How to use the keyboard test
- Click the on-screen keyboard. That keeps Space, Tab, the arrows and the F-keys inside the test instead of scrolling the page.
- Press each key once. It turns blue while you hold it and stays green after you let go.
- Look for keys that are still white. You pressed them, but the browser never saw them.
- Hold a key for a second, then release it. If it stays blue after you let go, the key may be sticking.
- Press Shift + Tab or click outside the keyboard when you’re done. Reset clears everything for a new run.
On a phone, the screen keyboard doesn’t send real key positions, so this test is meant for physical keyboards.
How the keyboard test works
Your browser fires a keydown event when a key goes down and a keyup event when it comes back up. Each event carries two values. key is what the key types with your current layout, like a or Shift. code is the key’s physical position, like KeyA, and it doesn’t change with the layout.
The test lights keys by code, so it works the same whatever language your keyboard is set to. The layout is the US 104-key full-size keyboard (ANSI): function row, main block, navigation keys, arrows and numpad. Keys that aren’t on it, like the extra key next to left Shift on UK and European (ISO) keyboards or F13 to F24, appear under “Keys outside this layout”. Everything runs on your device and nothing is uploaded.
Keys a browser can’t always detect
Some keys are handled by the keyboard, the operating system or the browser before the page sees them. If one of these stays white, it doesn’t mean the key is broken.
| Key | What happens |
|---|---|
| Fn | Usually handled inside the keyboard, which sends a different key instead. Pages normally never see it. |
| Print Screen | On Windows it may register only when you release it, or not at all if a screenshot tool grabs it first. |
| Windows / Command | Usually registers, but system shortcuts like Win + D or Cmd + Tab go to the operating system. |
| Media and volume keys | Some browsers report them (as MediaPlayPause or AudioVolumeUp, for example). Others never see them. |
| Power, sleep, brightness | Handled by the operating system or the keyboard. They don’t reach the page. |
| Ctrl + W, Ctrl + T, Ctrl + N | Browser shortcuts a page can’t block. Test Ctrl and those letters separately. |
| F11 and F12 | Some browsers use them for full screen and developer tools. The key still registers, but the browser may act on it too. |
Key names the test shows
The “Last key” and “Last code” boxes show the raw values from your browser. Here’s what common ones mean on a US layout.
| Physical key | code | key |
|---|---|---|
| A | KeyA | a, or A with Shift |
| 1 in the top row | Digit1 | 1, or ! with Shift |
| 1 on the numpad | Numpad1 | 1, or End with Num Lock off |
| Left Shift | ShiftLeft | Shift |
| Right Ctrl | ControlRight | Control |
| Left Alt or Option | AltLeft | Alt |
| Windows or Command | MetaLeft | Meta |
| Menu key | ContextMenu | ContextMenu |
| Backtick (`) | Backquote | ` |
| Extra key next to left Shift (ISO) | IntlBackslash | Depends on the layout |
What to do if a key doesn’t work
- Try another port or computer. If the key works there, the problem is software or the port, not the keyboard.
- Check keyboard software. Remapping tools and gaming modes can turn keys off. Many gaming keyboards have a mode that disables the Windows key.
- Check Fn Lock on laptops. It swaps the F-keys with media functions, so F5 may send a volume or brightness key instead.
- Clean the key. Dust and crumbs under a key can stop it registering or make it stick.
Next, find out how many keys your keyboard registers at once with the keyboard ghosting test, or check your speed with the typing speed test. Testing a mouse too? Try the mouse test.