Good afternoon friends. How to enable the on-screen keyboard on Windows 7 8 10. No computer user can predict in advance when he will really need an on-screen keyboard on a PC, since the physical keyboard can fail at the most inopportune moment, which sometimes happens.
In addition, you will need such a keyboard if: - you decide to reinstall drivers, your keyboard sometimes jams, some of the buttons on your keyboard do not function. What can I say? Even if one single button stops working, it will be difficult for you to enter text.
The virtual keyboard in Windows was created quite a long time ago; we can say that it was created along with the system. From here, you can launch it using various methods. Microsoft programmers were so keen on this matter that they built in as many as 2 mouse input programs into Windows. In this article I will talk about several options for launching the on-screen keyboard. I will demonstrate on Windows 10, but most of the methods apply to other earlier versions of the OS with minor differences.
Also, I will mention the main reasons why your keyboard may stop working.
"Run" window
Quite a simple and convenient way. So, first we type the hot keys Win + R, a new window pops up in which we need to enter the osk , click Ok. A keyboard appears on the display.
The downside of this method is that you still have to connect a keyboard to enter osk . Therefore, for this method you need to borrow a keyboard from a friend for a while. But, if this is unrealistic, then you can do it differently. Let's make a list of the necessary commands, in which try not to forget to mark osk .
Using search
A very common and simple method that many people use. You just need to click on the search located at the bottom left. In the window that opens, enter the word “Keyboard” in the query line. Then, go to the required file above. The program has started.
The disadvantage of this method is the same as the first. But there is a way out. You need to write the word “Keyboard” on the desktop or in another place in advance.
Control Panel
We enter the control panel through “Start” (relevant for Windows 7). But, in the top ten now you can’t enter this panel through the launcher. Therefore, we will do things differently.
- On the display screen, right-click on the “Computer” shortcut. Select “Properties” from the drop-down menu;
- The “System” window opens. At the top left there is a link “Control Panel”;
- Then, select “Large icons” at the top. In the window that opens, look for “Ease of Access Center”;
- Click on it and click on the command “Enable... keyboard”.
The advantage of the method is obvious: - We do not need to connect a temporary keyboard!
What to do - the keyboard does not work
If the keyboard does not work, you need to determine the cause of its failure. The reasons why a keyboard may break are divided into two types:
- software;
- hardware.
If the cause of the breakdown is the hardware of the keyboard, it will be very problematic to correct the current situation without certain knowledge and skills. It's easier to replace the old keyboard with a new one. But first, check the cable through which the keyboard is connected to the PC. It may have come loose or become damaged. If the cable is intact and does not come out, try restarting the computer. Perhaps there was a malfunction during its operation. If restarting your PC was unsuccessful and the keyboard still does not work, try launching the Start panel with the mouse and going to Control Panel, and then to Hardware and Sound. If there are problems with the keyboard, it will be marked in the system with a yellow color and an exclamation mark.
Using the mouse, select the keyboard and click “Delete”, and then close all tabs.
Video: what to do if the keyboard on your computer does not work
Next, open the “Hardware and Sound” window again and select “Add a device.” After the OS search, the keyboard will be found and installed. If after these manipulations the keyboard does not work, then you will need to replace it with a new one or use a virtual keyboard. A keyboard and mouse are little valued these days, but these components are an integral part of a fully functional PC. A virtual or on-screen keyboard is also an important element of computer operation, because only they can secure your social networks from hacking and protect your personal data, bank details or passport from intruders.
Options
There is also a fairly simple and working way to run this utility.
- So, click on the “Start” button with the left key and go to the “Settings” tab;
- Then, look for the “Special Features” item. Let's cross it;
- In the window that appears on the left, select the “Keyboard” item, in the new column on the right, move the checkbox to the “Use keyboard” position.
Program settings
The settings menu is opened by clicking the “Settings” button on the on-screen keyboard. It lists all the options that the user can change at his discretion.
You need to enable the virtual keyboard on the laptop while the OS is loading in the “Ease of Access Center”, for which you should launch the “Control Panel” and go to the “Accessibility” section. Then click on the line “Use a computer without a mouse or keyboard”, and click on the “Apply” button.
You can also get to this section through the parameters of the virtual input device: at the very bottom of the window with a list of settings there is a link with the text “Manage the launch of the on-screen keyboard when you log in”, when clicked on, the same category of the Ease of Access Center opens.
There are several ways to turn off the application:
- Close the window by clicking on the cross in the upper right corner.
- End the osk.exe process in the Processes tab of the Task Manager.
- Uncheck the box next to “Use on-screen keyboard” in the above-mentioned “Ease of Access Center.”
Having an on-screen keyboard makes things more difficult in some cases.
Quick Launch Toolbar
On the Quick Launch panel on the right, you can pre-position the virtual keyboard for such cases.
- To do this, right-click on the clock image and select “Show... keyboards” in the context menu;
- Next, on this panel you will have a shortcut to the keyboard. You just need to click on it with the mouse. Then a virtual keyboard will appear, created in touch design.
On-screen keyboard shortcut settings for quick launch
- On the taskbar
- On the desktop
- Launch hotkeys
- On the taskbar
Pinning the on-screen keyboard to the taskbar is easy. To do this, again, through the “Start” menu, in the “Special Features” folder, find its shortcut and by right-clicking on it, call up the context menu, in which we select the corresponding “Pin to taskbar” item.
Please note : to speed up the launch of the virtual keyboard, you can also pin its shortcut directly to the Start menu itself.
- On the desktop
How to set up the on-screen keyboard to launch from a desktop shortcut
If you need an on-screen keyboard shortcut directly on your desktop, just create one. This is done in a few simple steps. But, before you begin this procedure, you need to find out where the executive file of this application is located. To do this, again through the “Start” menu we find the on-screen keyboard shortcut and, by calling the context menu, as described in the previous step, open its properties.
Then, in the “Shortcut” tab, copy the entry from the “Object” column.
Next, anywhere on the desktop, right-click and select “Create” and “Shortcut” from the context menu that appears.
In the next step, paste the previously copied entry and click “Next”.
In the newly opened window, assign a name to the shortcut, as shown in the screenshot below.” You can name it in your own way; this will in no way affect the performance of the program.
After clicking the "Done" button, a virtual keyboard shortcut will be created on the desktop.
- Launch hotkeys
How to open the on-screen keyboard using hotkeys
Everything is very simple here too. The fact is that to launch system programs and files, the operating system provides a function for manually assigning hot keys, although with one “But”. The fact is that the assigned combination consists of three buttons, two of which are blocked by the system. That is, it is impossible to change them. The user can select only the third key.
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So, again we go to the shortcut properties section of the program in question, as described in the previous method, and in the “Shortcut” column, by pressing any of the keys suitable for launching it, we assign our own combination. In our case, we assigned the “k” key, from the word “keyboard,” as the third button. You can assign any other one.
After completing these steps, click “Ok” and check the functionality of the given combination.
The virtual keyboard does not want to turn on
It is unlikely, but it is possible that not one of the methods for launching the virtual keyboard did not work. Then, most likely, you have turned off the service responsible for launching this utility. Of course, we need to enable it again, which is what we will do:
- Right-click on “Start” and then click on the “Run” command;
- In the window we are already familiar with, enter the combination services.msc, to go to the “Services” window;
- Then, in the list of commands you need to find “Touch Keyboard Service...”. Next, you need to click on the line with the mouse a couple of times;
- A new window will pop up. In it you need to click the “Run” button. Attention! If the “Run” command is not active, you must first click on “Stop”, after which we will start the service again.
Having completed the above steps, all we have to do is launch the virtual keyboard using one of the methods indicated above.
Shortcut to launch the program
In order not to do all the steps described above each time, you can shorten the path in one of the following ways:
- Left-click on the icon, select “Send” in the context menu, and in the submenu that appears, click on the line with the “Desktop (create shortcut)” option. The second method is to select “Copy” from the context menu of the item, then right-click on any free area of the desktop, and left-click on the “Paste Shortcut” option.
- In the menu that appears when you right-click, select “Pin to taskbar.” The application icon will be displayed in an unoccupied area of the panel.
- Lock the program in the Start menu by clicking on the corresponding line in the element’s context menu.
- Display a shortcut on the start screen (for Windows 8 and 10). You will need to select “Pin to Start Screen”.
These methods are useful if you need to open the virtual keyboard frequently. When the application is no longer needed, the shortcuts can be deleted in seconds.
The on-screen keyboard launches itself
It may happen that the virtual keyboard starts turning on itself without your request. This means that one of the users of your PC has configured the special settings incorrectly. capabilities of Windows 10. To disable the independent launch of the utility, do the following:
- Let’s go to the “Control Panel” using the method described above;
- Further, in the “Special Center” Opportunities";
- In this window we look for the command “Use a computer without...”;
- Follow the link and remove the checkbox from the “Use on-screen keyboard” command.
Having completed the above steps, the virtual keyboard will no longer launch randomly.
Conclusion: - you now know how to enable the on-screen keyboard on Windows. Use any of the five methods that you like best. At the same time, if your keyboard has completely stopped functioning, you are better off using one of the last 3 methods. Good luck!
Sincerely, Andrey Zimin 09/19/2019
Third-party programs for controlling the keyboard from a computer
The standard Windows utility is a convenient application that allows you to cope with management, but this is not the only development. There are a lot of them, and each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Name Brief descriptionAdvantages
| On-Screen Keyboard Portable | The program is a virtual keyboard that you can install on a USB drive and run it on any PC. The keyboard itself isn't particularly attractive, but it is functional. You can resize it to suit your needs and it remembers your settings when you exit. This type of keyboard protects you from hardware keyloggers, but not against keylogger software, so it doesn't protect you from malware that tries to save entered passwords and so on | Lightweight and portable |
| Exbi Keyboard | This on-screen keyboard allows you to easily enter texts in different languages without having to install a full language pack. It can handle multiple languages simultaneously. It comes with English and Urdu by default, but you can add other languages and switch easily by pressing CTRL + Space keys. Free and supports many Unicode languages | The user can change the background color and the keys themselves |
| Jitbit Virtual Keyboard | You can type with a mouse or a stylus (a digital pen used by Tablet PC devices with a touch screen). The virtual keyboard also protects your trusted data by preventing it from being tracked. Enter secure passwords, personal data, sensitive information using the Jitbit virtual keyboard | Absolutely free, protects your confidential data |
Note! Be careful with the apps you use. Trust only trusted developers, and, of course, if possible, use a standard Windows utility to protect yourself from the machinations of attackers.
So, a broken physical keyboard is not a problem; this problem can be solved in two clicks. Use one of the suggested methods, and then you can wait until the day when your physical keyboard is repaired without much difficulty.
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