Keyboard Test
Run a keyboard test: press every key and watch it light up — find dead or stuck keys in seconds.
By TypingBench Team ·
Press any key to test it. Keys that register in your browser will light up.
Some system and browser shortcuts (e.g. Ctrl+W, F5, Alt+Tab) are intercepted by the OS or browser before the website receives them, so they cannot be tested here.
This keyboard test checks whether every physical key on your keyboard is actually reaching your browser. Press a key and it lights up on the on-screen keyboard; release it and it stays marked as tested. In a keyboard test, a key that never lights up no matter how hard you press is your suspect: either the switch is dead, or something upstream is swallowing the signal.
Switch between AZERTY and QWERTY layouts above to match the keyboard in front of you. The keyboard test works with any wired, wireless, or laptop keyboard — nothing to install, nothing to run, just keypresses.
01How the keyboard test works
The page listens for the browser’s keyboard events and maps each one onto the matching key of the visual keyboard:
- Press a key — it lights up as held and is marked as tested.
- Release it — the key stays marked tested so you can see coverage.
- The counter tracks how many keys you have verified.
- Reset clears all marks when you want to start a full sweep again.
Physical code vs received character
The tester reports two values for your last key: the physical code (which hardware slot the key occupies) and the received character (what your operating system delivered). On an AZERTY keyboard, the physical code KeyQ prints “a”; on QWERTY the same slot prints “q”. Seeing both helps when a keyboard types the wrong letters — a layout problem — versus not lighting up at all — a hardware problem.
02How to test for dead or broken keys
A browser cannot detect a switch that sends no signal at all, so this keyboard test works by positive confirmation: keys that register light up. To sweep a keyboard, work through the rows — left to right, top to bottom — pressing each key once, including modifiers, digits, and punctuation. Any key left untested after a firm press is the suspect one.
For intermittent keys, press the suspect ten times in a row and watch for flickers; for stuck keys (permanently held), open this page with nothing else focused — a stuck modifier usually reveals itself by lighting on load. Double-registration problems — one press, two flashes — show up the same way.
03Why some shortcuts cannot be tested
Some key combinations never reach a web page: Ctrl+W closes the tab, Alt+Tab switches windows, the Windows key opens the Start menu, and F5 reloads before a site can react. Your operating system and browser intercept them first. This is normal — those shortcuts belong to the system — and it means a “failed” Ctrl+W on this page says nothing about your keyboard.
Everything else in the keyboard test is fair game. Modifier keys light individually (press Shift, then Ctrl, then Alt), and pressing them together still registers each one, letting you verify the modifiers that shortcuts depend on.
04AZERTY vs QWERTY: which should you pick?
Pick the layout printed on your physical keyboard, because the visual keyboard mirrors key positions, not characters. AZERTY is standard in France and Belgium; QWERTY covers most of the rest of the world; QWERTZ (Germany) and other variants can be approximated with QWERTY since the physical codes match. If keys light in “wrong” places, you have simply picked the wrong visual layout — the hardware is fine.
05When to run a keyboard test
A key tester earns its bookmark in exactly these situations:
- Used keyboard: run the keyboard test before the return window closes.
- After a spill: the keyboard test shows which switches still report.
- Ghosting check: hold several keys and watch the keyboard test report each one.
- New layout: confirm the keyboard test lights the printed legends you expect.
- Laptop triage: a quick keyboard test replaces guesswork with evidence.
- Before a sale: screenshot the keyboard test coverage as proof of health.
06Keyboard test use cases
Classic moments for a keyboard test: a used keyboard bought online, tested before the return window closes; a laptop after a spill, where certain switches die quietly; a gaming keyboard with a suspicious WASD cluster; or “my e key doesn’t work” triage before reinstalling anything. The keyboard test gives you facts — which keys reach the browser and which do not — so the next step (cleaning, replacement, or layout fix) is grounded in evidence.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I run a keyboard test online?
Open this keyboard test page and press keys: every key that registers lights up on the visual keyboard. Sweep all rows once, and any key that stays dark after a firm press is either dead or its signal is being swallowed before the browser sees it.
Can the keyboard test detect a completely dead key?
No. A browser only knows about keys that produce events, so the keyboard test works by positive confirmation: keys that light up work. A key that stays dark across several firm presses is your dead-key candidate — that conclusion is yours to draw, and this keyboard test gives you the evidence.
Why does a key light up in the wrong place?
You are viewing a different layout than your physical keyboard. Switch between AZERTY and QWERTY above until the printed legends match your keys. The physical code shown for your last key always identifies the true hardware slot.
Why can’t the keyboard test check Ctrl+W or Alt+Tab?
The operating system and browser intercept those shortcuts before any website can see them. It is a security and usability boundary, not a defect in your keyboard — try the modifier keys individually instead.
Does this keyboard test work on a laptop?
Yes — the keyboard test works on laptop keyboards exactly like external ones. Compact laptops without a numeric keypad simply have no numpad keys to test; everything else lights as usual.
What does “held” versus “tested” mean?
“Held” means the key is currently pressed; “tested” means it was pressed at least once during this session. Keys stay marked tested after release so you can track coverage across a full sweep.
Does the keyboard test record what I type?
No. Key presses are used only to update the visualization in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or attached to you — this is a local key tester, not a keylogger.
My key registers twice in the keyboard test — is it broken?
Double registration usually means a worn or dirty switch bouncing contact (common on heavily used keys). Confirm it on the keyboard test with slow, deliberate presses; if doubles persist in the keyboard test, the switch — not software — is the likely culprit.
Sources
“AZERTY and QWERTY are keyboard layouts: the same physical key positions print different characters in each.”