How to Connect a Keyboard to a Laptop

Laptops come with many perks. Perhaps the biggest one is the fact that they are portable.

However, laptops also come with a few “cons”. One of these is the keyboard; we’ve heard many complaints concerning the (un)reliability of laptop keyboards. The main issue is that manufacturers squeeze the keys into a space that sometimes leaves them too close to each other.

Also, certain people (writers, for one) have specific preferences when it comes to keyboards – not all boards suit them. In any case, if you are agitated with the way your laptop keyboard works, we are here to help you connect your preferred keyboard to your laptop.

How to Connect a Keyboard to a Laptop

Choose Your Armor

Before we go into the steps that will help you connect the keyboard to your laptop, we should point out that you can get either a wireless or wired keyboard. We recommend wireless keyboards; they just seem to fit with the whole portability thing. (Also, there is no additional wire to get in your way!)

Speaking from a functional perspective, there is no difference between wired and wireless keyboards, so it really comes down to preference.

Connecting The Armor To The Laptop

Wired Keyboards for Non-Mac Users

Well, this is simple. In fact, you must have done this before, at least once. All you need to do is simply plug the cord into your laptop, wait a few seconds, and start typing! Yes, it’s that easy!.

Wireless Keyboards For Non-Mac Users

This is not difficult either, however, there’s a small difference: there are two types of wireless keyboards, namely, Bluetooth and Unifying Receivers.

Bluetooth Keyboards

The steps to connect a Bluetooth keyboard to the laptop are as follows:

  1. See if the keyboard is charged or, if it requires batteries, that they are in place. Now, switch on the wireless keyboard. The button should be on the sides, however, sometimes it’s right on top of the keyboard.
  2. Once you switch on your keyboard, shift to your laptop. Click on the Start button, which should be at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
  3. From the Menu, select Settings.
  4. In the Settings page, select Devices. The Bluetooth and other devices should appear.
  5. On this page, turn on the Bluetooth option and search for the nearest devices.
  6. Ideally, the name of the wireless keyboard will appear in the search results. Once you locate the keyboard, click on it and connect it to the laptop.

Two Words Of Caution

  1. We wrote the above guide with reference to Windows 10. If you have a different version, there might be a few changes in the way you set up the keyboard.
  2. If your laptop is unable to locate your Bluetooth Keyboard, switch it off, then on again. Also, please keep in mind that, sometimes, it takes time for a laptop to locate a device (in this case, the keyboard). So, please be patient.

Unifying Receiver Keyboards

Unlike the Bluetooth variant, this one is simpler. When you purchase a Unifying Receiver Keyboard, you will get the following:

  1. The keyboard
  2. A Wireless Receiver
  3. A printed manual, a CD manual, or sometimes both.

From here, it’s much like the wired keyboards: plug the wireless receiver into your laptop. Now you can enjoy your external keyboard’s seamless performance on your laptop.

For wireless keyboards, remember that it is essential that you are not too far away from the laptop. If you are, you might lose the connection.

Wired Keyboards for Mac Users

Well, it’s pretty much the same thing: plug your keyboard into your Mac device and you’re set.

Wireless Keyboards for Mac Users

Most of the keyboards used in MacBooks are the Wireless Bluetooth type. Once again, the process is similar to the one used for non-Mac laptops.

  1. Switch on the keyboard, then shift to your laptop.
  2. Locate the Apple logo, which should be on the top-left corner of the screen, and click it. Once you do, a drop-down menu will appear.
  3. In the drop-down menu, select System Preferences.
  4. Once the System Preferences page opens, click on the Bluetooth symbol.
  5. On the next page, you will see the option to switch on the Bluetooth at which point you (obviously) switch it on.
  6. In most cases, you’d be all set. However, in some instances, there is a possibility that you might have to pair the keyboard. The pairing instructions vary from one device to another, so please refer to the user manual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t my keyboard connecting to my laptop?

If your keyboard isn’t working, it could be because the driver is old or broken. Step 1: Right-click on the “Start” button and choose “Device Manager.” Step 2: Expand Keyboards. Step 3: Right-click on the affected keyboard and choose Update driver.

How do I turn my keyboard back on?

You might accidentally disable your laptop keyboard. To re-enable the keyboard, go back to the Device Manager, right-click your keyboard again, and click “Enable” or “Install.”

How do I reset my keyboard on my laptop?

Remove the cable from your keyboard and wait 30 seconds. Hold down the ESC key on your keyboard and plug it back in. Press the ESC key until the keyboard lights up.

Why can’t I type letters on my laptop?

The problem where your keyboard won’t let you type could be caused by your keyboard or the system your computer is running. If your keyboard isn’t working, you can first try restarting your computer. Any problem with a computer can be fixed with a simple restart.

Why can’t I connect my wireless keyboard?

Change the batteries in the mouse and/or the keyboard. Reconnect the devices by clicking the reconnect button on the wireless receiver, as well as on the keyboard and mouse. The most common reason for wireless keyboard and mouse failure is forgetting to reconnect wireless devices after changing the batteries.

Conclusion

We hope that you now have a smoother typing experience when you’re typing on your laptop. Also, we hope that our instructions made it easy for you to connect the two devices. If so, please let us know by leaving a comment below.

If you have a friend or irritating sibling who is unable to connect their external keyboard to their laptop, do share our article with them! Thanks!

Chris Martin is a professional tech writer. He's been covering tech tutorials, hardware reviews, and more as a professional writer for over seven years now and it doesn't look like he'll be stopping anytime soon! In addition to writing about the latest gadgets on the market, he also covers topics such as how to set up your home network or troubleshoot any computer problems you may have.

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