Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you need to disable your laptop's internal keyboard? Maybe you spilled coffee on it, or perhaps you're just tired of accidentally hitting keys while using an external keyboard. Whatever the reason, we've got you covered! In this article, we'll walk you through two simple methods to disable your internal laptop keyboard: one using the Device Manager and the other using the Command Prompt.

Note: Before you proceed, make sure to have an external keyboard handy for the times when you need to type something on your laptop.

Disabling the Keyboard via the Device Manager

Windows 11, the latest and arguably the most exciting version of the Windows series, comes with a particularly useful setting for laptop users. You can turn off the built-in keyboard whenever you want with just a few taps:

1. Open the Device Manager by typing “devmgmt.msc” into the Run dialog. Alternatively, you can type “Device Manager” in the Windows search box.
   
2. Physically unplug your other keyboards so we don't see them in the next steps.
3. Select “Keyboards” from the Device Manager window. This will show a list of all keyboards currently connected to your laptop, including the built-in one.
   
4. Right-click on the built-in keyboard and tap “Disable” from the context menu.
   
5. Confirm the decision with a “Yes” in the resulting dialog box.
   

Some laptop models may not have the “Disable” button but an “Uninstall device” option instead. You can select that option, and the result will be the same: your built-in keyboard will be turned off immediately. However, neither option is permanent. Your laptop will automatically reenable the keyboard as soon as you restart.

As such, you’ll have to return to the keyboard section on the Device Manager whenever you boot up.

Then you can disable the keyboard permanently using the Command Prompt

If you don’t want the inconvenience of opening the Device Manager to disable the keyboard every time you turn on your laptop, don’t worry. You can disable the keyboard permanently using the Command Prompt.

Here are the steps:

1. Tap the Windows icon in the bottom left corner and type “cmd” in the search bar.
   
2. Select “Run as administrator” under “Command Prompt.”
   
3. Click “Yes” to confirm that you’re okay with the Command Prompt app making changes to your computer.
   
4. Once the Command Prompt window opens, type the following command line, and then hit Enter:
   sc config i8042prt start= disabled

5. Close the Command Prompt and restart your laptop.
   

Please note that for this to work, first, you need to disable the keyboard via the Device Manager, as discussed above. The command line executed stops Windows from automatically reenabling the keyboard when you restart your laptop.

If you ever want to reenable the keyboard in the future, you just need to run the Command Prompt app and enter the following command:

sc config i8042prt start= auto

Follow-Up

If you've encountered this issue and followed the steps outlined in this article, we'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below to share whether this solution helped resolve the problem. Additionally, if you found a different method that worked, we encourage you to share that as well. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us and others who may face similar issues.

Want Further Assistance?

If you're still facing issues or would like personalized guidance, we're here to help. Check out our dedicated support plans at IT Solver Support Plans for expert assistance tailored to your needs.