Windows Key Not Working: An Effective Guide On Successful Resolution

From the time of the invention of the start menu, keyboards always have the keys called the Windows key (we also know these as the Winkey). This is a button or key with the Microsoft Windows logo embedded on the keyboard is actually located on the left side of the keyboard and it is linked with the Start Menu. For this reason, when a person presses this key Start menu opens and if it doesn’t open then that means, there is an issue with the Start Menu or the Windows key not working.

Some keyboards have two keys; both on the right and the left of the keyboard. The Windows key is able to bring up the start menu quickly; which is the most common event on a Windows computer. This can easily save time on using the mouse to the Start menu button on the screen. So, it is very important to know the process of how to solve the issue of windows key not working.

Let us take a look at the reasons that can lead to the issue of windows key not working

Hardware problem: If the keyboard has damages it could be one of the reasons behind the Windows key not working. This is a very common problem where the cable which is connecting with the hardware of the PC is damaged. In this case wireless keyboards are preferable.

A new Windows 10 update rolled out: In some cases the Windows 10 updates can damage things on your computer. Here a driver update is essential.

The Windows key is being disabled: Many users can see that the key is not working properly because it has been disable in the system. The reason can be an application, a user, malware or others.

After knowing about the problem, we can work to resolve the issue of Windows key not working.

Here are the steps on how to resolve the issue of Windows key not working

Turn on the keyboard on-screen:

At first we recommend turning the keyboard on-screen. This can allow you to handle the menus in an easy way and follow the instructions. But remember, the virtual keyboard may not allow working in the Windows key if it is disable on a system level.

The steps to use on-screen keyboard are:

1. Open the “settings” app by clicking on the gear icon in the Start menu.
2. Choose the Ease of Access tile.
3. Scroll down in the left panel and click on Keyboard under the Interaction part.
4. Click on the toggle button under the “Use the On-screen Keyboard” to turn on the virtual keyboard in Windows 10.

Method 1 of How To Resolve The Issue of Windows key not working

Turn off the feature of Filter Keys:

You can turn off the filter keys by the steps below:

1. Press the Windows + R keys using the on-screen keyboard and bring up the RUN utility. Then type “control “and click on “OK”. This can open the “control panel”.

2. Make sure the view mode is “Category:
3. Next, click on ‘Ease of Access’.
4. Then click on “Change how your keyboard works” link.
5. Make sure the check box next to “Turn on Filter Keys” is empty. If there is a checkmark, just remove it.

6. Click on “Apply” and then click OK. Now you can test the function of the keys.

Method 2 of How To Resolve The Issue of Windows key not working

Use a Powershell command:

Powershell is a powerful tool for adjusting the troubles of your computer and also troubleshooting. It helps you to directly tell the PC what to do by the help of a scripting language. Here are the steps:

1. First press the Windows + R keys on the keyboard on-screen. This will bring up the “RUN”.
2. Then, type in “Powershell” ad and press the Ctrl + Shift +Enter keys on the keyboard. By doing this, you can launch Powershell with the administrative permissions.
3. Then click YES to allow the Powershell to do changes.

4, In the Powershell, copy and paste in the following command and hit the Enter key on the keyboard for execution of : Get-AppXPackage –AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage – DisableDvelopmentMode – Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}.

5. After this, the command has finished running, you can use the Windows key again.

Method 3 of How To Resolve The Issue of Windows key not working

Do adjustments to the registry:

You can try to apply a Registry tweak in restoring all things into working order.

But before beginning this guide, you have to create a backup of your Registry.

1. After that, Press the Windows + R keys on the on-screen keyboard to open RUN.

Then type “Regedit” into the input field. Click on the OK button to launch the Registry Editor.

2. The Registry Editor can be navigated by expanding folders using the arrow icon next to the names. Using this, locate the following key:

HKEY__LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout.

In an alternative way, you can copy and paste the key into the address bar of the Registry Editor for faster navigation.

1. Then Right-click on the “Scancode Map” and press the “Delete” option to remove the key.
2. After deleting the “Scancode Map”, you have to close the Registry Editor and restart the PC.

Method 4 of How To Resolve The Issue of Windows key not working

Disable the Game Mode:

Many users have stated that, the game mode has causes with the keyboards, so, you can easily solve this problem by following the step given below:

1. Click on the START menu in the taskbar and choose Settings.

Alternatively, you can use the Windows + I keyboard shortcut after turning on the on-screen keyboard.

2. Choose the “Gaming” option from the menu options.
3. Switch to the option of “Game Mode” tab by using the menu located in the left panel.
4. Make sure that the toggle under the “Game Mode” is set to “OFF” display.

There are many other ways to fix this problem of the Windows key not working. But if all of those do not work, you can turn to either an IT expert or Microsoft customer support team to fix the issue of Windows key not working.

Want to read some more of such science and technology tutorials? If you are a Windows user and found this blog on resolving the issue of Windows key not working useful, then you can also read our blog to Learn How To Solve The Issue Of GBoard Not Working.