The virtual keyboard is a standard component of the Windows family of operating systems. The need for its use may arise not only among people with disabilities. The virtual keyboard will help you out in those cases when, for some reason, the regular keyboard has failed, and something urgently needs to be done on the computer. It is also useful when entering confidential information that needs to be protected from special programs that intercept characters entered from the keyboard.

The on-screen keyboard is displayed on the computer screen with all the standard set of keys. Only an additional digital block is missing. Follow the steps below to enable the virtual keyboard.

1. Click the "Start" button and in the menu that appears, expand the "All Programs" list.
   
2. In the list of programs, expand the "Accessories" group.
   
3. In standard programs, find the "Accessibility" folder and enter it.
   
4. Launch the On-Screen Keyboard component.
   

By default, the on-screen keyboard sits on top of all other windows and, when launched, does not block input from the regular keyboard. In the settings that are called when you click on the additional button "Parameters" directly on the keyboard, you can set three modes for entering characters:

1. By clicking on the corresponding button with the mouse pointer.
   
2. By hovering the mouse cursor over the corresponding key for a certain time. The hover duration can also be set in the settings.
   
3. According to the key scan mode for which control actions can be used through a joystick, a game pad, or a specially assigned key on a regular keyboard.
   

In addition to the operating system application, a virtual keyboard can be found on some sites as part of specialized applications. For example, in Kaspersky Internet Security, a comprehensive solution for protecting computers from threats, you can launch a virtual keyboard from the anti-virus control panel. To do this, double-click the left mouse button on the program icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar - the so-called system tray. In the window that opens, go to the “Settings” section and click on the button labeled “Virtual Keyboard”.

The most famous site where you can use the built-in virtual keyboard is the Google search page. On the search pages for texts, images and maps, you can activate the virtual keyboard by clicking on the corresponding icon in the right corner of the search bar.

Also, the virtual keyboard can be launched by default when entering a password on Internet banking access sites in order to protect users as much as possible from stealing passwords by intercepting them when entering from a regular keyboard.

Thus, there are quite enough ways to enable a virtual keyboard on a modern computer. You just need to choose the most suitable and convenient for you.

The virtual (on-screen) keyboard is an analogue of the physical keyboard, which is controlled by the mouse pointer. This article will show you how to enable the on-screen keyboard on Windows 7, 8, as well as how to configure, use and start it, disable it when the OS boots.

The keyboard on the computer screen is necessary in such cases:

1. there is no physical input device.
2. The input device is not working properly or the keys are not working on it.
3. Health problems holding back from normal input

How to turn on the keyboard on the computer screen

The launch file of the virtual input device is located in the System32 folder of the Windows directory and is called osk.exe, from here you can call the virtual keyboard, but few people will use such actions. There are enough ways to enable the on-screen keyboard on Windows 7, 8. Let's look at each of them in more detail.

Enabling virtual input device in Windows 7:

2. Launch the control panel, set the view to "small icons". Find the "Ease of Access Center" object, launch it. The last action that needs to be done is to click the "Enable On-Screen Keyboard" object.

3. In the Start search, type "on-screen keyboard" (without quotes), then press Enter.

4. In the Run command window, type osk.exe. Click OK.

5. If you have a password to enter the system, then click the accessibility icon, which is attached to the lower left corner. Check the box for input without keyboard, click OK. This will open the Windows 7 On-Screen Keyboard. In the upper left corner you can change the input language.

Enabling a virtual input device in Windows 8 is different due to the changed interface, but point 4 above can be used here. Use one of the methods below:

1. Click Start to exit to the start screen. Click the down arrow at the bottom left. In the application menu, move all the way to the right. Find and open the "on-screen keyboard" item.

2. In the control panel, in the "view" area, select "large icons". Next, find the element "accessibility", click it. Next, click "Enable On-Screen Keyboard".

3. Call the search with the key combination Win + W, select the search location "everywhere". Enter "on-screen keyboard" into the search bar (no quotes needed). We are waiting, then in the list below we select the desired object.

4. To use the electronic keyboard to enter a password when logging in, click the icon shown in the screenshot, which is located in the lower left corner. In the menu that appears, click "on-screen keyboard".

In most cases, one resorts to a virtual input device when it is not possible to use a physical input device. To enable the Windows 7 on-screen keyboard with a mouse, use recommendations 1, 2, 5 for the seven, 1, 2, 4 for the eight. All kinds of ways to call the keyboard on the screen are described above.

How to start, remove the automatic loading of the electronic input device when entering the OS

Now let's look at how to enable or disable the Windows 7 on-screen keyboard when the OS boots. Autoloading the virtual keyboard is especially relevant if you use it on an ongoing basis, or if you are faced with the situation of entering an account password for the first time, in this way. Use one of the options below.

1. Call the keyboard on the computer screen using one of the methods described above. At the bottom, click the "Settings" button. Click the link to control the launch of the on-screen keyboard at login.

2. Get to Accessibility in Control Panel in the 2 way described above for Windows 7, 8. Select the option marked in the screenshot.

In the Control Panel item that opens, check the "Use On-Screen Keyboard" checkbox. Click OK. After that, the computer keyboard on the monitor screen will automatically appear every time the OS is loaded. By performing the reverse steps, you can remove the on-screen keyboard from Windows startup at any time.

How to use and customize the virtual keyboard

The on-screen keyboard is controlled by the mouse. You need to put a blinking mouse cursor instead of text input. Next, left-click the desired keys, key combinations, for example, to change the language on the on-screen keyboard.

Note: if there are problems with input, check out the materials: why the input language does not change, the Windows language bar has disappeared.

To configure the input format and other settings, click the "Settings" button. Here you can change the following settings:

1. Audible Confirmation – Each press of the virtual keys will emit a beep.
2. Enable numeric keypad - enables additional buttons on the right. With the help of it, a folder without a name was created in the last article.
3. Keystrokes - sets the input by clicking the left mouse button.
4. Hovering over the keys - the character is entered when the mouse cursor is hovered over it, with the ability to select the hover duration.
5. Scanning keys - selection of a range of buttons in one line across the entire width, then after pressing the selection keys, scanning takes place over the selected line in a smaller range until the required button is pressed. You can set the scanning speed.
6. Text prediction - options allow you to suggest word options when typing the first letters and put a space after them.

After changing the parameters, do not forget to click OK.

I would also like to note that when you press Fn, the F1-F12 buttons appear in place of the numbers. When the numeric keypad is enabled, press Num Lock to access the numbers.

In Windows 7, 8, there are practically no differences in the on-screen keyboard, except that in the eight there are a number of additional buttons for improved control. These are the Nav (move), Mv Up (up), Mv Dn (down), Dock (pin), Fade (disappear) buttons.

So we looked at all the ways to enable the on-screen keyboard on Windows 7, 8, as well as the startup process, disabling its startup. The virtual input device fully mimics the actions of the buttons on a conventional keyboard and can be customized to suit your needs.

Publication date: 05/10/2012

There are many reasons why your keyboard may not work well or show no signs of life at all. First, you need to immediately determine the root cause of such a breakdown: software or hardware. In simple terms, either the keyboard itself is faulty, or the problem lies in the Windows settings.

So, in order...

The keyboard works, but some keys do not work well (sticky, do not respond to pressing, etc.).

The reason is usually simple - the keyboard is dirty.

You need to disassemble the keyboard and clean it. It does not matter what kind of keyboard you have (usb, standard, wireless, built-in laptop). Turn the keyboard over, unscrew a few screws. Here you will see that under each button there is a rubber pad. Sometimes it happens that the lining is torn or "slips" from its place- As a result, the corresponding key does not work. Then you just put everything in its place.

The key buttons can be wiped with anything, any cleaning agent. But it is better not to touch the translucent film and everything else. By the way, in order not to get confused later where which key should be, take a picture of your keyboard in advance. Of course, you can then find your keyboard model on the Internet and arrange the keys. But, nevertheless, it is much more convenient to take a photo of your keyboard. Some even number the keys with a pencil, so as not to get confused later. After "cleaning", put the keys in their places, place the rubber pads (they can be placed in any order - they are all the same). The work is painstaking, but the result is a perfectly working keyboard.

Plug problem

If you have a classic keyboard (with a round purple plug), then sometimes it happens that the small legs of the plug can bend.

In general, this type of connector is called PS / 2. Purple is for the keyboard, green is for the mouse. If you forcefully insert the plug, the legs may bend. Then you need to take tweezers (or small pliers) and straighten all the legs.

USB keyboard

This is a regular keyboard, only it is connected not to the PS / 2 connector, but to the USB connector.

If such a keyboard does not work when connected, then the problem is most likely hidden in the BIOS settings (SETUP). When starting the computer, press Del (or F6, everyone has different keys).

And since you can’t use the mouse in the bios settings, a reasonable question arises: “How will I press Del at startup, and how will I configure bios if the keyboard doesn’t work for me ???!” The problem is solved simply - go to a neighbor and beg him for a keyboard for 5 minutes :)

Wireless keyboard

I'll ask you a stupid question: "Have you charged your keyboard?"
Surprisingly, usually the battery just runs out and people forget to recharge it.

And it also happens that Windows simply cannot install drivers for your wireless keyboard. Then look for drivers on the Internet manually.

Drivers

It happens that some newly installed program unknowingly corrupts the keyboard drivers. If you have Windows 7 installed, then driver problems should not bother you. The system itself installs and restores drivers. Usually, you just need to restart your computer.

But there are times when a driver has gone bad, or a new driver doesn't work well. In such cases, there are two ways to proceed. First, restore the system to the day when the keyboard worked fine. Secondly, you can go to the device manager and update the drivers, or view their properties by looking at the diagnostics.

Keys do not work in a certain program or game

You should find the settings of the program or game and look at the key assignments. In general, study the settings. In games, as a rule, keys can be reassigned. And in the programs see the list of hot keys.

Some other tips

If, when you turn on the computer, it emits three long squeaks (beeps, sounds) - this means that you have inserted the keyboard incorrectly. Just unplug and re-insert.

If the keyboard suddenly does not work, first of all, check it on other computers. If you have only one computer (usually everyone does), then go to a neighbor and check the keyboard on his computer.

Sometimes it happens that the mouse (computer) starts to work poorly - jam and freeze. The mouse will constantly seem to disconnect and connect (while the computer will emit a beep when the device is connected). Due to the fact that the computer will constantly recheck the input devices connected to it, the keyboard will also begin to work poorly. Then just pull out the mouse, and recheck the keyboard.

And there are times when the mouse and keyboard cannot work at the same time. This happens VERY rarely, but it can happen. In some unknown way, some mouse models are simply incompatible with some keyboard models (?!). I personally encountered this case only once. It is usually possible to trick the computer in such a case. You need to find the mouse or keyboard in the registry and give them other names. Sometimes this helps ... For the same reason, joysticks (gamepads) in games may sometimes not work. For example, the game allows you to use gamepads only from Microsoft, and the rest simply do not work. Then you need to find your gamepad in the registry and rename it to the name Microsoft.

If the keyboard does not work, and you still need to find something on the Internet (for example: drivers for the keyboard), then you can use the on-screen keyboard.

That's all. Ask questions - I'll be happy to answer them.
Thank you for your attention!

Recent tips from the Computers & Internet section:

Council comments:

It turned out that the keyboard and mouse were incompatible. I switched the mouse to another port, all the letters on the keyboard work. I suffered for a month

When connecting a USB mouse to a laptop - it works, we add a USB keyboard - only the keyboard works, the mouse stops responding.

hello. I can't put enable in bios because it's not there. there is only disable and ani key. what to do? when rebooting, it creates 1 squeak and the button goes out on exit to the desktop. and the keyboard does not work.

Thank you! I got an answer, but the fact of the matter is that they didn’t give me any connectors for USB, what is my way out !?

I bought a LOGITESH mouse and keyboard a long time ago without wires, only with a battery compartment, and since then it has been a dead weight and I don’t know what to do!?

Robert, the kit should have connectors to usb. Insert them into usb ports, and turn on the power on the keyboard and mouse (usually the switch is at the bottom). Then go to "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Hardware" - "Add a device".

Can't find an answer; I bought in a store without instructions a keyboard and mouse without wires, which only have compartments for batteries from the Logitesh company without chips !? How to use I DON'T KNOW!!! What to do!?

One more thing can be with the keyboard (I know from my own experience) sometimes bolts are allowed in the back and because of this, not all keys work) I pulled it up and everything is fine))

hit the keyboard a couple of times in the laptop the keys do not work: n, r, r, o, t, b what to do

I bought a wireless keyboard for a Vivacase 10" tablet, universal for 10" for Android with a case, but some keys from the first row of letters QWER YUIOP T do not work, CAPS LOCK alternately ... The keys are flat, but you can pick it up with a thin strip of cardboard .. Can I "tear them off" and have a look? if not to break .... what kind of nonsense can be What could be the reason, how to fix it yourself?

When I turn on the computer, the keyboard works, and when the computer turns on, it stupidly stops working. What should I do? Help!

On a laptop, the buttons s, i, space sometimes stop working. Either they work or they don't. The laptop is not flooded, did not fall. Because of what can be such failures of Claudia?

oh night, I really need help, I have Windows 7 home extended, updated it to 10, but it didn’t fit, rolled back to 7 as indicated in the settings and the keyboard does not work, when I try to enter bios, it gives out safe mode, safe with loading network drivers , secure with command line support, Log Boot Entry, enable low resolution video mode (640/480), last known good configuration, debug mode, disable automatic restart on system failure, disable mandatory driver signature verification, normal Windows boot. When you enter the first three modes, the keyboard still does not work, as I understand it, there were problems with the drivers for the keyboard during the rollback, how to fix it if the drive on the laptop (Toshiba Satellite) does not work

I have to press several times until the action appears on the screen, but now I'm printing everything fine, and I started the text 5-6 times by clicking on the letters. how to fix it. worth 10

if the keyboard does not work (partially) on the laptop, but the on-screen keyboard works, can we assume that the keyboard controller is working (in other words, the on-screen keyboard uses the keyboard controller in its work or not

While the stationary physical keyboard does not work, you can still type on the ladonnik 5 (hybrida) online keyboard. It is similar to YZUKEN, but more convenient. On it you can print both in Western European languages, and in Slavic and Asian (CIS)

the keyboard is working, the old computer was broken (the vidyuha broke), I recently changed the vidyukha, I turn everything on, but the keyboard does not work, all ports and the keyboard are working, to turn on the computer it says (press enter), as I understand it on the keyboard, but as if it does not show signs of life, although working?

It is difficult to predict in advance when you may need a virtual keyboard on your computer. You can’t do without it if you need to reinstall the input device drivers, when the physical one, it will be needed if there are no other means for entering text, or if there are problems with some keys on the keyboard. The on-screen keyboard has always been in Windows operating systems, and launching it has never been a problem. At the same time, in Windows 10, Microsoft got so carried away that the system has two keyboards that can be entered using the mouse. In this article, we will give several ways at once how to launch the virtual keyboard on Windows 10, as well as note the main reasons why it may not work.

It was noted above that there are 2 types of virtual keyboards on computers running the Windows 10 operating system. In fact, their functionality is the same, but they differ somewhat in interface. In total, you can launch the on-screen keyboard in Windows 10 in 5 different ways, each of which is quite simple, and it will not be difficult to remember them all.

Through search

The easiest and most obvious search to launch the on-screen keyboard is to use the search, which in Windows 10 does its job well. To enable the virtual keyboard, click on the search icon in the lower left corner of the screen and enter the query "On-Screen Keyboard" in it, then select the option found.

The obvious disadvantage of this method is that it will be rather difficult to launch a virtual keyboard in this way if the physical keyboard does not work and there is nothing to enter a request with.

Through the "Run" command

The same type of on-screen keyboard described above can be launched via the Run command. To activate the "Run" line, press the keyboard shortcut Windows + R on the keyboard or right-click on the "Start" button and select the appropriate item. In the open line "Run" write osk and click "OK", after which the on-screen keyboard will be displayed on the screen.

This method has the same minus as the one described above - the need to enter a request from the keyboard, which is difficult if it is faulty.

Through the "Control Panel"

The Ease of Access Center in the Control Panel allows you to enable the on-screen keyboard. To do this, right-click on the Start button and select Control Panel from the pop-up menu. Next, in the upper right corner of the window that opens, you need to switch the view mode from "Category" to "Small Icons" or "Large Icons". After that, the "Ease of Access Center" icon will become available - click on it and select "Enable On-Screen Keyboard".

Through the quick taskbar

In the lower right corner of the Windows 10 screen, where the clock and other shortcut icons are located, you can hold the hot button to turn on the on-screen keyboard. To display it, right-click on the clock and check the box next to "Show touch keyboard". After that, a new icon will be available on the quick taskbar - just click on it with the left mouse button to launch the virtual keyboard, made in the touch style.

Through "Settings"

The computer settings menu allows you to launch the on-screen keyboard quite simply. To do this, click on "Start" with the left mouse button and go to "Settings". Next, you need to select the "Accessibility" item and go to the "Keyboard" tab on the left side of the screen. After that, it remains to click on the corresponding button to turn on the virtual keyboard.

On-screen keyboard won't turn on in Windows 10

If the on-screen keyboard on the computer is not enabled by any of the listed images, then, most likely, the corresponding service responsible for it is disabled. By disabling, the computer administrator could accidentally or intentionally turn off one of them, which is responsible for the virtual keyboard. Starting this service again is quite simple:

After the corresponding service is started, it remains to launch the on-screen keyboard using one of the methods described above.

When the on-screen keyboard constantly launches on its own without the appropriate user command, this indicates incorrect settings in the accessibility features of Windows 10. To stop this, you must do the following:

After following the steps above, the on-screen keyboard will stop spontaneously launching on a computer running Windows 10.

The virtual keyboard, which is also called the on-screen keyboard, was created to enter information by clicking on the characters with the cursor.

This is a great option for those who original keyboard broken or you are simply afraid of keyloggers, ie. keyloggers.

Keylogging 10–15 years ago was extremely popular with cybercriminals.

Such software could read the data you entered, after which the attackers used the victim’s credit cards, hacked him mail and not only.

The on-screen version of the keyboard is able to partially replace the “full-fledged analogue”, but the keyboard shortcuts do not work here, since you can only press 1 button at a time.

Application search

First, let's find a program on the PC. Download the on-screen keyboard for windows 7 will be required only if the OS assembly that you have was created in artisanal conditions.

In other cases, it is already preinstalled in the system. It remains only to get there. There are 2 ways to do this:

1. Quick search;
2. Standard search.

Method 1

The quick search process is extraordinary. We press "Start", after which in the line "find programs and files" we prescribe either the full phrase, or just the word "screen".

2 results will be displayed. Select the one that is highlighted and activate the program.

Method 2

In the case of a standard search, we do almost the same. Click "Start" and click on "All Programs".

A lot of folders will be displayed. We are looking for the one that is called "standard".

Scroll the mouse slider down until you find the Accessibility folder.

Open it and find the desired keyboard. Click on the icon to launch the application.

If you use the program systematically, despite the working standard keyboard, then the activation process can be simplified. Again, there are 2 methods available:

1) desktop shortcut;

2) keyboard shortcut.

Method 1

We do all the same manipulations as in the second search method, but right-click on the desired shortcut. A context menu will appear.

We do the same as in the screenshot.

Now you have a shortcut that will allow you to launch the software much faster.

Method 2

We need program properties. We perform the same operations as in the second search method, and again we click with the right button instead of the left one.

Properties will be displayed. We are interested in the selected fragment. Instead of a combination, it should say "No".

To assign launch keys, simply press any button on your keyboard. Ctrl+Alt will be substituted automatically.

Note! Let's say you have selected Ctrl+Alt+B. We save the changes, and then simultaneously press this combination of buttons. If everything is done correctly, the on-screen keyboard is activated.

Startup and settings

Now you need to turn on the on-screen keyboard Windows 7. The procedure is described above. A standard set of buttons will appear, as on the material "analogue".

Some noticed that it is small, and there is also no digital block. All this changes in the parameters.

Here you can do the following:

1) sound notification of pressing;

2) activation of the digital block;

3) button press method.

You can independently adjust the sounds when pressed. If you are annoyed by a characteristic click, uncheck the box.

Advice! If you do not want to click on the button with the mouse, switch to scanning. Use the slider to select the speed at which the program will read the position of the mouse cursor on the on-screen buttons. Point the arrow at a letter or number, wait from 0.5 to 2 seconds (depending on the settings) and move on to the next letter.

Switching the language on the on-screen keyboard is as easy as on the regular keyboard. The only difference is the order in which the buttons are pressed.

If on a mechanical device it was required to press Shift while holding Ctlr or Alt, then here is a different algorithm.

Suppose, in the settings, the combination Alt + Shift is responsible for switching. Activate the virtual assistant and click first on Alt and then on Shift. They must be white.

Then press Shift again. The buttons will change color to black, but the layout will become either English or Russian.

Windows 7 on-screen keyboard hotkeys are activated in the same way.

To, for example, use the combination Ctrl + Z (undo the action), press Ctrl, and then Z. Just do not forget to turn on the English layout.

Turning off the Windows 7 On-Screen Keyboard is very easy. Click the "cross" in the upper right corner and that's it.

The virtual assistant for the on-screen keyboard is no different from the standard one. The buttons and other attributes are the same as on a regular keyboard.

On the one hand, screen projection will not replace a full-fledged keyboard, since the speed of writing is reduced by several orders of magnitude, and the algorithm for activating keyboard shortcuts leaves much to be desired.

Changing the layout is also implemented as on a standard device, although developers could well add a separate button, like on mobile devices.

On the other hand, if you are not set up to systematically fall into the hands of attackers or often spend time in an Internet cafe, then it is more advisable to use a virtual keyboard instead of a regular one, since its actions are not tracked.

And of course, this is a good alternative way to work if you broke the main keyboard, and there is not enough money to buy a new one yet.

You have to use what you have.

Of course, you can’t play games, but the main functionality is quite tolerable and suitable for most tasks.

On-Screen Keyboard in Windows 7

Data entry without using the keyboard. If suddenly your keyboard stops working, you can always use the on-screen keyboard.