The Spacebar and Enter keys are used the most often, and they often go unnoticed by computer users. We only realize how valuable these unsung heroes are when they stop working. This is a frustrating issue. We will look at how to fix the Spacebar or Enter key is not working issue on Windows 11/10 in this article.
Spacebar or Enter are not working
There are two possible reasons for the problem - Hardware faults and Software problems. Software-related aspects of this error are related to Windows configuration and drivers. The following areas need to be considered:
- Make sure Sticky Keys and Filter Keys are set correctly
- Start the Keyboard Troubleshooter.
- Update, rollback, or uninstall the keyboard driver
- Check the keyboard physically.
Ensure that each step of the troubleshooting resolves the issue.
1] Make sure Sticky Keys and Filter Keys are configured correctly
Check the configuration of Sticky Keys and Filter Keys in the Windows Settings app. All methods have been found to be effective with this method. When Sticky Keys or Filter Keys are enabled, some keys on the keyboard may not work.
Windows 11
When sticky keys and filter keys are enabled, they may interrupt the working of physical keys on your keyboard, which could also explain why your spacebar and enter key aren't working correctly. See if you can solve the problem by turning off Sticky keys, Filter keys, and their associated settings on your Windows 11/10 computer.
Here are the steps for Windows 11 users:
- Select the Start button by right-clicking
- Go to the Settings tab
- On the Settings app, click Accessibility
- Scroll down to the right.
- The Keyboard page can be found under the Interaction category
- Disable the Sticky keys button
- Go to the Sticky keys section by clicking it
- You can turn off Sticky keys by holding down the Shift key five times.
- Return to the Keyboard page
- Turn off button available for Filter keys section
- Click on the Filter keys section
- Disable the Keyboard shortcut for Filter keys (Press Shift and hold for 8 seconds to enable Filter keys) button
- Make sure the Ignore quick keystrokes (slow keys) button is turned off
- Make sure the Ignore repeated keystrokes (repeat keys) button is turned off.
Windows 10
To access the keyboard, open the Settings app and search for Ease of Access > Keyboard. Make sure that the toggle for Press one key at a time for keyboard shortcuts is off under Sticky Keys.
Toggle off the option to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes and change keyboard repeat rates under the Filter Keys section.
2] Use the Keyboard Troubleshooter
Windows 11
Windows 11/10 comes with a keyboard troubleshooter as part of its native features. You can use it to fix keyboard-related errors, such as keyboard settings and Text Services Framework. It might work for this particular issue as well.
If you are running Windows 11, follow these steps to run the Keyboard troubleshooter:
- Press Win+I hotkey to open the Settings app window
- Access the System category
- Click on the Troubleshoot Settings page
- Click on Other troubleshooters
- Scroll down the page to access the Other section
- Press the Run button available for Keyboard.
In Windows 11, problems related to the keyboard will be automatically detected and the fix provided based on the problem. Your problem should be resolved once you apply those fixes.
Windows 10 users can run the Keyboard Troubleshooter in the Troubleshoot page in Windows 10 Settings.
You may also run the Hardware Troubleshooter or reset the keyboard to default settings too.
3] Rollback, Uninstall or Update the Keyboard driver
You need to either update or rollback the driver. If you just updated any driver, and then this issue started after that you need to rollback the driver. If you did not, then maybe updating this device driver to its latest version will help.
You need to work with the keyboard drivers found under the Keyboards option in the Device Manager. It is also possible to uninstall the driver and then search for and download the latest version of the driver, and then install it.
Please check if that resolves your issue.
4] Physically check the keyboard
Make sure there is no physical obstruction under the keys. Physically cleaning the keyboard and keys is a good idea if that's the case.
You should also check the connection mode you're using for your keyboard.
Last but not least, check to see if this keyboard works on another system. You will be able to determine whether the problem is with the computer or with the keyboard.
It's time to get a new keyboard if nothing works.
If you were able to fix the enter key and space bar, please let us know.
How do I fix my keyboard not working on Windows 11?
The laptop keyboard may not work on your Windows 11 computer if you are using a laptop. If it has bad or outdated drivers, if sticky keys or filter keys interrupt the keyboard, or if keyboard settings are incorrect, etc., it could be the case. There are some simple fixes you can apply to make your keyboard work again in such a case. The following are some of those fixes:
- Reset the keyboard settings to their defaults
- The keyboard drivers should be reinstalled
- You can use the Windows Keyboard troubleshooter to fix the problem
- The Settings app of Windows 11 allows you to turn off Filter keys and/or Sticky keys.
Take a look at each fix one by one and see which one works for you.
What should I do if my spacebar isn't responding?
The spacebar key on some laptops or desktop keyboards becomes unresponsive or stops working for some users. There may be a lot of frustration involved with this. However, there are some solutions you can try to make the spacebar key work again. The following solutions can help you if you are using Windows 11 or Windows 10:
- Use the Keyboard troubleshooter in Windows 11/10
- Turn off Sticky keys and the settings that have been applied
- Update your keyboard drivers or roll them back.
This post covers all such solutions for Windows 11 and Windows 10 in step-by-step detail.