How to Disable Laptop Keyboard

Knowing how to disable a laptop keyboard becomes indispensable when you want to clean it, remove keys, or simply when it’s malfunctioning. It can also come in handy if you have small children or a pet that could accidentally mess up with your data.

While there are many other online tutorials that focus on how to disable your keyboard by disassembling your device, or coding or command firing, we’ve decided to center our guide around the easy ways to disable your keyboard, either temporarily or permanently.

To disable your laptop’s built-in keyboard, you will have to disable or change certain settings. You can use the Device Manager, or the Local Group Policy Editor for Windows, or install a third-party app for Mac.

Keep reading to discover all the ways you can disable your laptop keyboard.

How to Temporarily Disable Laptop Keyboard in Windows 10

The methods to disable the laptop keyboard that we’re going to discuss in this section are all temporary, meaning they will only work until you restart your device. Using temporary disabling methods can be quite useful if you only need to disable your keyboard to remove keys for cleaning.

Disable laptop keyboard when external is plugged in

Before you try out this technique that was popularized in 2017 by Youtuber Try it Studio’, there are a few things you should know first. You should be aware that it doesn’t work on all devices, and if it does, there’s a chance it may cause issues to your laptop and its OS.

Moreover, some HP users have reported experiencing the infamous blue screen of death when using this method, so we definitely don’t recommend you try it if you have an HP laptop.

If you do want to attempt this, you’re going to need an external keyboard, of course, but also an external mouse because this method will disable your laptop’s trackpad as well.

Step-by-step instructions:

Here’s what you have to do to temporarily disable your laptop keyboard:

1. Plug in your external keyboard and mouse.
2. Click the ‘Start’ button or press the Windows key if you can, then type ‘Device Manager’ (you don’t need to type the whole word, just the few first letters will do).
3. Open the Device Manager, click on the ‘Keyboards’ dropdown, and locate your laptop’s built-in keyboard.

4. Right-click on the name of your keyboard.
5. Click on ‘Update driver.’

6. Click on ‘Browse my computer for driver software’ in the new window that will open.

7. Choose ‘Let me pick from a list of devices drivers on my computer.’
8. Uncheck the box ‘Show compatible hardware.’
9. On the left side of the window, you will have to select a manufacturer. Choose any manufacturer that’s NOT your laptop’s manufacturer.
10. A device will appear on the right side of the window, under ‘Model.’ Select it, then click ‘Next.’

11. You will see a warning pop up. Select ‘Yes.’
12. The driver will start installing. Once it has finished, click on ‘Close.’
13. If you’re prompted to restart your laptop, do it.

What you have done is basically install the wrong driver in place of the correct one for your built-in keyboard. With this method, a restart won’t reenable your laptop’s keyboard because the OS will see that there is a driver there, assume it’s the right one, and pass over it.

To revert back to your laptop’s keyboard, all you have to do is follow steps 1 through 6, but you will have to select ‘Search automatically for driver software,’ instead of ‘Browse my computer for driver software.’

If you prefer a safer way of disabling your laptop’s keyboard that will not damage your device’s OS, then skip over to the next section.

Using Windows Device Manager

While using the Device Manager to uninstall the keyboard’s driver is the fastest way to disable your laptop’s built-in keyboard, it’s also the most temporary because it will only work until you restart your device.

However, there are absolutely no risks involved, so you might want to try this one first and see if it works for you.

Step-by-step instructions:

Let’s see how to use Windows Device Manager to disable laptop keyboard:

1. Plug in your external keyboard and mouse.
2. Click the ‘Start’ button or press the Windows key if you can, then type ‘Device Manager’ (you don’t need to type the whole word, just the few first letters will do).
3. Open the Device Manager, click on the ‘Keyboards’ dropdown, and locate your laptop’s built-in keyboard.

4. Right-click on the name of your keyboard.
5. Select ‘Uninstall device.’

That’s all! Simple and easy, don’t you think?

If you want to revert back to your laptop’s keyboard, all you have to do is restart the device. As it boots up again, Windows will notice the missing driver and install the generic version of it automatically.

How to Permanently Disable Laptop Keyboard in Windows 10

If none of the methods we’ve mentioned before has worked for you, or if you’re simply looking for a permanent solution, then you can set a device installation restriction to stop the keyboard from reinstalling every time your laptop starts up.

Using Local Group Policy Editor

This method uses the built-in Local Group Policy Editor, which is only available with Windows Pro and Windows Enterprise. Essentially, you will be identifying the keyboard’s hardware ID and telling the Editor to prevent the OS from installing anything that matches it.

These are the steps you should follow to permanently disable the laptop keyboard in Windows 10 using Local Group Policy Editor:

Find your keyboard’s ID

1. Click the ‘Start’ button or press the Windows key if you can, then type ‘Device Manager’ (you don’t need to type the whole word, just the few first letters will do).

2. Open the Device Manager, click on the ‘Keyboards’ dropdown, and locate your laptop’s built-in keyboard.
3. Right-click on the name of your keyboard, and select ‘Properties.’

4. In the Details tab, change the Property drop-down option to ‘Hardware Ids.’

You’re going to need to copy the first entry in the list, so leave this window open while you work on the second stage of the process.

Create the restriction

1. Press Win+R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box. Alternatively, you can press the Windows key and type ‘Run’ into the search bar.
2. Enter ‘gpedit.msc’ in the command line to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. On the left side panel, you will see an item called ‘Computer Configuration.’ Navigate to Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Device Installation Restrictions.

4. Locate ‘Prevent installation of devices that match any of these devices IDs’ in the long list of settings—Right-click on it and select Edit.

5. Select ‘Enabled’ in the upper-left portion of the window that will open. Click on the ‘Show’ button in the Options section below it.

6. Go back to the Device Manager (right where you left it in Step 4), right-click the first entry in the list, and select ‘Copy.’

7. Return to the restriction policy you were setting, double-click the space under ‘Value,’ and then press Ctrl+V to paste the keyboard’s ID into the box.
8. Click on the ‘OK’ button on that screen, and then do it again on the policy screen.

Finishing up

1. Go back to the Device Manager, and close the Keyboard properties window.
2. Locate your device again, right-click on it, and select ‘Uninstall device.’

3. Accept any prompts that show up.
4. Restart your laptop to permanently disable its built-in keyboard.

Troubleshooting

If the laptop’s keyboard still works, there’s a chance that the ID you used didn’t take. In such cases, you just have to repeat the process, but for steps 6 and 7 use any other hardware IDs listed in the Device Manager to be sure.

While this is a permanent method to disable your laptop’s keyboard, it doesn’t mean it can’t be undone. Return to the Local Group Policy Editor, and set the policy status to ‘Not Configured.’ Reboot your device to save changes and re-enable the laptop keyboard.

How to Disable Laptop Keyboard on Mac

Unfortunately, there’s no way to disable a Mac keyboard permanently like with Windows-based laptops. There is, however, one temporary fix:

Using KeyboardCleanTool

The best solution we’ve found for Mac users is downloading KeyboardCleanTool, a third-party app that will allow you to easily disable and reenable your keyboard whenever you want.

This app was originally designed to be a Mac app that could be used to turn the keyboard off when it needed to be cleaned, but it was rejected by Apple because they didn’t think it was useful. We believe this well-made app can actually be very useful when your keyboard dies on you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I disable laptop keyboard in Windows 7?

Any of the methods we’ve mentioned for Windows 10 in this article should work for Windows 7 as well. Try them out, and if they don’t solve your problems, then you might want to consider using a third-party app.

Will the power button work if I disable my laptop keyboard?

Yes, don’t worry. The power button will still work even if you disable the keyboard.

Conclusion

Whether it’s time to clean your laptop keyboard of dust and debris, or the keyboard is malfunctioning, and you prefer using a new one, there may come a time when you need to know how to disable a laptop keyboard.

Luckily, we’ve covered different ways you can achieve this either temporarily or permanently, both in Windows and Mac computers.

Hopefully, you will find one that works for you and solves your keyboard issues!