ctrl, windows, and alt keys dont register.

Hi Kleo.

Thank you for your feedback and response to this issue. I understand how frustrating it can be to learn that after trying all options, including a fresh install, you are still having issues with these buttons not working. I would like to kindly remind you that if you didn't perform a fresh install by referring to the steps in the link given earlier, then please perform a fresh install again by referring to the steps in the link. And if you have already performed a fresh install by referring to the steps in the link, then this can be ruled out as a system issue. Therefore, there is no high probability that you will be able to solve the problem by performing a reset of the system. But that doesn't stop you from trying, if you want to reset your system, you can refer to the following link for options

Reset or reinstall Windows - Microsoft Support

And you have previously ruled out this being a hardware failure of the keyboard by changing to different external keyboards and finding that all of them have this problem. However, this does not rule out that the problem is with other hardware related to key mapping other than the keyboard. This situation requires you to contact your device manufacturer and have them perform a thorough check of your hardware.

I hope the above helps, if you have any other questions please continue to contact me, thank you for your support and understanding.

Best regards,

Zev - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I tried everything above, the problem still persists. I even did a clean installation and all. I believe my only other option is resetting my computer, but dont know if I should. Do you have any other suggestions?

Hi Kleo.

Thanks for your post in Microsoft Community.

In your description, you found that the Ctrl key, the Windows key and the Alt key do not work when you use the keyboard. You have tried using programs that change the mapping of some of the keys to Ctrl, but only by changing that key back to its own mapping does that key work. Also, you have tried changing the Ctrl key to other mappings, and the system recognizes a Ctrl key press and responds with the corresponding mapping. You have tried using other keyboards and this has happened, so this is not a problem with the keyboard hardware.

First of all, you can use the on-screen keyboard, search for “On-Screen Keyboard” in the taskbar, open the on-screen keyboard, check if the on-screen keyboard works properly, and determine if any key mapping has been changed.

At the same time, it is possible that the interference is caused by third-party software, especially if you have used some applications to change the keyboard mapping, some programs may change the keyboard mapping configuration file without your knowledge. To rule this out, I recommend trying a clean boot which starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. It can be used to determine whether a background service or program is interfering or causing a problem.

These steps of “clean boot” might look complicated at first glance. However, to avoid any trouble for you, please follow them in order and step-by-step.

If the problem does not occur during a clean boot, then please uninstall any third-party software related to modifying keyboard mappings, one by one, until the problem disappears.

If the problem persists in a clean start, then there may be some errors in your account configuration file. Please create a new test account, and switch to the newly created account to see if your keystrokes are working as normal. This troubleshooting step can help isolate the problem due to an invalid profile configuration.

Create a local user or administrator account in Windows - Microsoft Support

In the new account, see if the problem still exists.

If the problem persists in the new account, then there may be some error in some system profile, please refer to the link below to start your computer in safe mode and see if the problem persists:

Start your PC in safe mode in Windows - Microsoft Support

If the problem persists in safe mode, then it can be proved that there is an error in the keyboard related part of your computer, please refer to the following link and perform a clean install of your computer and after the clean install, check if the problem persists.

Windows 11 Clean Installation (microsoft.com)

Disclaimer: At this point, we have exhausted all troubleshooting and I recommend that we try to perform a clean install to get your computer back into a working condition. Please ensure that you backup any important data, including Documents, Pictures, Videos, and more.  

I hope the above content can help you, if you have any other questions please continue to contact me, thank you for your support and understanding.

Best regards,

Zev - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist