, so you just need to restart your computer.

Method 2: "Group Policy Editor"

You can disable your laptop keyboard using a special admin tool – "Group Policy Editor".. It simply locks the device in the system at the software level without removing its driver.

Attention! "Group Policy Editor" it is only available in Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise editions, it is not available in other versions of the operating system.

First you have to know the ID of the device you want to deactivate, this is done in "Device administrator".:

1. Open the designated utility using the system search as demonstrated in the first few paragraphs of the instruction above.

2. Expand the branch "Keyboards" and enter the properties of the desired hardware. To do this, right-click on its name and select the appropriate item.

3. In the new window, click on the tab "Information".Select from the drop-down list "Property". article "Team ID".and then copy one of the values ​​below. This can be done through the context menu.

Once the keyboard identification is obtained, you can go to "Group Policy Editor".to disable it:

1. Open a window "Run".using shortcut keys Win + R. In the menu that appears, enter a value gpedit.msc and press the button "OKAY"..

2. In the application that appears, using the directory tree structure on the left side of the interface, follow the path "Computer configuration". → "Administrative Templates" → "System" → "Device installation" → “Device Installation Restrictions”. In the destination folder, open the properties of the parameter "Prohibit installation of devices with specified device codes". To do this, just double-click on its name with the left mouse button.

3. In the new window, toggle the switch to "On." and check the box next to the option “It also applies to relevant devices that have already been installed”. Then click the button "Show"..

4. In the menu that opens, double-click in an empty text input field and paste the previously copied keyboard ID. To do this, you can use the hotkeys Ctrl + V. Press to confirm "OKAY"..

For the configured settings to take effect, the computer must be restarted. In the future, the keyboard can be turned on in the same way by moving the switch to "Deactivate"..

Method 3: "Command line".

You can disable the keyboard by entering a special command in the console. This method requires less time, but requires strict adherence to the instructions, otherwise it may cause damage to the system.

1. Open the command line as administrator using any available method. The easiest way to do this is to press the menu icon "Start". right-click and select the option “Windows Terminal (administrator)”.

   Also Read: All Ways to Run “Command Line” as Administrator

2. In the console window that appears, type the following command and press the key I went into to run it:

   rundll32 keyboard, disable

   Attention! Make sure the working directory is "C:\Windows\system32"If not, the command will not be executed successfully. If it is different, it indicates that the execution of "Command line". it was not done as administrator.

In the future, you can turn the keyboard back on with the command rundll32 keyboard, enable.

Windows 10

In Windows 10, the keyboard can be disabled in a similar way, the only differences will be in the visual appearance of the graphical user interface, the layout of some menu items and their names. There is an article on our website that takes into account all these nuances and also provides an additional method that involves the use of third-party software.

Read more: How to disable the keyboard on a Windows 10 laptop

If you need to re-enable the keyboard, you must reset all modified settings to their previous state. If you are having difficulty with this, please click on the following link to read another article on our website, which provides all the ways to solve the problem at hand.

Read More: Ways to Enable Keyboard on Windows 10 Laptop

Windows 8

Windows 8 differs from modern versions of the operating system in its structure, which has been heavily redesigned to accommodate many additional menus. Below are the same three ways to disable the keyboard, only in the eighth version of Microsoft's system.

Method 1: "Device Manager"

В "Device administrator" is a list of all the hardware connected to the laptop, including the keyboard. You can use the tools in this application to uninstall a device driver, which will disable the device completely.

1. Open "Device administrator". The easiest way to do this is through the system search. In Windows 8 you will have to go to the menu "Start". and click the magnifying glass icon in the sidebar on the right. In the line that appears, enter the query "Device administrator". and click the corresponding application in the output results.

2. In the window that appears, expand the Teams branch "Keyboards".Find your device in the list and right-click on it. Then, on the context menu, click "Properties"..

3. In the corresponding window, click on the tab "Driver". and click the button there "Delete".

4. In the new dialog, confirm your action by clicking «OK». The keyboard driver uninstall process will start and the keyboard will be disabled.

Method 2: "Group Policy Editor"

As with Windows 11, "Group Policy Editor" it is only present in the Pro and Enterprise editions of the operating system in version 8. If this condition is met, you will be able to disable the keyboard of the laptop.

Also Read: How To Turn Off Keyboard Backlight On Laptop

Before performing the task in question you will have to find out the ID of the keyboard, this is done in the already known "Device administrator". Using the above instruction, go to the properties of the desired hardware, and then open the tab "Information" tab.. In it, select from the drop-down menu "Property". value "Team Identification"and then copy one of the following parameters.

Having copied the ID to the clipboard, you can proceed directly to disconnect the keyboard from the laptop:

1. Open "Group Policy Editor" by any means available. The easiest way is to use search again, as described in the previous instruction. Go to menu "Start". and write the query line "Change group policy."and in the results click on the application of the same name.

2. In the window that appears, navigate to the folder "Installation Restrictions".. To do this, use the directory tree structure on the left side of the interface and follow the path "Computer configuration". → "Administrative Templates" → "System" → "Device installation" → “Device Installation Restrictions”. Being in the destination directory, open the properties of the parameter "Prohibit installation of devices with specified device codes"by double clicking the left mouse button.

3. In the new menu, move the switch to "On."and then check the box next to “It also applies to the relevant devices that have been installed”. Then click the button "Show"..

4. In the window that appears, enter the ID of the previously copied keyboard in the empty field. This can be done via the context menu or by using the hotkeys Ctrl + V. When done, press "OKAY"..

5. Returning to the previous menu, save the changes made by clicking on "Apply".and then "AGREE"..

In order for the system to register the new settings, it is necessary to restart the computer. The keyboard will be operational until this action is performed.

Method 3: "Command line"

You can disable the keyboard on Windows 8 laptops by entering a special command in the console, but all steps must be done from an administrator account.

1. Run "Command line". with elevated privileges. You can do this through the system search. To do this, move your cursor to the top right corner of the desktop to open an additional panel. In it, click the button "Search" button. to bring up the corresponding window.

   Enter the query in the search box "Command line".and in the output, right-click on the app of the same name. In the context menu that appears, select "Execute as an administrator"..

2. Confirm the action in the popup dialog. To do this, click the button "Yes"..

3. In the console, enter the following command and press the key I went into to run it:

   rundll32 keyboard, disable

The laptop keyboard should then stop working. To restore its operation, you will have to "Command line". enter and run the command rundll32 keyboard, disable.

Windows 7

In the seventh version of Microsoft's operating system, disconnecting the keyboard from the laptop is done in a similar way. But to avoid errors when performing the task, we recommend reading a separate article on our website, which describes all the steps in detail. Also discussed is a method involving the use of third-party software, which in some cases may make it easier to detach the keyboard.

Read more: How to disable the keyboard on a Windows 7 laptop

Windows XP

Windows XP is currently an outdated version of the operating system, so many people may not know how to disable a laptop keyboard on it. Next, let's look at two previous methods that are performed directly within the interface of this operating system.

Method 1: "Device Manager"

"Device administrator" on Windows XP it is no different from what is used in other newer versions of Microsoft's operating system, but there may be a problem running it:

1. Open the menu "Start".by clicking the corresponding button on the task bar. then go to "Control Panel".by clicking on the element of the same name. It should be noted that in some versions clicking the left mouse button brings up an additional menu, in these cases use the right button followed by clicking on the option "Opened"..

2. Be in "Control panels", navigate to the menu "Performance and service".

3. Follow this link "View information about this computer".

4. In the window that opens, click on the tab "Hardware". and click on the button "Device administrator".

5. In the list of computers connected to the laptop, open the branch "Keyboards"and then right-click on the desired device and select from the context menu "Delete"..

6. In the dialog that appears, confirm your action by clicking «OK». The keyboard driver uninstall process will start and when it is finished, it will be disabled.

Method 2: "Command line"

Similar to the above methods to unplug the keyboard from the laptop in Windows XP, you can do it using the corresponding command in the console, running it as administrator.

1. Call the menu "Start". and start "Command line". with administrative privileges via the context menu.

   If the corresponding item on the home screen "Start" is not present, you need to find it in the list of all programs. Click the corresponding button, and then move the cursor to "Standard".. In the additional menu, right-click the icon "Command line". and select the option "Run in the name of".

2. In the window that appears, move the switch to the option "User account specified". and select a value from the dropdown list "Administrator".. If necessary, enter the profile password and click "OKAY"..

3. In the console that opens, type the command shown below and press the key I went into to run it:

   rundll32 keyboard, disable

Attention! In the future, you may need to turn the laptop keyboard back on. This can be done by following the described instructions, only in the last steps you will have to follow the opposite steps to those shown in the examples. In case of problem, we recommend that you follow the following link to the article that describes in detail all the ways to unlock the keyboard of your laptop.

Read more: How to unlock a laptop keyboard