Quick answer: Windows 11 doesn’t have a documented setting for an on-screen Caps Lock popup, because the box you see almost always comes from your PC maker’s software or your keyboard’s app. On Dell PCs, clear Enable lock key notifications in Dell Peripheral Manager; on HP laptops the usual fix is uninstalling HP System Event Utility; on Lenovo, MSI and others, look in the maker’s app (Lenovo Vantage, MSI Center). If what bothers you is a beep, turn off Toggle keys in Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
In this guide
Popup, beep or voice?
Three different features can react to Caps Lock, and each is switched off in a different place:
| What happens when you press Caps Lock | What’s causing it | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| A box saying Caps Lock on/off, or a large “A” or “aa”, appears on screen | PC maker or keyboard software | Find the app |
| A beep or tone plays | Windows Toggle keys | Turn off the beep |
| A voice says “Caps Lock on” | Narrator | Stop Narrator |
Microsoft’s newer Windows 11 Insider builds let you move the built-in hardware popups, but Microsoft lists those as brightness, volume, airplane mode and virtual desktops. Caps Lock isn’t among them, which is another sign that a Caps Lock box comes from other software.
Turn off the Caps Lock beep
- Press Win + U to open Accessibility settings, or go to Start > Settings > Accessibility.
- Select Keyboard.
- Turn off Toggle keys. Microsoft describes this switch as playing a sound whenever you press Caps Lock, Num Lock or Scroll Lock.
This only stops the sound. If a box still appears on screen, carry on below. If Num Lock itself misbehaves, see Num Lock not working in Windows 11 and 10.
Stop Windows reading out Caps Lock
If a voice announces Caps Lock, Narrator, Windows’ screen reader, is on. Press Ctrl + Win + Enter to turn it off. If it keeps coming back after a restart, check whether Narrator is set to start automatically in Settings > Accessibility > Narrator.
Find the app that shows the popup
The look of the box is often the quickest clue: maker utilities tend to show their own style, sometimes with a logo. If it’s not obvious, work through these checks:
- Unplug any external keyboard and press Caps Lock on the built-in one. If the box only appears with the external keyboard, its app (for example Logitech’s) is responsible.
- Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc and look on the Processes tab for your PC maker’s name, such as HP, Dell, Lenovo, MSI, ASUS or Acer, or for a keyboard app.
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and look for hotkey, OSD, system event or keyboard utilities from the same makers.
- Check the Startup apps tab in Task Manager too. Our guide to where startup programs live lists the other places they hide.
Still not sure? A clean boot starts Windows without third-party services and startup apps. If the popup stops, turn things back on in small groups until it returns. The steps are in our guide to a desktop that keeps refreshing, which uses the same method.
Turn it off by brand
Settings change between app versions, so treat the option names below as a starting point. Where only a forum source exists, it’s noted.
| Brand or app | How to turn the Caps Lock popup off |
|---|---|
| Dell Peripheral Manager | Open the app, select the settings (gear) icon at the top right, open General and clear Enable lock key notifications (steps from an accepted answer on the Dell Community forum). |
| Dell Display and Peripheral Manager (Dell monitors with a keyboard attached) | Dell Community users report a Keyboard Lock Key option under Settings > General that controls the box at the top of the screen. |
| HP System Event Utility | There’s no switch for it in the app, according to WindowsLoop and other guides. Uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Installed apps. It’s in the Microsoft Store if you need to reinstall it, for example if an Fn key shortcut stops working. |
| Lenovo | Lenovo has a support article for changing the on-screen Num Lock and Caps Lock indicator settings on ThinkPads. On consumer models, owners report turning it off in Lenovo Vantage under the keyboard or input settings. |
| MSI | Users on Microsoft Q&A trace a grey “AA” or “aa” box to MSI Center and its background services. Look for a keyboard or OSD option in MSI Center first, then remove MSI’s helper apps if it has none. |
| Logitech keyboards | Logitech says its SetPoint software is what shows Caps Lock On and Caps Lock Off notifications on keyboards such as the K360. Uninstall SetPoint if you don’t need it. Users also report notifications from Logi Options+. |
| Old Intel graphics drivers | Some older Intel display drivers had an Enable On-Screen Display option. It’s unlikely to be the cause on a current Windows 11 PC. |
If the app has no off switch
You can stop a utility from running instead of uninstalling it. Disable its entry on the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, or, if it runs as a service, open services.msc, double-click the service, set Startup type to Manual and restart. Our guide to the WebClient service shows the same Services steps in more detail.
Before you remove a maker utility, check what else it does. These apps often handle Fn keys, brightness keys, microphone mute or keyboard backlight, and removing them can stop those keys working. If that happens, reinstall the app from your PC maker’s support site and live with the popup, or use its settings if a newer version adds an off switch. Caps Lock itself keeps working either way.
Related guides
- Num Lock not working in Windows 11 and 10: 6 ways to fix it
- Where are startup programs in Windows 11 and 10?
- Desktop keeps refreshing in Windows 11 and 10: how to fix it
- WebClient service in Windows 11 and 10: what it does and how to start or disable it
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