Keyboard Test
Press every key and watch it light up. Find dead keys, stuck keys, and your real rollover.
Click start, then press keys on your physical keyboard. Browser shortcuts (F5, F12, Alt, Ctrl combos) are suppressed while the test runs. In fullscreen mode, Chrome and Edge can also capture the Windows key without opening the Start menu.
How this test works
Your browser receives a KeyboardEvent for every physical key press and release, identified by a position code that is independent of language layout. The on-screen keyboard lights each key amber while it is held and leaves a green outline once it has been verified, so you can sweep across the whole board and immediately see any key that failed to register.
The rollover counter tracks the highest number of keys registered as held down simultaneously — the practical test for ghosting on gaming keyboards. A key that reports being held for more than five seconds is flagged red as possibly stuck. Where your browser supports the Keyboard Layout API, the on-screen labels switch to your actual layout (AZERTY, QWERTZ, Dvorak and friends all display correctly). Everything runs locally; keystrokes are never logged or transmitted.
Keys not registering? Try this
One key or a few keys are dead
If a key never lights up here, the fault is below the browser: switch, membrane, or debris. Unplug the keyboard, pop the keycap off (on mechanical boards), and clear dust with compressed air. On membrane keyboards a single dead key usually means the board is at end of life. Spill damage often takes out a cluster of keys in the same region — if that matches what you see, open and clean the board or replace it.
The whole keyboard is dead in the browser
Click inside the page once — browsers only deliver key events to the focused page. If keys type fine elsewhere but not here, a browser extension may be swallowing events; try a private window. For wireless boards, check the power switch, battery, and pairing: on Windows 11, Settings → Bluetooth & devices; on macOS, System Settings → Bluetooth.
Keys type the wrong characters
That is a layout setting, not hardware. On Windows 11 check Settings → Time & language → Language & region → your language → Keyboard layout, and watch the language indicator in the taskbar (Win+Space cycles layouts and is easy to hit by accident). On macOS check System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources.
Modifier keys seem stuck
If Shift or Ctrl behaves as if held down, check for Sticky Keys: on Windows 11, Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Sticky keys (pressing Shift five times toggles the prompt); on macOS, System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard. This test also reveals a genuinely jammed modifier — it will show as held the moment you start.
Frequently asked questions
What is key rollover and why does it matter?
Rollover is how many keys your keyboard can register at the same time. Cheap keyboards handle 2–3 before "ghosting" (missed or phantom presses); gaming keyboards advertise 6-key or N-key rollover. Hold down several keys at once here and watch the rollover counter to measure yours.
A key lights up on screen but types the wrong character. Is it broken?
No — that is a layout mismatch, not a hardware fault. The test tracks physical key positions (the KeyboardEvent code), so a key that registers is electrically fine. Check your OS keyboard layout setting if characters come out wrong.
Why don't some keys register, like Fn or Print Screen?
The Fn key is handled inside the keyboard itself and never reaches the operating system, so no browser test can see it. A few keys (Print Screen on some systems, media keys) are intercepted by the OS before the browser gets them. Every normal typing key should register.
What does the stuck-key warning mean?
If a key reports "down" for more than five seconds without being released, it is flagged as possibly stuck. Real stuck keys are usually physical — debris under the keycap or a failing switch. Remove the keycap and clean under it if you get this warning on a key you were not holding.
Does this work with wireless and Bluetooth keyboards?
Yes. The test sees whatever your operating system sees, regardless of how the keyboard connects. It is also a quick way to check a Bluetooth keyboard is actually paired and responding.
Why does the Windows key still open the Start menu, or Print Screen still launch the Snipping Tool?
Those are operating-system shortcuts that fire before the browser sees the key. Fullscreen capture mode (Chrome and Edge) captures the Windows key so you can test it cleanly. Print Screen opening screen capture is a Windows 11 setting: turn off "Use the Print screen key to open screen capture" under Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard. The key registers in the test either way.