How to disable the keyboard on a laptop

At first it seems strange that sometimes a user needs to disable the keyboard on a laptop. After all, this is an integral and important part of the device. However, there may be many reasons for such a procedure. For example, you have children who like to play with a laptop in your absence. Then this measure is one of the ways to protect the device. Or the keyboard itself has malfunctioned (water was spilled on it, some key gets stuck, etc.), making it impossible to use the device. Whereas by disabling the button control, you can use the laptop for your own purposes without any problems. Only using a mouse, touchpad, or connecting an external keyboard via USB.

Most often, you need to “de-energize” the keyboard on a laptop temporarily. That is, literally for a couple of minutes - maximum an hour or two. For example, to let a child watch a cartoon. But at the same time so that he could not press anything. In this case, the best option is to use the command line. All you need:

Launch the command line as an administrator account. This can be done in different ways. In Windows 10, you should hover over Start, then right-click and select the appropriate item.
Next, enter the command “rundll32 keyboard, disable”. Press Enter.
After which the laptop keyboard will stop functioning.

This method is extremely simple. At the same time, you can also enable the keyboard through the command line. You just need to enter “rundll32 keyboard, enable”.

Disable the laptop keyboard through the device manager

Another method is no less popular. It also allows you to quickly disable the built-in keyboard on your laptop. What is needed for this? You will need a device manager. In addition, you will need to do the following:

We go to the device manager. To do this, in Windows 8 and 10, right-click on Start. Then select the line of the same name. On a laptop with Windows 7, the easiest way is to press the Win+R key combination and enter the command “devmgmt.msc”.
As soon as you get into the device manager, look for the keyboard in the list. Right-click on the desired item (most often it is labeled “Standard Keyboard”).
In the next window, select “Disable”. If there is no such option, then click on “Delete”.
Next, confirm disconnecting the device.

We use various software

Those who do not have enough built-in capabilities and tools to disable the keyboard on a laptop can use various programs and utilities. For example, we can recommend Toddler Keys. Its advantage is not only its convenient and simple interface. This utility is free. It is also compatible with a wide variety of operating systems and laptop models from any manufacturer - asus, lenovo, acer, hp, samsung, etc.

Using the Toddler Keys app is quite simple:

Download the utility from the developer’s website or a third-party resource.
We install it on the laptop.
Let's launch the program. It will open at the bottom right in the tray (notification area).
Next, find the utility shortcut. These will be the letters "T" and "K" in blue. Click on it with the secondary mouse button.
A window will pop up. In it you need to click on “Lock Keyboard”. As a result, a check mark will appear next to this item.

Accordingly, when you need, on the contrary, to turn on the keyboard, then simply uncheck the box. We also recommend that you pay attention to the following. After installing the application, uncheck the “Lock Drive Doors” and “Disable Power Button” checkboxes. They are installed by default, blocking the DVD/CD-ROM and the laptop's on/off button.

Another free app to disable your keyboard is Kid Key Lock. This program compares favorably with other software in that you can set blocking modes in its options. For example, you can completely disable the entire keyboard, or a single key or just a group - the same function keys.

How to disable individual keys?

Sometimes it is necessary to “disable” not the entire keyboard, but only individual buttons. How to do it? Let's look at a couple of options:

You need to disable the number keys on the right side of the keyboard. It's simple. Press and hold the Fn and NUM LOCK buttons. On some devices, you only need to press the second key. Sometimes you can disable the numeric part of the keyboard using the “Fn+F11” combination.
Sometimes you need to disable hotkeys. To do this, press the combination “Win + R”. In the window, enter “gpedit.msc”. Then click OK. Go through the menu tree to “User Configuration”. Next we need the “Administrative Templates” subsection. In it, click on “Windows Components”. Next, look for “Windows Explorer”. On the right we find “Disable Windows key combinations + X”, click on it 2 times. In the window that opens, check the “Enable” box. Click OK and .

How else can you disable the laptop keyboard?

In fact, everything that we described above are ways to temporarily disable the keyboard. Literally rebooting or deleting the software will return it to working condition again. Therefore, it is advisable for an advanced user to know how to disable the keyboard for a longer period. For example, to replace it with a new one.

As an option – physical shutdown. You need to remove the back cover of the laptop. Find a wide and large cable that goes from the keyboard to the motherboard. Then carefully disconnect it. The procedure requires great care. After all, one awkward movement and you can scratch the same motherboard, and this is fraught with big problems.

By the way, finding the keyboard cable itself on some laptops is not easy. After all, it is located differently in all models. Much here depends on the manufacturer of the motherboard (Gigabyte, Intel, MSI, etc.) and the device itself (Asus, Acer, Sony, Dell, etc.).

Can also be used to disable the keyboard Windows Group Policy Editor. It is available by default in the “seven” (except for Home). In some basic versions of Windows 8 and 10, you will most likely need to additionally install the Group Policy Editor. This is not difficult to do - there is a lot of information on the Internet on this topic. So let’s get back to how to disable the keyboard using this tool (using Windows 10 as an example):

Go through the start menu to the control panel. Select the large icons view mode.
Click on device manager. In it we find the keyboard item. Click the mouse (right button). Then select “Properties”.
Go to the “Details” tab. In the list we find ID equipment.
In the value field, copy the appeared data (ID).
Without closing this window, press the “Windows + R” combination. Enter the command “gpedit.msc” and press Enter.
The editor will open. To avoid searching for the required section for a long time, namely “Restrictions on device installation”, we recommend going to: Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/System/Device Installation.
Then on the right side we find the item “Prohibit the installation of devices with the specified codes.” “Click” on it twice.
Activate the “Enable” checkbox.
Next, click the “Show” button in the “Options” section.
A window will open. You need to paste the previously copied value into it.
Again, in the “Options” section, check the box next to “Also apply to relevant devices...”.
Save all changes (via “Apply” and “OK”). Reboot the device.

This is not the easiest way to disable the keyboard on a laptop with Windows 10 (or any other OS). However, this option for deactivating the keyboard is great if you need to replace it.

Conclusion

Choose any of the methods you like. However, if you are a novice user, it is better to use standard Windows tools or third-party software to disable the keyboard. It is difficult to make a mistake and do something wrong here. But working with the local group policy editor, and even more so resorting to physically turning off the keyboard, is only worth it as a last resort.