If you are an insatiable gamer and use your laptop for gaming, you’ve probably run into at least a few issues with your keyboard. Frequently used keys can start malfunctioning after constant wear and tear and even stop working completely. Unlike your regular desktop, you can’t just change the keyboard, by merely unplugging it from the CPU’s USB port and replacing it with a new one.

If you’re worried that someone could misuse your keyboard while gaming in your absence, or just wish to temporarily disable the keyboard, or have any reason whatsoever of disabling your keyboard, here are two methods that will help you do that on both your Windows laptop and PC without requiring any third-party software.

How to disable a keyboard on Windows laptop and PC?

Below mentioned are two methods using which you can disable the keyboard of your Windows laptop or PC. The first method works only temporarily in Windows 10 Home edition — reinstates keyboard functionality upon restart — but disables the keyboard until it’s enabled back again in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise editions. The second method is a workaround if the first one doesn’t work for you.

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Method 1

Windows 10 lets its user disable the onboard keypad and put a new one in its place. The only issue is that every time you reset your laptop, the laptop’s keyboard will get connected.

The first step is to disable the keyboard, and the next is to stop it from reconfiguring each time at startup

Step 1: To disable the keyboard, you need to go to the device manager. To open the same, click on Start > Control Panel > Device Manager or you can press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt and type devmgmt.msc there to launch the Device Manager. Step 2: Under the device manager, click on Keyboards and from the dropdown options right-click on Standard PS/2 keyboard > Disable. If the disable option is not available to click on Uninstall the device.

The process mentioned above will take care of disabling the keyboard, but it will re-configure and enable the keyboard when the laptop restarts.

If you have Windows Pro or Enterprise editions, you can make this change permanent until you manually enable the keyboard.

• Press Windows + R to open Run > write gpedit.msc and press OK.
• The local group policy editor will open — only available for Windows Pro and Enterprise users — go to administrative templates > system > Device installation > Device installation restrictions.
• Then right-click on Prevent the installation of devices not described by other Policy Settings > Edit
• A new checkbox will appear; select enabled radio button click on apply and then click on Ok.

Also read: What is Secure boot and how to disable it?

Method 2

There is another way to disable the keyboard, which is a little unorthodox. This process updates the driver of the keyboard, with the wrong driver, which causes the keyboard to stop working. Go to Device Manager in the Control Panel and follow the steps below.

Step 1: Select Keyboard and then right-click on Standard PS/2 keyboard.Step 2: From the drop-down menu, click on Update driver.Step 3: Now select Browse my computer for driver software.Step 4: Next, select Let me pick from available drivers on my computer. Step 5: Untick Show compatible hardware.Step 6: Now, select any driver that is not compatible with your keyboard and then click on Next. Follow the on-screen instructions and then restart your computer.

Some laptops use the same drivers for pointing devices and keyboards. Due to this, your laptop’s trackpad could stop working as well. So, it is advised to keep a USB mouse in hand as well.

To avoid getting into trouble with the primary keyboard of the laptop, most of the gamers prefer using mechanical keyboards. They provide a better gaming experience with each keystroke, and no gamer has said no to RGB lighting. Using an external keyboard is highly recommended for gaming as it keeps the laptop’s keyboard in pristine condition.

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