How to fix keyboard typing wrong characters/letters
- There are a few issues that you might encounter with your keyboard, and one of the most common is that it types the wrong characters.
- In this article, we are exploring the reasons why the keyboard won't work and how to fix the problem.
- For more guides on the same topic, take a look at our Keyboard Issues section.
- What's more, in our Laptop&PC Hub you'll find even more troubleshooting material about today's most-used devices.
Keyboards are generally reliable peripherals. You can use them for years without encountering any issues whatsoever.
But just like any hardware, they may sometimes behave erratically: certain keys won’t work, the keyboard is unresponsive or there’s a beeping noise when you type.
As you can see, the array of issues is quite diverse. Well, in this guide, we’re going to focus on an even stranger issue that causes keyboards to type the wrong letters.
So, for example, you press the W key, but your Word document or the Search box displays a different letter. We compiled a list of fixes that will hopefully help you solve this problem. Speaking of issues, let’s quickly list some frequent issues reported by our readers.
What are the most frequent keyboard keys-related issues?
- All Windows versions can be affected by this anomaly (Keyboard typing wrong letters in Windows 10, 11, 8 and 8.1, 7, even Windows XP).
- Keyboard keeps typing on its own (The keyboard is automatically typing by itself)
- All major laptop models can be affected by the keyboard typing wrong letters issue (Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, HP, Chromebook and so on)
- Keyboard typing wrong letters after spill (and other Bluetooth keyboard problems that are associated with this one)
- Keyboard typing random letters
- Bluetooth keyboard typing wrong letters
- My keyboard is typing instead of @ (quotes, shift 2 not giving @ symbol, and so on)
What can I do if my PC keyboard types the wrong characters?
1. Uninstall keyboard drivers
- Go to Start, type Device Manager then double click on the first result
- Locate the keyboard driver, right-click on it and select Uninstall
- Reboot your computer without reinstalling the driver. Your computer should reinstall the keyboard driver on its own.
- You can then launch Device Manager again 3. When the system restarts it should reinstall the driver on its own.
If this doesn’t happen, you can update your keyboard drivers using DriverFix. This way, you’ll prevent PC damage by installing the wrong driver versions.
DriverFix helps detect and update outdated drivers efficiently. The scanning speed is just perfect to acquire your driver status in no time. The tool also has an auto driver update that you can activate, to get the latest updates in real-time.
- To use DriverFix, first you have to download the tool. The process is quick.
- Then, press the Scan button in the Update feature. The tool will scan your system in just a few minutes and show the result together with the recommended actions.
- Press the Update button if you want to continue the process. The tool will warn about possible outcomes (temporary BSOD, temporary freezing of some processes etc.).
- Allow the tool to fix all outdated drivers.
Apart from this feature, with DriverFix you can also fix various Windows issues, such as no sound or bad resolution issues and network failures.
With Advanced SystemCare, you can optimize the entire system with one click.
DriverFix
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2. Update your OS
First things first, let us rule out outdated software as a possible root cause for this problem.
If you’re not running the latest Windows 10 software version on your computer, go to Settings, then Update & Security. Press Windows Update and check for updates.
Restart your computer and then check if the issue persists.
On the other hand, there have also been reports suggesting that installing the latest Windows 10 updates actually broke keyboards. If this happened to you as well, try to uninstall the respective updates or roll out back your OS.
If the rollback option is missing and you can’t go back to your previous OS, follow the simple steps in this handy guide to fix the problem easily.
If you’re having trouble opening the Setting app, take a look at this article to solve the issue.
3. Check your language settings
- In the taskbar, type Language to open the Settings menu for Language options.
- Go to Spelling, typing & keyboard settings.
- Scroll down and select Advanced keyboard settings.
- Set the Override for default input method to the same language as the default language (which can be found in the firs step), and close the window.
If you use a different language, you need to first download the corresponding language pack by following these steps:
- Go to Start, type region and language, then select Add a language
- You now need to change your language settings and set the new language as default. You can follow the same steps listed above.
Some users who used different language settings confirmed they fixed the problem by using US English.
If your keyboard keeps on typing the wrong characters, go to the next solution.
4. Check AutoCorrect settings
- Open Word, go to File and select Options.
- Navigate to Proofing and select AutoCorrect Options.
- Select and delete that entry AutoCorrect entry that converts the letters and function keys into numbers and special characters
Making sure that AutoCorrect is properly set up is a workaround that applies especially if your keyboard types the wrong letters in Word, but works fine in other apps and programs.
5. Make sure NumLock is off
Sometimes, there is nothing wrong with your keyboard. The only ‘problem’ is that you forgot to turn off the NumLock key.
So, simply press the NumLock key once and check if your keyboard now types the correct characters.
6. Run the keyboard troubleshooter
Windows 10 features a dedicated troubleshooting tool that allows users to quickly fix common issues affecting your computer.
Since you’re experiencing a keyboard bug, go to Settings, then to Update & Security and select Troubleshoot. Scroll down, locate the keyboard troubleshooter and run it.
Wait until the tool completes the scanning process and follow the troubleshooting instructions that may appear on the screen.
You can then restart your Windows 10 computer and check if the problem persists.
7. Scan your system for malware
Your keyboard may type the wrong characters due to malware infections. Let us not forget that keyloggers are quite common and they may sometimes even change your keyboard settings.
Use your antivirus of choice to run a full system scan. If you don’t know what antivirus to install on your computer, check out this list of the best antivirus tools for Windows 10.
We also recommend you to use an additional anti-malware tool, such as Malwarebytes.
8. Buy a new keyboard
Well, if nothing worked, then maybe there is something wrong with your keyboard. If you’re using a USB or wireless keyboard, disconnect it and try another one.
Also, don’t forget to use a different port as well. If the second keyboard works perfectly fine, then buy a new keyboard.
There you go, we hope that these workarounds helped you fix the problem and your keyboard now types the correct characters.
If you’ve got additional tips and suggestions on how to fix this issue, let us know in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The numeric lock or number lock key, also known as Num key, Num Lock, or Num Lk key, is located on the top left corner of a keyboard.
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We rather recommend using a keyboard locker software; some of the apps can also be used to lock the mouse, as well.
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It is very possible the wrong language settings may be responsible for the issue. We recommend checking the advanced language settings option, as well as making sure that the keyboard driver is up to date.
