Guide to Resolve Spacebar, Enter, Backspace Not Working

The Backspace, Spacebar, and Enter keys should be considered the most frequently used keys. Only when you find these keys not working or malfunctioning, you will realize their importance in daily computer use. This NewsPivot post shows you methods to fix the Enter, Spacebar, and Backspace not working issue.

Your keyboard might become inflexible if it gets water or stuck with debris. Before taking measures to fix the problem, you can clean the keyboard to see whether the problem can be solved. If the Enter, Spacebar, and Backspace not working issue is still here, try the following methods.

Further reading: 4 Solutions to Fix ASUS Keyboard Backlight Not Working

Method 1. Check Keyboard Settings

Two functions on Windows 10/11 can affect the proper function of the Backspace, Spacebar, and Enter keys. The Sticky Keys enable you to press one key at a time for keyboard shortcuts and the Filter Keys will ignore repeated keystrokes.

If you have enabled these two functions on your computer, the three keys may fail to work properly. Here is how to disable these functions in Windows Settings.

1. Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

2. Navigate to Ease of Access > Keyboard, toggle the switches under the Use Sticky Keys and Use Filter Keys options to Off.

Method 2. Run the Keyboard Troubleshooter

Another method to fix the Spacebar, Backspace, or Enter key not working is to run the Keyboard troubleshooter on your computer. This is a Windows built-in troubleshooter to help detect and repair keyboard issues.

1. Press Win + I to open the Settings window.

2. Head to Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters, then you can scroll down to find the Keyboard selection.

3. Click on it and choose Run the troubleshooter.

Wait for the scan process to complete. You can follow the on-screen instructions to repair the found issues. If all the problems are fixed, you can use the keyboard to see if this method helps to fix unresponsive keyboard keys.

Method 3. Update or Uninstall the Keyboard Driver

Sometimes, an outdated or corrupted keyboard driver may lead to various keyboard issues, including the Spacebar not working, Backspace not working, or the Enter key not working issue. You can try to update or reinstall the problematic keyboard driver to fix the issue.

1. Right-click on the Windows logo and choose Device Manager from the menu.

2. Find and expand the Keyboard option.

3. Right-click on the keyboard driver and choose Update driver from the context menu.

4. Choose Search automatically for drivers in the prompt window.

Your computer will install the latest compatible driver on your device automatically. Afterward, check whether the unresponsive key works normally.

If not, you can choose Uninstall device from the same context menu and click Uninstall again to confirm. After these operations, restart your computer to reinstall the driver during the rebooting process.

Bottom Line

We briefly introduce you to three methods to fix the Spacebar, Enter, or Backspace not working issue. If these three methods not working, you can replace your keyboard with a new one. Hope you can get useful information from this post.