USB Keyboard Not Recognized? Here’s How to Make It Work

Are you getting USB Keyboard Not Recognized error as soon as you connect the newly purchased USB Keyboard to your computer? Worry not, simply restarting the computer might fix the technical glitch. If the problem still persists, we’re here to help you. Follow the instructions given in this article until your USB Keyboard is successfully recognized.

Download the Diagnostic

There are certain situations when missing entries in your registry and registry corruption causes this problem. Try running a registry scan to identify if there are any such issues.

1. Click the button below to download and install the Diagnostic
2. Perform a Registry scan and fix any problems detected.
3. Restart your computer.

Estimated Download Time: 10 Seconds

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Unplug & Replug the Keyboard

A temporary technical glitch could have caused this issue. Safely remove your device using the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon in the system tray area of your Taskbar. Unplug it and reconnect it again.

Plug the Device in a Different Port

Try plugging in the device in a different port to see if the issue still persists. If the problem is fixed, you might want to replace the malfunctioning USB port.

Download Windows USB Troubleshooter To Instantly Fix USB Keyboard Not Recognized Error

Microsoft has released a free USB fix-it for Windows users. Visit the Microsoft Support website to free download it. Click Detect problems and apply the fixes for me (Recommended) option to automatically identify and repair problems that cause your USB keyboard to stop working.

Reinstall Keyboard Driver

Your keyboard driver installation may have failed. Some driver files could not be properly installed, or deleted, moved or renamed. You might want to reinstall your USB keyboard driver to resolve this issue.

1. Press Windows Key + X, select Device Manager.
2. Expand the top node.
3. Expand the Keyboards node.
4. Right-click your keyboard, for example, HID Keyboard Device and Standard PS/2 Keyboard.
5. Select Properties.
6. Click the Driver tab.
7. Click Uninstall Device.
8. After successfully removing your driver, exit the Device Manager and then restart your computer.
9. Open up the Device Manager again.
10. Right-click the top node, select Scan for hardware changes.

Change BIOS Setup Configurations

Load the BIOS Setup during the pre-boot interval and check whether the USB Legacy, Controller, Keyboard and Mouse Support features are enabled or not. If any of these features are disabled, your USB Keyboard wouldn’t work.

1. Restart your computer.
2. Press F2 or Delete key repeatedly.
3. Search for and enable the following features, if already disabled:
   • USB Legacy Support
   • USB 2.0 Controller
   • USB Keyboard Support
   • USB Mouse Support
4. Support for USB devices on legacy Operating Systems (OS)
5. Go to the Exit menu, and select Save changes and exit.
6. Your computer will restart and automatically recognize the USB device during the start-up interval.

Caution: Never ever disable the USB Keyboard Support feature in the BIOS Settings. If you accidentally disable this feature, your USB keyboard will stop working – even in the BIOS Mode. You will not be able to use your USB keyboard unless you connect a PS2 Keyboard or a PS 2 Adapter to your computer, or replace the BIOS Battery from your motherboard.

Change USB Cable

A damaged USB cable could lead this issue. Buy a new USB cable from a different vendor and check if the problem still persists.

Buy a PS2 Adapter

Your USB port may be malfunctioning. A PS2 Adapter facilitates connecting a USB based keyboard or mouse to the PS2 port of your computer.

Update Unknown Device Entry

You may find several unknown device entries if your computer fails to recognize certain devices. This may happen when corresponding driver software are not found and your operating system fails to communicate with the hardware devices. Update all the unknown devices as outlined below:

1. Open up the Device Manager.
2. Click the View menu, select Show hidden devices.
3. Does it show up devices with Unknown Device names? If yes, right-click such device(s), and choose Update driver software.
4. When you’re prompted to select an update method, choose to update your driver online automatically. You may alternatively visit the website of your keyboard manufacturer, go to the Downloads section, download compatible drivers and locate them in the Update Driver Software wizard.
5. After finishing up updating your drivers, restart your computer.

Change USB Root Hub Power Management Options

If your USB keyboard not recognized issue continues to occur, you may want to try your luck with the USB Root Hub Power Management configurations.

A USB Root Hub entry can be found under the USB Controllers node. Change the power management options pertaining to this entry.

1. Open up the Device Manager.
2. Expand the top node, and then Universal Serial Bus Controllers node.
3. Right-click the USB Root Hub entry, select Properties.
4. Click the Power Management tab.
5. Uncheck the box labelled Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
6. Click OK.
7. If you see more than one USB Root Hub entries, repeat the above steps for each of them.

Uninstall/ Disable Conflicting Ghost Devices

Some hidden devices could conflict with the functioning of your USB keyboard. Using Command Prompt make visible all the hidden devices and then one by one uninstall/ disable them.

1. Press Windows Key + X, select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Execute the following commands one by one:
   • set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1
   • set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
   • start devmgmt.msc
3. Click the View menu, choose Show hidden devices.
4. Check for device(s) with a yellow color exclamation mark. Uninstall such device(s) by right clicking and selecting the Uninstall option to get rid of USB keyboard not recognized.

Repair your Computer

Boot your computer using the Windows installation DVD-ROM and choose to repair the computer startup.

1. Insert the Windows 10 installation media in your DVD-ROM Drive.
2. Restart your computer.
3. Press the F2 or Delete key as soon as your computer shows the manufacturer logo.
4. Once you’re entered into the BIOS Setup, set the following parameters:
   • First Boot Device: DVD ROM
   • Second Boot Device: Hard Drive
5. Save the changes and exit.
6. When a message appears at the bottom of your screen to press any key, follow it.
7. Click Repair your computer in the Setup wizard.
8. Click the Startup Repair link.

If your USB keyboard not recognized issue occurs on Windows 10, you may want to try out some other solutions for Windows 10 keyboard stops working problem.