The virtual keyboard is an essential and useful feature when your physical keyboard is broken or your computer is infected with viruses or keyloggers. Here's the quickest and simplest way to open the virtual keyboard on Windows when you need it.
1. Open the virtual keyboard when the physical keyboard is broken.
To open the virtual keyboard when your physical keyboard is broken but you can still use the mouse, follow these steps:
Step 1: Copy osk and paste it into the search box in the Windows Start menu .
Step 2: Click on the virtual keyboard result that appears to open it.
Step 3: Just use the virtual keyboard.
2. Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 11
Open the virtual keyboard using a keyboard shortcut.
- This is the easiest method, but it cannot be used if your keyboard is broken.
- Press the Ctrl + Win + O key combination to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 11.
Open the virtual keyboard using Run.
- Press Win + R to open Run.
- Type "osk" into the Run dialog box.
- Pressing Enter will bring up the virtual keyboard.
Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 11 using Windows Search.
- You press the Start button and then type onsc.
- The virtual keyboard will appear directly in the search results, and you can click on it to open it or press the Enter key.
Use the virtual keyboard icon on the Taskbar.
- Right-click on the Taskbar and then select Taskbar settings.
- In the Taskbar settings, find the Touch keyboard option and toggle the switch there to On.
- Now, you'll notice a virtual keyboard icon has appeared in the system tray. To open the virtual keyboard, simply click on that icon.
Use Settings
- Press Windows + I to open Settings.
- Next, click on Accessibility , then scroll down to find and click on Keyboard .
- Flip the switch on the On-screen keyboard to On.
Use the Control Panel
- You can open the Control Panel by pressing Windows + R to open Run, then typing control and pressing Enter.
- In the Control Panel, go to Ease of Access > Ease of Access Center .
- Then click on Start On-Screen Keyboard in the Quick access to common tools section .
Open the virtual keyboard from the Windows 11 Start Menu.
- Press the Start button.
- Click the All apps button .
- In the All apps list , find and click Windows Easy of Access .
- Next, click on On-Screen Keyboard .
Open the virtual keyboard using the command line tool.
- Open Command Prompt or PowerShell
- In the command line window, click osk and then press Enter.
Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 11 from the login screen.
- You can also open the virtual keyboard on the login screen.
- Tap the Accessibility icon (a person) in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Click on On-Screen Keyboard.
3. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 10
Open the virtual keyboard in Settings (useful when the physical keyboard is completely unresponsive).
- Open the Settings app by clicking the Settings icon in the top left corner of the Start Menu.
- In the Settings window, find and click on Ease of Access.
- Click on Keyboard, then under Turns on the on-screen keyboard, switch the option to ON.
Open the virtual keyboard from the search bar.
Type " On-screen keyboard" into the search box on the Start Menu or Taskbar and press Enter to open the on-screen keyboard on Windows 10.
Open the virtual keyboard from the Run command window.
To open the virtual keyboard from the Run command window, follow these steps:
- Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run command window.
- In the Run command window, type OSK (without capitalization) and press Enter to open the virtual keyboard.
Open the virtual keyboard via CMD or PowerShell.
To open the virtual keyboard via Command Prompt or PowerShell, open the Cmd or PowerShell window, then type "OSK" at the command prompt, and press Enter.
Open the virtual keyboard from the Start menu.
Open the Start Menu, then click on All apps , then click on the Windows Ease of Access folder icon to expand the folder, and then click on On Screen Keyboard to open the On Screen Keyboard virtual keyboard.
Open the virtual keyboard through the Control Panel.
- Open the Control Panel by right-clicking the Start button , then selecting Control Panel .
- In the Control Panel window, find and click on Ease of Access .
- Click on Ease of Access Center.
- Finally, click Start On-Screen Keyboard to open the virtual keyboard.
4. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 7
There are three ways to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 7:
Method 1: Open from the Start menu
Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > On-Screen Keyboard.
On Windows 7, you can open the virtual keyboard by clicking the Start button , selecting All Programs , and navigating to Accessories > Ease of Access > On-Screen Keyboard .
You'll also find the Start On-Screen Keyboard button in the Ease of Access Center of the Control Panel , but this is similar to launching the keyboard directly.
For easier access in the future, you can right-click the On-screen keyboard icon on the taskbar and select Pin this program to taskbar .
The virtual keyboard doesn't look as appealing as the one on Windows 8 and 10, but it works in a similar way. Select a text field and start typing with your mouse, finger, or any other input device you have.
To use the virtual keyboard on the Windows 7 login screen, click the Ease of Access button in the bottom left corner of the screen and select the Type without the keyboard (On-Screen Keyboard) option from the list that appears.
Method 2: Open from Run
Go to Start > select RunWindows (or press the + key combination R).
Enter the command: osk (which stands for On Screen Keyboard ) into the Run box , then press Enter or OK .
Method 3: Open from the taskbar
Right-click on the system tray and select Properties :
In the window that opens, navigate to Toolbars > check the Touch Keyboard checkbox.
A small keyboard icon will appear in the system tray, like the one below:
Essentially, this keyboard is designed for touch-screen devices; it's more compact than a full virtual keyboard, with separate sections for numbers and letters:
5. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 8/8.1
Windows 8 and 8.1 work similarly to Windows 10, but the toolbar options are in a slightly different location. To access it, right-click on your toolbar, point to Toolbars , and make sure Touch Keyboard is selected .
Next, you'll see the touch keyboard icon appear to the left of the system tray or notification area. Click or tap it to open the touch keyboard.
You can also open the traditional virtual keyboard on these versions of Windows. To do so, right-click the Start button on the taskbar on Windows 8.1 or right-click the bottom left corner of the screen on Windows 8. Select Control Panel . In the Control Panel window , click Ease of Access , select Ease of Access Center , and then click Start On-Screen Keyboard .
You can pin the keyboard to the taskbar for easier access in the future, if you wish.
You can also access the virtual keyboard on the Windows 8 login screen. Click the Ease of Access icon in the bottom left corner of the login screen and select On-Screen Keyboard from the menu that appears.
Note:
If you want to use the Function keys (F1 to F12), remember to press the Fn key to display the Function keys on the virtual keyboard.
What is a virtual keyboard?
The virtual keyboard is a very useful and necessary feature for Windows users in some situations. First integrated into Windows XP, the On-Screen Keyboard (or simply the virtual keyboard) proves incredibly useful when your physical keyboard has malfunctioning keys, you suspect your computer is infected with a virus or keylogger, or in short, there are many reasons why using the physical keyboard is inconvenient. In this article, TipsMake will guide you through several ways to open the On-Screen Keyboard on Windows XP, 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows 10.
Good luck!