How do I get rid of gamepad keyboard (touch keyboard or on screen keyboard) popping up on my games?

Question

Whenever I click on a text box within Fortnite, this annoying pop up tablet keyboard pops up in gamepad mode every time. I want to disable it. I checked that it is not Steam causing it, and this would still happen if Game Bar is installed or not. I have tried the fix of going into Settings > Accessibility and toggling on and off the On Screen Keyboard toggle, and it still pops up. I have even tried vivetool, but that did not work.

I have no controller attached.

I don't understand why this has to happen on my Windows 11 install. I don't want it and I will never need it. As I understand from looking online, this feature came about last year - https://www.theverge.com/news/632342/microsoft-windows-11-gamepad-keyboard-xbox-controller-available-now.

This is infuriating and I don't understand why it is not easy to disable.

Answer 1

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Hi Ishaan Singh,

I can understand why this would be frustrating, especially since you don't have a controller connected and have already ruled out Steam, Xbox Game Bar and the Accessibility On-Screen Keyboard.

Based on the screenshot, Windows appears to be launching the Gamepad Keyboard when Fortnite opens a text entry field. As a troubleshooting step, could you try launching Fortnite normally and verify that the game is using Keyboard & Mouse input rather than any controller or gamepad mode?

If Fortnite or Windows is incorrectly detecting controller input, the Gamepad Keyboard may appear even when no physical controller is connected. Checking whether the issue occurs only when the game is in a controller-oriented input mode may help narrow down the cause.

If the issue continues, please let me know:

• Your Windows version and build number (Win + R > type winver).
• Whether this happens only in Fortnite or in other games as well.
• Whether any virtual controller, controller-mapping or input-related software is installed.

That information may help determine whether Windows or the game is incorrectly detecting a gamepad device. I look forward to your update.

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