Shift key not working

[vonakho6]

It's not a physical problem, both shift keys don't work, I've tried installing new drivers, updating the current one, turning off sticky keys, l've even formatted the laptop 3 times before yet the problem stays, what can I do?

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @vonakho6,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

If both Shift keys don’t work, even after formatting the laptop, that strongly suggests this is not a driver or Windows issue. Let’s narrow this down properly.

Before we proceed:

Does Shift work in the BIOS screen?

Does an external USB keyboard work normally?

Meanwhile, follow these steps:

Step 1: Test Outside Windows (Very Important)

• Restart the laptop.
• Enter the BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, F10, Esc, or Del at startup).
• Try typing in any available text field (if available) or use Shift in BIOS shortcuts.
• If Shift does not work in BIOS, the issue is hardware-related.
• If it does work in BIOS, continue below.

Step 2: Test With On-Screen Keyboard

• Press Windows + Ctrl + O.
• Click the on-screen Shift key.
• Type letters.
• If on-screen Shift works but physical keys don’t, this confirms a keyboard hardware failure.

Step 3: Check Keyboard Language/Layout

• Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.
• Confirm the correct keyboard layout is selected.
• Remove extra layouts.
• Restart the laptop.
• Incorrect layouts rarely disable both Shift keys, but it’s worth confirming.

Step 4: Try External Keyboard

• Plug in a USB keyboard.
• Test the Shift key.
• If the external keyboard works normally, your laptop’s internal keyboard has failed.

Step 5: Most Likely Cause

If:

• Formatting didn’t fix it
• Driver reinstall didn’t fix it
• Both Shift keys are dead
• External keyboard works

Then this is almost certainly a keyboard matrix hardware failure on the laptop.

Both Shift keys share the same internal circuit path. If that line fails, both keys stop working at the same time.

Formatting 3 times rules out software completely.

I hope this helps.

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Best regards,