Computer is registering CTRL, WIN, SHIFT, and ALT as being held down

Nameless Human 0 Reputation points
2026-07-23T00:48:15.96+00:00

Hello I am losing my mind trying to figure this out and have tried everything I can think of including a clean install, removing HID keyboard drivers, reg commands, different keyboards and brands of keyboard, different USB cables and ports, etc.

My desktop computer registers these keys as being held down randomly. This will last for several seconds to minutes and then go back to normal. It could be 30 seconds until it happens again or several hours. It even happens when no keyboard is plugged in at all. This issue just started maybe a week/week and a half ago. I am desperate for a fix!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures
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  1. Carl-L 19,500 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-29T12:58:27.4766667+00:00

    Hello Nameless Human,

    Disclaimer: Let’s try performing an in-place install or in-place upgrade which will refresh your Windows files and operating system without removing files or applications. That being said, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up before making large system changes. If you want to back up your data first, please do so. Once you are done backing up, you can follow the steps in the following guides:

    How to run In-place upgrade in Windows 11 - Microsoft Community

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  2. Carl-L 19,500 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-23T06:47:23.4833333+00:00

    Hello Nameless Human,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Since it happens even without a keyboard and a clean install was already performed. I'd say it could be an issue with a driver or service that happens after boot. Before we proceed, can you please help me do a few tests?

    • Press Win + R to open the run dialog.
    • Type "Osk" and press Enter.
    • Notice the On-screen keyboard when it happens, can you press the affected button to unstuck it?

    Also, can you please try to boot into Safe Mode and tell me the if the issue persists there?

    I'm waiting for your reply.

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