How to use the keyboard test
- Pick the layout that matches your keyboard: full size, tenkeyless (no number pad), 60% or a MacBook.
- Press every key, one at a time. You do not need to click anything first.
- Look for keys that are still plain when you have finished.
A key turns orange while it is held down and stays green once it has registered. The counter shows how many keys on the layout have worked so far, and the list underneath shows each press with the character it typed, the key’s code and how long it was held.
What the results mean
- A key never lights up. The computer is not receiving it. Work through the quick checks below before deciding the switch is dead.
- A key lights up but types the wrong character. The key works. The drawing follows where the key is, and the character comes from the keyboard layout set on your computer, for example UK instead of US. Change the input language in your system settings.
- A key stays orange after you let go. The release never arrived, which can mean a key or switch that is sticking. Press it again to clear it.
- A double typing warning. A key registered a second press within 20 ms of being released. A finger cannot do that, so the switch may be chattering. Confirm it with the keyboard double typing test.
- Keys stop lighting up when you hold several at once. That is the keyboard’s rollover limit, not a fault. The keyboard ghosting test measures it.
Keys a browser cannot see
A few keys never reach a web page, on this site or any other:
- Fn. The keyboard handles it itself and only sends the key it changes, such as F5 or a volume key. That is why it is drawn with a dashed outline, and so is Touch ID on a MacBook.
- Media, brightness and volume keys are usually kept by the operating system. On a Mac, the top row controls brightness and volume unless you hold fn or set the keys to work as standard function keys.
- Print Screen on Windows often reports only its release, because Windows uses the press to take a screenshot. It still lights up here.
- System shortcuts such as the Windows key, Alt+Tab and Cmd+Tab may act before the page sees them, and Ctrl+Alt+Delete always goes to Windows. In Chrome and Edge, the full screen button lets the page receive the keys the operating system allows. Chrome may ask for permission first; hold Esc for two seconds to leave.
Keys that the browser does see but that are not on the drawing, such as the extra key next to left Shift on European keyboards, or the arrows reached through Fn on a 60% board, appear under the drawing with a dashed outline.
Full size, tenkeyless, 60% and MacBook
Full size is the classic desktop keyboard with a number pad. Tenkeyless drops the number pad, which is also close to most laptop keyboards. A 60% board keeps only the main block: no function row, arrows or navigation keys, which it reaches through a second layer. Its top-left key is usually Esc and gives ` through that layer, so either one lights it here. MacBook is the built-in keyboard of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
The drawing follows the US arrangement of keys. Keys are matched by their position, not by the letter printed on them, so French, German and other keyboards work too. In Chrome and Edge the letters on the drawing change to match your own layout.
Quick checks before you blame the keyboard
- Plug it into a different USB port, directly into the computer rather than through a hub.
- For a wireless keyboard, charge it or fit fresh batteries, and move the receiver closer.
- Try the keyboard on another computer, and another keyboard on this one. That tells you which of the two has the problem.
- If keys only work after being held for a moment, make sure Filter Keys (Windows) or Slow Keys (Mac) is turned off. Windows turns Filter Keys on when right Shift is held for eight seconds.
- Take off the keycap and clear out dust and crumbs, a common cause of keys that stick or miss.
- On a mechanical keyboard with hot-swap sockets, move the switch of a dead key to another socket. If the fault moves with it, the switch is bad.
More keyboard tests
- Keyboard ghosting test: how many keys register at once, with the gaming combinations to try.
- Keyboard double typing test: for a key that types two letters when you press it once.
Checking a mouse or a game controller as well? Use the mouse test or the controller test. To measure your own speed rather than the hardware, try the spacebar counter or the reaction test.