The Alt keys will not work after reinstalling Windows 11.

Question

The Alt keys will not work after reinstalling Windows 11 except if I open the on-screen keyboard.

Answer 1

Hello,

How are you? I just wanna make sure that everything on your keyboard are working fine now? Please let me know if you need assistance.

Thanks,

Tin

Answer 2

Greetings!

This is Tin, sorry to hear that your ALT key is not working after update. Have you tried to reinstall the driver already?

Since it's working fine using OnScreen Keyboard, there's a high chance that it's a hardware issue. But let's try to reinstall the driver.

1. Please press Windows key + X and choose device manager
2. Look for Keyboard option and expand it.
3. Please uninstall the driver and restart your device, that should be reinstalled after the reboot.

Please check if the issue persists.

Thank you,

Christine L

Answer 3

Use the on-screen keyboard once to reset the physical keyboard state, then check accessibility and keyboard layout settings.

1. Open the on-screen keyboard to reset Alt
   • Press Windows logo key + U to open Accessibility settings.
   • Select Keyboard.
   • Turn on On-screen keyboard (or press Windows logo key + Ctrl + O).
   • After the on-screen keyboard appears and is used once, test the physical Alt keys again.
2. Check Accessibility keyboard features In Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard:
   • Turn Sticky keys off (unless specifically needed).
   • Turn Filter keys off.
   • Turn Toggle keys off if not required. These features can change how modifier keys like Alt behave.
3. Verify keyboard layout After a reinstall, Windows may have added or changed keyboard layouts. Add the correct layout for the language and remove problematic ones:
   • Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
   • Add the correct keyboard (for example, the local language layout), move it to the top, and remove any unwanted layouts.
   • Sign out and sign back in, then test the Alt keys.
4. If Alt is being blocked by a filter configuration If this is a managed or embedded scenario using KeyboardFilterService, ensure the Alt key is not configured as Blocked and is set to Allowed.
5. If the issue persists only after sign-in or in specific apps
   • Test in Safe Mode or with a clean boot to see if third-party software is interfering with the Alt keys.
   • If Alt works in Safe Mode but not normally, disable or uninstall recently added software that may hook keyboard input.

If none of the above resolves the issue, perform a restart after changing these settings and testing the on-screen keyboard, then test the physical Alt keys again.

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References:

• Make your mouse, keyboard, and other input devices easier to use
• Alt
• Keyboard doesn’t work right after unplug or undock and then reconnecting
• How to reset my keyboard? Combination of "Alt + L " gives weird characters and message is sent automatically. - Microsoft Q&A
• keypad issue - Microsoft Q&A