A number of people have recently found their keyboards not functioning while they’re using the Chrome browser.
Some believe it’s more frequently observed among Windows 10-run devices.Luckily, the problem can be fixed with a couple of simple steps.
On occasion, a simple restart and refresh might remove the keyboard non-functioning issue. There are also other ways to remedy the bug and get on with your browsing activity, uninterrupted.
Cleaning out Your Cache Could Help
This is a very simple solution and has been found to work. If you are already on the Chrome browser, follow the below steps:
Step 1 – Click on the menu button on the top right corner.
Step 2 – Choose Settings.
Step 3 – You need to scroll down to the bottom and click Advanced.
Step 4 – On this dialogue box, you will find the “clear browsing data” option.
Step 5 – You will be presented with multiple options here: browsing history, cookies and other site data, and cached images and files
Step 6 – Each of the above options has an indicator which will show the box ticked; unless you wish to retain any particular item, you can choose to click on the “clear data” button at the bottom.
Step 7 – Then, there will be another option in the displayed dropdown menu which will give you the choices to clear cache in the last one hour, one day, one week, one month or all of it. You can choose any of these options and click on the “clear data” button.
Note: There is the Advanced button too on the same page, which will add more data from your computer being cleared. However, for the purpose of this exercise, it is not relevant.
Step 8 – When you’re done, close the window and restart the Chrome browser app.
Step 9 – This exercise of clearing the data and restarting the system should remove the issue of the keyboard not responding when you’re using the Chrome browser. Reopen the browser window to check if it is rectified.
Try Hardware Acceleration
Step 1 – Google Chrome has a feature in its settings to make this adjustment. The steps are almost the same as above:
Step 2 – Go to Settings via the dropdown menu on the top right corner of the Chrome browser.
Step 3 – Scroll down to the bottom and choose Advanced.
Step 4 – On this page, again scroll down and find the legend “Use hardware acceleration when available.”
Step 5 – When you click on it, the function will be disabled and when you restart the browser, the keyboard issue should remain solved
In most cases, the unresponsive keyboard issue may not surface again.
Browser Extensions Should Be Disabled
Step 1 – Another method for fixing the keyboard problem on Chrome is to follow these steps:
Step 2 – Go to Menu and on the dropdown settings, select More Tools.
Step 3 – It will have more options when clicked on, including Extensions.
Step 4 – The next page will show all the browser extensions present on Chrome at that juncture; you can choose to remove all extensions.
Step 5 – Now close the Chrome browser window and open again.
Your keyboard issue would have been resolved.
Note that you have now disabled all extensions. This may have other implications, though one of them could have caused the keyboard non-functioning issue in the first place. The best course would be to spend a little more time and go back to the extensions page and restore one after the other and check if the keyboard problem still exists. You could possibly restore all the browser extensions that do not require a keyboard to function.
Other Solutions That Could Get the Keyboard Working Again
Besides the solutions listed above, there are many minor steps that could be tried on the go to check if the keyboard works.
- Browse using Incognito Mode: This is a simple method to check if the keyboard is working with the Incognito Mode feature on the Chrome browser. At least, you could get along with your immediate work and try out the other permanent solution listed above, later.
- Reinstall Chrome: Disabling the Google Chrome app is one of the first things people could try to do when their keyboard stops working with the browser. You can then use any other browser to download Chrome afresh. It is possible that the issue will go away. In the process, the browser installed on your system would be the latest version with all the updates released by Google in the interim. Here’s what to do:
- If you have a Windows 10 device, go to the “Uninstall a Program” setting in your Control Panel, select Google Chrome and uninstall it.
- If you are using a Mac, go to Finder, then Applications, then drag the app to your Trash bin.
- Check the Anti-Virus package in your system: There have been reports indicating that particular antivirus programs may cause this keyboard issue on the Chrome browser. The best course for you would be to remove the anti-virus program file from the system and check if that is the case with your system as well. If the problem goes away, try installing another anti-virus program. If this is not the case, you can always reinstall the same program back. If it is a package you have paid for, you would have the password to reactivate it and this should not be an issue.
Keyboard-Related Solutions
Finally, if the issue related to the keyboard not working on Chrome has something to do with Windows 10 on your PC, then there are a few steps needed to be addressed on the physical end of the keyboard as well:
The keyboard USB port could be unresponsive; if it is a simple hardware issue of the USB port not working, you can quickly check it by unplugging the keyboard and connecting the mouse or other device and if the port is the issue, try the keyboard on another port.
If the port is not the issue and still the keyboard is not working on the Chrome browser—and if you are sure it has to do with Windows 10—you may go through the process of disabling the Filter Keys under Keyboard within All Settings.
