Num Lock Not Working in Windows 11/10: 6 Ways to Fix It

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10 desktops and laptops, with built-in or external keyboards.

Quick checks first

• Look at the Num Lock light, if your keyboard has one. If it’s off, the keypad acts as arrow, Home, End and Page Up/Down keys instead of numbers.
• Test in Notepad rather than in a game or web form, so you know whether the problem is the keypad or the app.
• For a wireless or Bluetooth keyboard, replace or charge the batteries and reconnect it. A USB keyboard should go straight into the PC, not through a hub, while you test.
• Try another keyboard if you have one. If that works, the original keyboard is the problem.

Fix 1: Turn Num Lock on with the right key

On a full-size keyboard, press Num Lock (sometimes labelled NumLk) above the 7 key on the number pad.

Laptops vary. Many share Num Lock with another key, so you press Fn together with Num Lk, Insert or a function key; look for a small “Num Lk” label or padlock icon with a number on it. On laptops without a number pad, Num Lock may turn some letter keys (such as U, I, O) into numbers, so if letters suddenly type numbers, press the same combination to turn it off.

If your laptop has no Num Lock key at all, use the On-Screen Keyboard (Fix 6) to switch it.

Fix 2: Turn off Mouse Keys

If the number keys move the pointer around the screen, Windows’ Mouse Keys accessibility feature is on. It can be switched on by accident with Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock.

• Windows 11: go to Settings > Accessibility > Mouse and turn off Mouse keys. If you do use Mouse Keys, you can instead tick Only use mouse keys when Num lock is on.
• Windows 10: go to Settings > Ease of Access > Mouse and turn off Control your mouse with a keypad.

Pressing Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock again also turns Mouse Keys off. If your pointer disappears at the same time, see mouse cursor disappears in Windows.

Fix 3: Keep Num Lock on at startup

Windows remembers the Num Lock state in a registry value called InitialKeyboardIndicators. Microsoft’s documentation describes 0 as Num Lock off and 2 as Num Lock on. There’s one copy for the sign-in screen and one for your account.

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run both commands:

reg add "HKU\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard" /v InitialKeyboardIndicators /t REG_SZ /d 2 /f
reg add "HKCU\Control Panel\Keyboard" /v InitialKeyboardIndicators /t REG_SZ /d 2 /f

The first sets the sign-in screen, which is where you usually notice it when typing a PIN. The second sets your own account. Restart to test.

If you look at the value first in Registry Editor and see a large number such as 2147483648, Windows has added an extra flag. Setting 2147483650 (that number plus 2) is a common way to keep the flag and turn Num Lock on; 2 also works on most PCs. A PIN that “stops working” at sign-in is often just Num Lock being off; see Windows Hello PIN: this option is currently unavailable if the PIN itself has a problem.

Fix 4: Check the BIOS Num Lock setting and Fast Startup

Many PCs have a firmware setting called Boot Up NumLock Status, NumLock or similar, often under Boot or POST Behavior. Set it to On and save. The exact name depends on the PC maker.

Fast Startup can also make Windows ignore the setting because it resumes from a saved state rather than starting fresh. To test, go to Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power buttons do, select Change settings that are currently unavailable, untick Turn on fast startup and select Save changes. Then shut down and start the PC again.

Fix 5: Reinstall the keyboard driver

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Keyboards, right-click your keyboard (for example HID Keyboard Device or Standard PS/2 Keyboard) and select Uninstall device.
3. Restart the PC. Windows reinstalls the keyboard driver automatically.

Also install any keyboard or hotkey utility from your laptop maker’s support page, since some laptops need it for the Fn key combinations. If typing fails only in certain places, such as the taskbar search box, see can’t type in the Windows search bar.

Fix 6: Use the On-Screen Keyboard as a stopgap

Press Win + Ctrl + O, or run osk. Select Options, tick Turn on numeric key pad and select OK. A NumLock key appears on the right; click it to switch Num Lock on or off. This also helps on laptops with no Num Lock key.

Related guides

• Mouse cursor disappears in Windows: how to get it back
• Can’t type in the Windows search bar: how to fix it
• Windows Hello PIN: this option is currently unavailable

Official sources: for more detail, see Microsoft’s own documentation:

• Microsoft Learn: InitialKeyboardIndicators registry entry

Frequently asked questions

Why does my number pad move the mouse?

Mouse Keys is turned on. Turn it off in Settings (Fix 2) or press Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock.

Why does Num Lock turn off every time I restart?

Windows, the BIOS or Fast Startup is restoring it to off. Set InitialKeyboardIndicators to 2 for both the sign-in screen and your account (Fix 3), then check the BIOS setting (Fix 4).

My laptop types numbers instead of letters. How do I stop it?

Num Lock is on and is using part of the letter keys as a number pad. Press the same Fn combination that turns Num Lock on to switch it off.

How do I know if Num Lock is on without a light?

Some laptops show an on-screen message from the maker’s hotkey software. Otherwise, open the On-Screen Keyboard (Fix 6): its NumLock key is highlighted when Num Lock is on.