How to turn off the keyboard or a separate key on a computer

Interaction with the computer in many ways comes from the keyboard, which, if necessary, can even replace the mouse. But keyboards often get broken, for example, one of the keys may become dysfunctional (especially if it is used very often). In this situation, you should not get rid of your keyboard right away, because at the program level, you can reassign the functionality of a faulty key to the one that is not broken. Also there are reverse situations when, for example, you need to disable your keyboard completely. In the framework of this article we will tell you how to perform these or other non-standard actions with the keyboard.

Table of contents:
1. How to disable the keyboard in Windows
2. How to disable the keyboard by system means 
3. How to disable the keyboard by third party applications
4. How to replace or disconnect the separate key on a keyboard in Windows

How to disable the keyboard in Windows

This may sound unusual, but some users in this or another situation may have a need to turn off the keyboard completely. For example, it may be necessary on a laptop if it is given to the child to watch cartoons. To prevent the child from accidentally closing the video, it is enough to turn off the keyboard and mouse (touchpad). This can be done by both – means of the system and by some third-party applications. Let’s see available options.

How to disable the keyboard by system means

To completely disable the keyboard keys operation you will have to make some certain changes in the “Device Manager”. You will need to complete the following steps:

1. Right-click on the “Start” and in the drop-down menu, select “Device Manager”;
2. Scroll through the list of available devices to the “Keyboards” section and open it. If only one keyboard is connected to the computer, then it will be standing alone in the drop-down list. Right-click on it and select “Disable device”;

3. After that, confirm your decision by clicking “Yes”.

After completing 3 simple steps, you will be able to switch off the keyboard on your computer completely – no keys will work on it. To turn the keyboard back on, you also need to go to the Device Manager, right-click the disabled manipulator again and turn it on.

How to disable the keyboard by third party applications

There are a number of programs from third-party developers that allow you to completely disable the keyboard. They do not differ much in terms of functionality, but there are some differences in the interface and controls. There are two most popular programs that allow you to disable the keyboard of a laptop or any other computer running Windows:

• A very simple application that can be downloaded for free from its developer’s website. The moment you start running it there will be a window in front of you with a single button, which contains the “Lock Keyboard and Mouse” inscription. Clicking on it will turn off the keyboard and the mouse (touchpad) both. For the manipulators to start working again, just press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys combination and open Windows menu. Press Esc to exit the menu.
• Kid Key Lock. This program has slightly more flexible settings, and its benefits also include the ability to work “from the archive”, that is, it does not need to be installed. After launching the application, to go to its settings, you need to type on the keyboard the kklsetup command (just on the desktop). There will be opened a settings window where you can enable or disable certain devices. You can also set shortcut keys to lock and unlock the keyboard.

There are also dozens of other applications that allow you to completely disable the keyboard in Windows.

How to replace or disconnect the separate key on a keyboard in Windows

There are situations when you need to disable only one key, for example, if it is stuck or getting pressed spontaneously. It may also be necessary to replace the assignment of one of the keys with another, for example, if Esc is broken, you can assign its function to the F12 key or another “useless” key on the keyboard. In this situation, you can use the MapKeyboard application as it has the necessary functionality.

Download the MapKeyboard application from the official developer’s website and run it to replace or disable a key on the keyboard. After that perform the following steps:

1. There will open a keyboard map, which will allow you to visually fix all the necessary settings. Press the key that has to be reassigned (or disabled);
2. The button will be highlighted in green, and then in the drop-down menu in the “Remap selected key to” column you need to find a key, the actions of which must be assigned to the previously selected one. If you want to disable a key, then just set the Disable option;
3. When all the settings are done, click “Save layout”, then click “Yes”. Then you will just have to restart the computer or restart the profile for the actions to be applied.

It is worth noting that if you will need to reset all the changes and return the default values ​​to the keys, you must click “Reset keyboard layout”.