Keyboard Arrow Keys Not Working? Try These Fixes!

The arrow keys on your keyboard may stop working suddenly due to various reasons. But don’t worry. Here we’ll show you how to get them working correctly again.

Try these fixes

Here are 6 fixes that have helped other users resolve their arrow keys not working issue. You don’t have to try them all. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick.

1. Clean your keyboard
2. Check hardware issues
3. Reinstall your keyboard driver
4. Update your keyboard driver
5. Disable the Scroll Lock key
6. Run Keyboard Troubleshooter

Fix 1: Clean your keyboard

The arrow keys may not function well if there’s some dirt or debris lodged beneath them. Try cleaning your keyboard and make sure there’s no dirt blocking keys or sensors.

Fix 2: Check hardware issues

If your keyboard isn’t connected properly, you may face the arrow keys not working issue. To fix it, try unplugging the USB cable and wait for a little while, then plug your keyboard back in. 

If the arrow keys are still not working, try using a different USB port.

Besides, you can use the online Keyboard Tester to rule out the hardware issue. Simply press each of the keys on your keyboard and see if the key on the screen changes color. If it does, this means that your keyboard is not the problem. Otherwise, you may need to get your keyboard repaired or replaced.

After confirming that your hardware is not the problem, check out the next method.

Fix 3: Reinstall your keyboard driver

The arrow keys not working issue can be due to a faulty driver. To fix it, you can try uninstalling and reinstalling your keyboard driver. Here’s how:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + R keys simultaneously to open the Run box.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
   
3. In Device Manager, double-click Keyboards to expand the category.
   
4. Right-click your keyboard and select Uninstall device.
   
5. When prompted, click Uninstall.
   
6. Once the process is finished, restart your computer. Windows should automatically reinstall the keyboard driver.

Check to see if the arrow keys work properly. If not, try updating your keyboard driver.

Fix 4: Update your keyboard driver

If you’re using a faulty or outdated keyboard driver, you’re likely to encounter the arrow keys not working issue. To see if that’s the case, you should update your keyboard driver to the latest version. If you don’t have the time, patience, or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All)
   
   Or click the Update button next to the flagged keyboard driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
   

After updating your keyboard driver, restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Test the arrow keys on your keyboard to see if your problem has been resolved. If the issue remains, move on to the next fix.

Fix 5: Disable the Scroll Lock key

If the arrow keys are not working as intended in Excel, try disabling the Scroll Lock key to fix the problem. If the Scroll Lock key is enabled, the whole page will move when you press any of the arrow keys, but the selected cell won’t change. So if you just want to use the arrow keys to move between different cells, you should turn off the Scroll Lock key.

The Scroll Lock key is often located close to the Pause key.  If your keyboard does not have a Scroll Lock key, you can use the On-Screen Keyboard to turn it off. Here’s how:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + Ctrl + O at the same time to turn on the On-Screen Keyboard.
2. When the On-Screen Keyboard appears, click the ScrLk button to disable it.
   

If this method didn’t work for you, check out the last fix.

Fix 6: Run Keyboard Troubleshooter

If your keyboard isn’t working properly, running a built-in troubleshooter might help find and fix the problem for you. To do so:

on Windows 10:

1. On your keyboard, press the Window logo key and I at the same time to open Windows Settings. Then click Update & Security.
   
2. In the left panel, select Troubleshoot. Then click Additional troubleshooters.
   
3. Scroll down the page, locate and click Keyboard. Then click Run the troubleshooter.
   
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to fix the problem.

on Windows 11:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + I keys simultaneously to open Settings.
2. Select System. Scroll down and click Troubleshoot.
   
3. Click Other troubleshooters.
   
4. Click on the Run button next to Keyboard.

That’s it. Hopefully, this post helped you resolve the arrow keys not working issue. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave us a comment below.

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