A gaming keyboard can malfunction in a variety of ways. Even the greatest keyboards can have such problems. Replacing the entire hardware is clearly not always cost effective. As a result, we must be aware of the best hacks for the most common problems that gaming keyboards encounter.
Some of these problems include the whole keyboard becoming unresponsive, key presses causing repetitions, and keyboard shortcuts not working properly. Other common issues with gaming keyboards, particularly mechanical keyboards, include jammed keys, dead keys, and sticky keys. Keyboard backlighting or RGB lighting issues, as well as key presses responding slower than usual, are fairly common.
There could be several causes for your gaming keyboard’s keys not working correctly. However, if the cause is a bad, poor, or broken connection or weak batteries, your entire gaming keyboard will not respond properly. If only one key has stopped working, there is most likely a problem with that particular key. If you have a dead key on your beloved gaming keyboard, you don’t have to throw it away and buy a new one. The solutions are listed below.
Turn Off your Gaming Keyboard
Restarting your gaming keyboard is a simple fix. This is also the most popular troubleshooting advice for any portable device that stops working unexpectedly, and it usually works. While there is a better chance of this working if your entire gaming keyboard stops working, it’s worth trying for a specific key as well.
Simply disconnect the wireless connection of your gaming keyboard from your computer, or unplug it if it is wired. Then check to see if it works when you connect it.
Clean Your Keyboard
Food particles, for example, frequently find their way somewhere within keyboard keys and cause problems. That’s great if the stuck object comes out this way. If that doesn’t work, you can try using a paper clip to fix the problem. Easily unfold it and gently insert it from all four sides under the key. Items that are stuck or inaccessible can be unlodged with a paper clip.
If neither of these methods works, your best bet is to clean your keyboard with canned air. You’d need to remove the key cap (more on that later) and blow on the inside of the key. You can do this with a thin straw, which is typically included with a can of compressed air.
Replace the broken key.
If neither of the previously mentioned methods work, you may need to replace the dead key’s switch. It is very simple to do this if you have a hot-swappable keyboard. Simply remove the dead key and replace it with a new one using the appropriate instrument. It is simple, quick, and does not require soldering.
If you have a standard gaming keyboard without hot-swappable keys, you will need to desolder the dead key and solder in another key. After prying the key from the keyboard, clean it and the area around it to see if there is any debris causing it to not work correctly.
