problem with numeric keypad

Question

my numeric keypad just stopped working! Instead of entering numbers the keys appear to simply move the cursor. Please help!

Answer 1

Full-size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad?

Separate stand-alone numeric keypad?

Laptop keyboard?

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Other than a laptop keyboard, where the "numeric keypad" is accessed using the Fn key, keys on a numeric keypad typically will move the cursor when NumLock is not turned on.  NumLock is turned on or off by pressing the "NumLock" key; there's usually an indicator light to show the status.

If NumLock has not been turned on, the 4, 8, 6, and 2 keys act as left, up, right, and down cursor-moving keys, respectively; the 7, 9, 1, and 3 keys may act as Home, Page Up, End, and Page Down, respectively; 0 is the "Insert" key and period (.) is the "Delete" key.

Answer 2

Full-size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad?

Separate stand-alone numeric keypad?

Laptop keyboard?

***************************

Other than a laptop keyboard, where the "numeric keypad" is accessed using the Fn key, keys on a numeric keypad typically will move the cursor when NumLock is not turned on.  NumLock is turned on or off by pressing the "NumLock" key; there's usually an indicator light to show the status.

If NumLock has not been turned on, the 4, 8, 6, and 2 keys act as left, up, right, and down cursor-moving keys, respectively; the 7, 9, 1, and 3 keys may act as Home, Page Up, End, and Page Down, respectively; 0 is the "Insert" key and period (.) is the "Delete" key.

Hi LemP,

I use an iMac desktop computer with an integrated 10 key numeric keypad.

I don't have a NUMLOCK indicator or key but I did notice that there is a fn key above the keys that have the up,down,left,right arrows.

The numeric keypad works with Excel outside of GO Virtual (I work as a contractor for the State Department) but for some reason the numeric keys simply stopped working and what you describe above started happening with some number keys acting as arrow keys.

After relaunching Excel and trying different key combinations, then using the keypad in Word (it seemed to work normally in that program) somehow the problem magically fixed itself.  I'm wondering if I accidentally hit the "fn" key and that somehow triggered the problem?  I'd like to know how to avoid this situation in the future if is is something I did or if this is just one of life's mysteries.

I really appreciate your detailed reply to my post unlike the first person who simply said "see your laptop makers support" which was totally useless.

Answer 3

Thank you VERY much!  I'm sure this will help if I run into this again in the future.  Really appreciate your assistance.

Answer 4

I know very little about Macs, but see this thread in an Apple support forum as well as the Apple support doc following.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250159563 --

Where is the “Num Lock” Key on a Mac Keyboard?

There isn’t a dedicated Num Lock key on the Apple Wired Keyboards, and that applies to many of the third party USB keyboards built for Macs too. However, you can achieve the same function by hitting the CLEAR button on the numeric keyboard. You may need to hit Shift+CLEAR instead, depending on your individual keyboard and settings.

Numbers Still Not Typing? Check for Mouse Keys

If you tried Clear and Shift+Clear to no avail, you probably have a setting enabled in the accessibility options of OS X that is preventing the numeric keypad from acting exclusively as a means of typing numbers. This setting is called Mouse Keys, which allows a user to control the onscreen cursor using the number pad on an extended keyboard. 

1. Open  Apple menu and choose “System Preferences”, then go to “Accessibility”
2. Select “Mouse & Trackpad” and look for an option called “Enable Mouse Keys” – uncheck this if it is checked to regain usage of the number pad.

The most obvious indicator that Mouse Keys is the reason the numeric keypad is not working is that when you type a number, the mouse cursor moves very slightly, thus if you try to type a bunch of numbers the mouse cursor on screen may seem to jiggle around a bit in a small area. This is not always very obvious though because the Mouse Keys feature is intended to be precise and allow for fine manipulation of onscreen elements, thus you should always check for the setting when troubleshooting the matter.

And If a numeric keypad doesn’t work on Mac

Answer 5

See your laptop makers support