Duplicate on-screen keyboards - malware?

Question

I sometimes use the on-screen keyboard to enter passwords. I've recently discovered that after my computer goes to sleep, when I return to my desktop there are TWO on-screen keyboards nested on top of each other on the taskbar like multiple Word docs.

When I click on one OSK window, it appears on my desktop. When I select the other, it replaces the first, as if it has vanished. No matter which one I click, the other one disappears from view and there is a serious lag moving or using the OSK window with my mouse. When I close out both OSK windows and launch a new one, then everything appears to be fine with no mouse issues, and just one single OSK window. I've run multiple malware scans using two different programs and found nothing. What is going on?

I run a Windows 10 Pro, 64 bit.

***Moved from Microsoft 365 and Office / Other / For business / Other***

Answer 1

Hello User 1826,

Welcome to the Microsoft community.

Normally only one on-screen keyboard can be turned on.

However, when we tested this, we found that if the on-screen keyboard was turned on before the PC went to sleep, two on-screen keyboards did appear after going to sleep and then turning the on-screen keyboard back on after going back to the desktop.

Although the steps to reproduce the problem may be different from what you did, we did reproduce your problem and the lag etc. that you described.

This appears to be a system issue, and we have sorted out the issue and provided feedback.

If it's convenient for you, you can also give feedback to Microsoft about your issue by following the steps in the website below, which will help the issue to be resolved as soon as possible.

Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app - Microsoft Support

If there's anything that's not clear, don't hesitate to let me know.

Sincerely

Carlos - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialisto

Answer 2

I have the same issue.

When waking my Windows 10 PC from sleep, I click on the ease of access bottom right to log in.

Sometimes the voice is there and I can activate the on-screen keyboard and sometimes the voice isn't and I can't activate the on-screen keyboard.

I then have two keyboards stacked on the taskbar, I go to language settings and remove English UK but it returns the next boot.

When dragging the keyboard with the mouse pointer, it lags unless I shut down one of them.

Someone else had the same problem in your forum, you said you could replicate it but couldn't fix it.

I have a 55" monitor and use just the mouse and the on-screen keyboard from my couch, I have a wired keyboard and mouse but prefer to use just OSK and mouse.

This only arose after a recent update. Before that, the keyboard was present automatically from the start, and no ease of access required to launch it.

Another user said it was update KB5025221 which he deleted and it solved the problem. I can't delete this specific update on its own.

I reset my PC to fix this problem but it has returned.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Walter