How to Disable the Keyboard in Windows: Quick and Easy Methods

Sometimes, there’s a need to temporarily disable the keyboard in Windows. This can be helpful if keys are being pressed accidentally, or if you want to prevent children from interfering with your work. Let’s go over a few effective methods to quickly and easily solve this problem.

1. Disabling the Keyboard via Device Manager

One of the simplest ways to disable the keyboard in Windows is by using the built-in Device Manager. Here’s how:

  1. Press Win + X and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
  2. Find the “Keyboards” section and expand it.
  3. Right-click on your keyboard and select “Disable device.”
  4. Confirm the action by clicking “Yes.”

The keyboard will stop working until you restart or re-enable it in Device Manager.

2. Using Third-Party Software

There are also programs specifically designed to manage devices, including keyboards. Here are a couple of popular options:

  • KeyFreeze – This tool fully locks both the keyboard and mouse until you use a specific key combination to unlock them.
  • Keyboard Mouse Locker – Another application that allows you to temporarily disable the keyboard, with an easy unlock feature.

These programs are convenient since they allow quick keyboard disabling and have unlock options without needing to restart the device.

3. Disabling the Keyboard via Command Prompt

For advanced users, it’s possible to disable the keyboard via Command Prompt:

  1. Open Command Prompt with administrator privileges. To do this, press Win + X and select “Command Prompt (Admin)” or “Windows PowerShell (Admin).”
  2. Enter the command rundll32 keyboard, disable and press Enter.
  3. To re-enable it, use the command rundll32 keyboard, enable.

Note that these commands may vary depending on the version of Windows, and this method is best suited for advanced users.

4. Disabling the Built-in Keyboard on a Laptop

If you’re using a laptop, it may be more convenient to disable only the built-in keyboard, especially if you have an external one connected. Here’s how to disable the built-in keyboard on a laptop:

  • Go to Device Manager as described in the first method.
  • Locate the laptop’s built-in keyboard and choose “Uninstall device.”

After a restart, Windows will no longer automatically install drivers for this keyboard. If needed, you can re-enable it by refreshing devices in Device Manager.