How to Disable a Laptop Keyboard in Windows 10

This article explains how to disable or permanently uninstall your laptop keyboard in Windows 10. Also included are instructions for taking the unrecommended approach of forcing the keyboard to use the wrong driver to prevent it from working. 

How to Disable a Laptop Keyboard in Windows 10

If you want to disable your laptop keyboard in Windows 10, there are two safe methods: disable it in Device Manager or permanently uninstall it.

Another technique is to force the keyboard to use a device driver that it can't use, thus stopping it from working. We don't recommend doing it, but if the other two methods don't work, that is an option.

Use Device Manager to Disable the Keyboard

This is the safest and easiest solution to permanently turning off a laptop keyboard, but it might not work for every laptop.

To disable a device in Device Manager:

1. To open Device Manager, open the Run dialog box (Win+R) and enter devmgmt.msc in the command line. Or, right-click Start and choose the Device Manager tool from there.

2. Expand the Keyboards section to see a list of devices.

3. Right-click Standard PS/2 Keyboard and choose Disable device. If you don't see this option, try a different method as explained below.

4. Confirm with Yes. If the keyboard isn't disabled right away, restart the computer.

Stop the Keyboard From Installing With Group Policy Editor

If you can't disable the laptop keyboard, turn on a device installation restriction using the built-in Local Group Policy Editor to stop the keyboard from reinstalling every time your computer starts up.

To do this, identify the keyboard's hardware ID so that you're only dealing with that one device. Then, tell the Local Group Policy Editor to prevent Windows from installing anything that matches that ID.

1. Press Win+X and then select Device Manager.

2. Expand Keyboards.

3. Right-click Standard PS/2 Keyboard and choose Properties.

4. Go to the Details tab and change the Property drop-down option to Hardware Ids.

5. Open the Run dialog box (Win+R) and enter gpedit.msc in the command line.

6. Under Computer Configuration, navigate to Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Device Installation Restrictions.

7. Right-click Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs, and select Edit.

8. Select Enabled in the upper-left portion of the Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs window, and then choose Show from the area below it.

9. Return to where you were in the Device Manager in Step 4. Right-click the first entry in the list, and choose Copy.

10. Go back to the policy you opened in Step 8, double-click the space under Value, and then paste (Ctrl+V) the copied ID into that box.

11. Choose OK on that screen, and then OK on the policy screen.

12. Find the device again in Device Manager, right-click it, and choose Uninstall device. Accept any prompts that show up.

13. Restart the computer to permanently disable the laptop keyboard.

If the keyboard still works, repeat steps 9 and 10 with any other hardware IDs listed. There's a possibility that the one you used didn't take. In that case, add every ID from the list to be sure.

To undo this method, turn the keyboard on, return to the group policy editor, and set the policy to Not Configured. A reboot will then re-enable the laptop keyboard.

Use the Wrong Driver to Break the Keyboard

Updating a device with an incompatible driver is unorthodox and should usually be avoided. However, it's a viable solution in this instance. When you install an incompatible driver for a keyboard, it ceases to function.

1. Open Device Manager, expand Keyboards, right-click Standard PS/2 Keyboard, and select Update driver.

2. Select Browse my computer for driver software.

3. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.

4. Clear the Show compatible hardware check box.

5. Scroll through and select a manufacturer (different than your standard keyboard), select a model, and then choose Next.

6. Select Yes.

7. Select Close once the driver is updated.

8. Select Yes to restart the computer.

9. Once the computer reboots, the built-in keyboard will no longer function.

If you want to re-enable the keyboard, repeat steps 1 and 2 but choose Search automatically for drivers instead.