How To Disconnect Laptop Keyboard [Complete Guide]

When you have a computer desktop set up at your table, what you know for sure is how and where everything is connected. These wires help you when you need to detach or uninstall any hardware for whatever purpose. All you have to do is trace the individual wire and pull the plug from the CPU, Monitor, or wherever it is attached. However, the feature is not the same for a laptop. You cannot detach the plugs here, as everything is interlinked. So, how to disconnect the laptop keyboard when the need arises?

To uninstall or disable your keyboard, press the Windows and X buttons simultaneously, select Device Manager, and find Keyboards in the list of devices. Expand the tab by clicking the arrow, right-click on your keyboard, and select Uninstall or Disable Device. Click on Uninstall and restart your laptop.

You can enter “Device Manager” directly into the Windows search bar. From the Device Manager window, pick “Keyboards.” This will display a list of all keyboards attached to your laptop, including the one that came with it. On the context menu that appears, select “Disable” with a right-click on the built-in keyboard. Another way can be by using the Keyboard user manuals online to get individual instructions for particular models. Besides, you will also learn how to enable your keyboard back and what to do while your keyboard is disabled. To learn more about how to disconnect the laptop keyboard, continue reading.

Table of Contents

3 Ways On How To Disconnect Laptop Keyboard

If you want to learn about all these solutions in detail, continue reading below.

Method I:

The first way to turn off a laptop keyboard is by using the Device Manager option on your system. This method is the easiest and the most secure way to do so. Follow the steps below to learn how it is done:

Open the ‘Device Manager.’ Access Device Manager by:

Type ‘Device Manager‘ in the Search Bar, and click to open it from the Control Panel.
Press Win+R and open the ‘RUN dialog box.‘ Now, enter ‘devmgmt. msc‘ in the command enter the area.
Go to the ‘Start‘ icon on the taskbar and right-click. Choose ‘Device Manager’ from the menu list that appears.
In the ‘Device Manager’ dialog box, scroll about to search the ‘Keyboard’ from the list.
Open the option ‘Keyboard.’ Right-click on the keyboard name that appears.
Choose ‘Disable Device‘ from the options and press ‘Yes‘ in confirmation.
Restart your laptop in case the keyboard does not disable immediately.

Method II:

Group Policy Editors is an administrative tool exclusive to Microsoft Windows Operating System that regulates the environment in which the user and computer account work. It, thus, allows you to make changes to several configuration settings on your device. This feature, therefore, is a great tool to solve how to disconnect the laptop keyboard:

Open ‘Device Manager’ like the steps described in Method I.

Scroll to the ‘Keyboard‘ option from the window and expand it.
You will see the Keyboard title there. Right-click on it and select ‘Properties.’
From the Properties window, navigate to the ‘Details‘ tab. Open the Property drop-down menu, and search and select ‘Hardware Ids.’ Minimize this screen for now.
Press Win+R to open the RUN dialog box. In the Open Enter area, type ‘gpedit. msc’ and press Okay.
On the new screen, click ‘Computer Configuration’ from the left-hand side options.
Within it, click ‘Administrative Templates’ -> ‘System‘ -> ‘Device Installation’ -> and finally, click ‘Device Installation Restrictions.’
From the list of options that appear, right-click on ‘Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs’ and then select ‘Edit.’
On the new window that opens, go to the left-hand side and choose ‘Enabled.’ Look just below the ‘Enabled,’ and you will see a ‘Show‘ button.
Maximize the ‘Device Manager’ page (Step IV) and copy the first entry in the ‘Value‘ box with a right-click.
Return to the ‘Show Contents’ dialog box and paste the copied ID in the Value section.
Choose ‘OK‘ twice to close the windows.
Now, go to ‘Keyboard‘ again in ‘Device Manager,’ right-click on it and choose the ‘Uninstall‘ option.
Restart your laptop to turn off your system thoroughly.
Try the other Device Manager – Step X entries if the keyboard still works.

Method III:

Before going into the details of the fourth method of disconnecting a laptop keyboard, please know that you must follow it only when turning off your laptop keyboard is necessary. It is always advised to avoid the use of incompatible drivers, as it can cause a system crash or other serious issues:

Open ‘Device Manager’ as shown in the steps in Method I.

Go to ‘Keyboard‘ and expand it.
Choose the title of your laptop keyboard and right-click on it.
Click on ‘Update Driver‘ from the list.
Choose ‘Browse my computer for driver software from the screen that appears.’
Now, choose the ‘Let me pick from a list of available drivers…’ option.
Uncheck the ‘Show Compatible Hardware’ checkbox.
Navigate and select a model and manufacturer that is different from the original.
Click on ‘Next‘ and then ‘Yes.’
Click on the ‘Close‘ button. You now need to restart the system. Agree with it.
Your in-built keyboard is no longer enabled with your laptop.

How To Get Your Laptop Keyboard Enabled After This?

You saw above the three ways how to turn off a laptop keyboard. If you are using a Chrome Book and your keys are not working, read this article that fixes the issue in 8 simple steps. But how to proceed when you want to get your keyboard back? To re-enable your keyboard, follow these solutions for the different methods mentioned above:

For Method I:

Go to ‘Device Manager.’
Search and expand the keyboard option.
Identify the title of your keyboard, right-click on it, and choose ‘Enable‘ or ‘Install.’

For Method II:

Turn your laptop keyboard On.
Re-visit the Group Policy Editor page.
Set the policy to ‘Not Configured.’
Let the system restart, and your keyboard will start working.

For Method III:

Open ‘Device Manager’ as shown in the steps in Method I.
Go to ‘Keyboard‘ and expand it.
Choose the title of your laptop keyboard and right-click on it.
Click on ‘Update Driver‘ from this list.
Now choose ‘Browse my computer for driver software.’
Select ‘Search Automatically for Drivers.’

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Can I reset my laptop’s keyboard?

Yes, you can. Go to Device Manager in Control Panel, choose the Keyboard option, and identify your default keyboard name. Right-click on it to Uninstall or Disable the keyboard. Now, restart your system. Windows will automatically re-install your keyboard with all updates and the latest drives.

How to disable a laptop keyboard?

The laptop keyboard can be disabled using three different methods. The safest and easiest method is by uninstalling or disabling your default keyboard using the 'Drive Manager' option in Control Panel. The next method is using the Group Policy Editors, wherein you restrict installing the keyboard at the time of boot. The last method is by using an incompatible driver.

Is using an incompatible driver to disable the keyboard a good option?

Using an incompatible driver is a viable way to disable your default keyboard. However, using this method only when disabling the keyboard is necessary, and the other two safer methods are not working. This precaution is because using an incompatible or wrong driver may cause serious issues like Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or a complete system crash.

Click here to learn about the best driver update software.

Conclusion:

In this article, you learned about the three tried and tested ways to solve how to disconnect a laptop keyboard. The first method is disabling or uninstalling the keyboard from the ‘Device Manager’ option in Control Panel; the Second is by using the Group Policy Editors and configuring it so that installing the keyboard at the time of booting does not happen.

The third and final method uses the wrong driver with the default keyboard and automatically turns off the latter. Your preference should always be the first method as it is secure, easy, and effective. Try the final form only in dire situations. You also saw the steps to return or re-enable your keyboard for every technique. Now, you can quickly turn off your laptop keyboard whenever need be.

David Carnoy

David Carnoy: TechyHost’s and CNET’s Executive Editor, leading member of the Reviews team since 2000. Covers gadgets, specializes in e-readers and e-publishing.