How to open virtual keyboard on Windows 10, 11, 7

When the external keyboard is paralyzed, the virtual keyboard will be a lifesaver for anyone. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows is quite simple as follows:

Tips for opening virtual keyboard on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7

Tip When you can't find the virtual keyboard icon, or want to open it quickly, when the key is disabled

When you can't press, or  don't have a keyboard to type on, or when you ca n't find the On-Screen Keyboard icon (virtual keyboard icon) in the Program menu, do the following:

Use the mouse to click on Computer then go to drive C: => Find the Windows folder , find System32 and then find the OSK.exe file ( Virtual keyboard path is the program located at: C:WindowsSystem32osk.exe )

To easily open it again next time, just right-click on OSK.exe, go to the Send To menu , then select Desktop (Short cut).

- Press the key combination then enter to display the virtual keyboard immediately

Article content:
  1. Open virtual keyboard on Windows 11.
  2. Open virtual keyboard on Windows 10.
  3. Open virtual keyboard on Windows 8.1.
  4. Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 7.
  5. Open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP.

How to open virtual keyboard on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7

1. Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 11

As you know, Windows 11 is the latest operating system that Microsoft released, with many new functions and designs, so the operation of opening the virtual keyboard on Win 11 is also a bit different, for more information. About how to do it, please refer to the detailed instructions article here

2. Open the virtual keyboard on Windows 10

Method 1: turn on virtual keyboard on Windows 10 using Settings

Step 1: To open the virtual keyboard Keyboard on Windows 10, we just need to open StartMenu and type Ease of Access settings .

Step 2: Next, go to Keyboard > select use On-Screen Keyboard to activate the virtual keyboard Keyboard.
Note: In addition to clicking use On-Screen Keyboard, we can also press the shortcut Windows key + Ctrl + O to quickly activate.

Immediately the virtual keyboard on Windows 10 will appear.

Method 2: turn on the virtual keyboard on Windows 10 with the On-Screen Keyboard shortcut

Go to the search window -> type keyboard -> Click On-Screen Keyboard

Then, the Windows 10 virtual keyboard will automatically pop up

You can set up many of your own settings.

* Activate the row of function keys (Function: F1-F12) on the virtual keyboard

Just like the function keys (Function: F1-F12) on the physical keyboard, the virtual keyboard can also activate the Fn key row. By default, this row of keys was previously hidden because the user had not activated the function key row.

To activate the row of function keys on the virtual keyboard, you just need to press the Fn key on the virtual keyboard to display the row of function keys on the virtual keyboard.

3. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 8/8.1

This latest operating system from Micosoft also has a built-in virtual keyboard, the opening method is similar to Windows XP and Windows 7. However, users can open the virtual keyboard on Windows 8 with the new interface. can perform the following operations:

Step 1: Move the mouse down to the Toolbar, right-click and select Properties

Step 2: A new window appears, switch to the Toolbars Tab and tick Touch Keyboad as below

Step 3: Now observe the virtual keyboard icon under the toolbar.

You just need to click on it to call the virtual keyboard.

4. How to call the virtual keyboard in Windows 7

Windows 7, the most popular operating system today, is no stranger to you like Windows XP Microsoft also has a built-in virtual keyboard application. To open the virtual keyboard on Windows 7, do the following:

Method 1: Same as on Windows XP, click Windows to access All Programs  , then go to Accessories  , go to  Ease of Access,  and finally select  On-Screen Keyboard.

Immediately the virtual keyboard appears

Method 2: Press the key combination Windows + R, type in the phrase 'OSK' Then click OK

5. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP

Win XP was a popular operating system for a while. However, Microsoft has stopped providing services for this operating system, but it is still popular and used by many people. To open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP, do one of the following two ways:

Method 1: Press the Windows Key to  Start > All Programs > Accessories > Accessibility  then find and click to select  On-Screen Keyboard as shown below.

Immediately after that the virtual keyboard appears, check Do not show this. in the dialog box above to not display such a message in the future.

Method 2: Press the Windows + R key combination then type in the phrase 'OSK' and click OK . The virtual keyboard will appear immediately afterwards.

Above, we have just shown you how to open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP/7/8, so you can continue your work when you encounter errors with your computer's physical keyboard. In addition, you can refer to how to use the computer to use the virtual keyboard on the computer effectively.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 14 June 2024