Keyboard and Mouse Not Working in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide for Wired, Wireless and Bluetooth Devices

A keyboard or mouse that suddenly stops responding, with no light on the device and no reaction to key presses, is one of the most unsettling failures you can hit, because you cannot even click Restart. Most cases can be located within a few minutes, provided you sort the problem into a category first. Work out whether everything is dead or only part of it, whether the device is wired or wireless, and whether the whole machine is affected or just this one set of peripherals.

1. Identify which category you are in

Before you touch anything else, remember one rule. Plug this keyboard and mouse into a different computer. If they work there, the problem is on your machine, in the system, the driver, or the port. If they fail there too, the problem is the hardware itself, so replace it or claim the warranty.

2. Wired USB keyboard and mouse

1. Change the USB port. Use a port on the back of the case, which connects straight to the motherboard and delivers steadier power. Front panel ports and USB hubs often under-supply power, which shows up as a mouse whose light is on but which will not move.
2. Swap the cable or reseat it. A fair share of wired failures are broken conductors inside the cable, usually at the section that bends at the edge of the desk. Borrowing a cable of the same spec is the fastest test.
3. Check USB selective suspend. Windows puts USB devices to sleep to save power, and some mice get frozen that way. Go to Control Panel > Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings > USB settings > USB selective suspend setting, and set it to Disabled.
4. Reinstall the driver. Right-click Start > Device Manager, expand Keyboards and Mice and other pointing devices, right-click the device > Uninstall device (tick the box to delete the driver), then restart. Windows reinstalls it automatically.
5. Rule out power and conflicts. A portable hard drive, an RGB keyboard and a webcam all at once can exceed what the motherboard ports supply. Unplug everything except the keyboard and mouse and try again.

A port that misbehaves is diagnosed the same way as a flash drive that will not mount, which USB Flash Drive or External Hard Drive Not Recognized in Windows covers.

3. Wireless keyboard and mouse (2.4G and Bluetooth)

2.4G wireless (with a small receiver)

• Replace the battery. Below a certain charge a mouse plays dead or the pointer jumps around. Check the low-battery indicator or fit a fresh cell first.
• Reseat the receiver or move it. A loose receiver is the number one cause, and one plugged into an extension cable or the front panel is easily shielded by metal.
• Get away from 2.4G interference. Wireless peripherals, WiFi, Bluetooth and microwave ovens all share 2.4GHz. Run the receiver out to an unobstructed spot on the desk with an extension cable, away from the router, speakers and USB3.0 drives.
• Re-pair. Some higher-end wireless sets have a Connect button. Hold the button on the receiver and on the device for a few seconds to re-pair, following the manual for your model.
• Turn off the power saving switch. In Device Manager, open the USB receiver > Power Management, and clear "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".

Bluetooth keyboard and mouse

• Confirm Bluetooth is on. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices and check the toggle. An Fn plus function key combination on the keyboard may have switched the wireless or Bluetooth module off by accident.
• Pair again. Remove the device from the Bluetooth list, then hold its pairing button (usually 3 to 5 seconds, until the light flashes quickly) and add it again.
• Driver and service. In Device Manager, right-click the Bluetooth category and update the driver. In Task Manager > Services, confirm BluetoothUserService is running.
• Battery and distance. Bluetooth peripherals drain fast and people forget that, so change the battery first. Stay within 2 to 3 metres with no metal in between.

4. Built-in laptop keyboard and touchpad

1. Fn lock. Many laptops disable the touchpad or keyboard backlight with Fn+Lock or Fn+F6 or Fn+F7. Press the combination once to release it.
2. Touchpad switched off. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and check the toggle. Some models also have a physical switch.
3. Sticky Keys and Filter Keys. Pressing Shift five times turns on Sticky Keys, and holding the right Shift for eight seconds turns on Filter Keys, which ignores brief presses and looks exactly like a dead keyboard. In Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, switch both off.
4. Driver trouble. Uninstall the keyboard or mouse device in Device Manager and restart. Touchpads usually run Synaptics, ELAN or I2C drivers, so download the one for your exact model from the vendor.
5. Compare with an external keyboard. If the external one works and the built-in one does not, the built-in hardware or its ribbon cable is the suspect. Try it in BIOS. Working in BIOS points to the system or the driver, and failing there too means a hardware fault that needs a repair shop.

5. Individual keys dead, repeating, or sticking

• Physical obstruction. Coffee, dust and biscuit crumbs cause most single-key failures and auto-repeat. Power down and unplug, turn the keyboard over and tap it, then clean between the keys with compressed air or a soft brush. Remove and wash the keycaps on models where they come off.
• Input method conflict. Letters coming out as numbers, or a few symbols landing wrong, is usually the input method. Press Win+Space to switch to English and retest, or remove and reinstall the input method.
• Sticky Keys and Filter Keys. Turn both off as described above.
• Keyboard test tools. Search for an online keyboard tester and press every key to see which ones register. That separates hardware from software quickly.

6. Pointer problems

• Pointer has vanished. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Additional mouse options > Pointer Options and clear "Hide pointer while typing". You can also press Ctrl+Win+D to switch to a new virtual desktop and back, which forces a redraw.
• Double-click speed. In the same Mouse Properties window > Buttons, adjust the double-click speed.
• Wheel dead or inverted. Usually the driver or the mouse itself. Change the port, update the driver, or open the vendor's configuration tool if your model has one.
• Pointer jumping while you type. Your palm is brushing the touchpad. Go to Settings > Touchpad and turn on the option that prevents accidental input while typing.

7. Advanced steps and last resorts

• Legacy PS/2 ports. Round connectors do not support hot plugging. Shut down, plug in, then power on.
• Reset BIOS to defaults. If the keyboard and mouse are dead before Windows even loads, a firmware setting such as USB legacy support may be off. Enter BIOS and load Optimized Defaults.
• System restore or reset. If this began right after you installed a driver or an app, uninstall it in Safe Mode or roll back with a restore point. Reset This PC or System Restore in Windows 11 walks through how restore points work and how to choose the keep-my-files option.
• Still nothing. If you have tried PS/2 and a BIOS reset, and the keyboard and mouse work on another machine, the motherboard USB controller or chipset is likely at fault. That is a repair job.

Common questions

Everything stopped at once and I cannot even click Restart. What now?

Hold the power button to force a shutdown, then start up again. If it still fails after the reboot, borrow another keyboard and mouse and plug them in. That tells you in one step whether it is the peripherals or the system.

Why does my wireless mouse work during the day and stutter at night?

Usually 2.4GHz interference or a battery that has sagged. WiFi and Bluetooth traffic is heavier in the evening, so first run the receiver out to the desktop on an extension cable, then fit a fresh battery.

My Bluetooth keyboard keeps disconnecting and re-pairing does not help. What next?

Check whether BluetoothUserService is running, then update the Bluetooth driver. On machines with an older Bluetooth adapter, a USB Bluetooth dongle or falling back to 2.4G is usually more reliable.

A few keys are dead. Is the keyboard broken?

Test every key with an online keyboard tester first. Several keys dead on another computer as well means hardware. One key that recovers after cleaning was just dirty.