Why Is My Bluetooth Keyboard Not Working

With the idea of wireless peripherals being a popular alternative to the wired older brother, more and more people have been experiencing issues that are specific to these items. The Bluetooth keyboard has become a widely used peripheral amongst both gamers and casual users, its flexibility and compact design with no cabling being its biggest selling point. So a Bluetooth connection has its advantages and gaming chairs that have built-in speakers that are connected to the console or computer via Bluetooth work without problems.

However, that does not mean it is all good and no bad, the Bluetooth versions have their own issues and complications, which is what we will be covering today. The most common setback and problems you experience when using a Bluetooth keyboard and how to fix them.

Bluetooth keyboard disconnects in Windows 10

The keyboard disconnecting after a successful pair to your PC can be an annoying and repetitive occurrence, sometimes nothing seems to solve the problem. Luckily for you, we have compiled a small list of the common fixes for this particular issue

1. Disconnect the device and remove the USB receiver, then replug it to a different USB port. The reconnection procedure should hopefully fix the disconnection and establish a secure connection between the Bluetooth keyboard and the PC.
2. Forget the device from the Control Panel window, then proceed to repair and reconnect. The fresh connection should hopefully remove the problem.
3. Remove all previous connections that are clogging up in your system and try a fresh restart.

Wifi interference

Wireless interference can affect both Wifi and Bluetooth connections simultaneously, but since we are focusing on Bluetooth connections let’s try a probable fix for it.
Since most common Wifi routers and Bluetooth connections on wireless keyboards use the same bandwidth of 2.4Ghz, there might be a possibility of inference. Luckily most modern routers have an easy solution for this. Users can change the router preferred bandwidth to 5Ghz which is different from what is used by your Bluetooth keyboard; preventing any complications during use.
Of course, if the above solution is not possible the alternatives are quite manual and crude but it may show some reductions in the level of interference.

1. Bring the Wifi Router close to your PC this may limit the signal interferences.
2. Prevent any physical obstructions between the PC and the keyboard as this may cause lag and possible loss of connection.

Depleted battery

Most losses in signal strength and connections are due to the Bluetooth keyboards’ battery running out. By replacing the keyboard’s battery properly instead of blindly adhering to the timeline given by the manufacturer can prevent any problems. Battery life is not a constant and it depletes at a variable pace with many factors affecting it such as temperature, usage per session, and even heat/humidity.

Driver malfunctions

The hardware is just one part of the system, your PC and peripherals all have software that is integrated within its design to make it function efficiently. The drivers that come with the keyboard are often old and need to be updated along with the user’s PC. As the PC operating system gets updated through the software patches, countless changes are made to its configurations which affects how the system communicates with external hardware. To adapt to these changes the driver on which the Bluetooth keyboard operates should also be regularly updated.

Updates to the keyboard drivers can be found on the manufacturer’s website. This is what we recommend and strongly advise. Please do not download executables from third-party sites that claim to release updates as it may contain malware. If your keyboard is from either Logitech, Alienware, Razor or SteelSeries, you can download all respective purpose device managers that can make easy work of the whole procedure.

Repetitive keystrokes/keystrokes not registered

This can occur due to a large variety of problems but we have isolated two of the main causes of this and a fix for each. The first cause is software-based and the second is hardware-based.

• If you recently did a Windows update prior to the keyboards malfunctioning, this might very well be the culprit. Of course, reversing a Windows update is downright strenuous not to mention near impossible without a rollback point. Luckily there is another way to correct it;

Go to the keyboard section in the control panel and untick the “ Filter Keys”( this is usually unticked by default but updates may cause this to get turned on)

Go to control panel hardware and sounds and locate your keyboard in the devices listed. After locating your specific keyboard, click it and go to the keyboard settings where you can drag the slider which determines the repeat rate to the middle. Certain updates can cause the slider to move up to the right causing your keystrokes to get repeatedly inputted.

• Dust build-up
  Over time with use and mostly due to poor working conditions, dust can accumulate inside your keyboard. The dust can clog your keys and stop them from responding. The fix is simple: use a blow dryer to blow away the dust inside the keyboard.
  This can be done for a membrane keyboard by taking it apart but if you have a mechanical keyboard, you just need to pry the individual keys off before blowing the air in through the holes.

Pairing issues

Sometimes the pairing between your wireless keyboard and the PC might get in the way even before everything is set up. Pairing issues are quite common and go hand in hand with passcode problems. The cause of this issue can vary but the solutions are quite simple and also pretty limited;

• Manually enter the passcode
• Change the PC’s power-saving mode.

That sums up our guide to fixing some of the most common problems that users with Bluetooth keyboards may encounter on a daily basis. Of course, there are some fixes that require the user to access the registry through cmd but we did not add it in as it is quite rare and also quite dangerous to mess around with. We will update this article as we come across more solutions for your problems but as of now, this is what the user base has encountered most frequently in their daily lives of being an owner of a Bluetooth-supported wireless keyboard.