HP ENVY: Not typing the Pipe Symbol

[Mu65]

Typing the Pipe Symbol doesnt not work (with German keyboard) by using both methods given by HP :

Method  1 (doesnt work)

• Press and hold the Alt Gr key (located to the right of the space bar).
• While holding down the Alt Gr key, press the key that has the |, <, and > symbols.

Alternate Method (doesnt work)

• If Alt Gr doesn’t work, try using the Shift key with the Alt key, but this is less common for typing the pipe symbol
  
  
  Are there any other solutions for the HP ENVY Notebook ?

[Hawks_Eye · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mu65 

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for posting your query! We're here to help you get back up and running.

It looks like you've already tried the standard methods for typing the pipe symbol on a German keyboard, but let's explore a few alternative solutions.

Possible Fixes for the Pipe Symbol Issue

 

1. Verify Keyboard Layout Settings

• Open Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.
• Click Keyboard Layout and ensure it's set to German (QWERTZ).
• If it's set to another layout, switch to German and test the pipe symbol again.

 

2. Use the On-Screen Keyboard

• Press Win + R, type osk, and hit Enter.
• Check if the pipe symbol (|) appears on the virtual keyboard.
• If it does, clicking it should work—this can help confirm if the issue is hardware-related.

 

3. Try Alternative Key Combinations

• Alt + 124 (on the numeric keypad) can sometimes work.
• Ctrl + Alt + < or > may function on certain HP models.

 

4. Check for Missing Keyboard Drivers

• Open Device Manager → Expand Keyboards.
• Right-click your keyboard and select Update Driver.
• If no update is available, try Uninstalling the keyboard driver and restarting your laptop.

 

5. Test in Safe Mode

• Boot into Safe Mode and try typing the pipe symbol.
• If it works in Safe Mode, a background process or software conflict may be interfering.

Let me know what results you get, and I can refine the approach further!

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[Mu65]

Hello: Thanks for the reply. As an HP user (Notebook Elite and ProBook) i was a bit surprise when setting up the new HP Envy. I was not familiar with the German keyboard layout of the key L from the HP Envy.  I  think this keyboard function is not recommendable for simple mathematical  use at school, university or working from home. For the HP ENVY x360 14-fc0770ng I‘ve tried possible combination to find out the pipe-symbol.
Keyboard mapping wich the key “ L “    ( which means in fact:     L  or   >  or   <  or    |     ) are as follows:

L =  L

Shift + FN + L        =      > 

FN  + L                    =      <

FN + ALT GR  + L   =       |

Best regards, Karsten