Summary of several ways to open virtual keyboard on Windows XP / 7/8 / 8.1 / 10

Virtual keyboard is a necessary and useful feature when a broken keyboard or computer is infected with viruses and keyloggers. Here's how to open the virtual keyboard on Windows quickly and simply for you when needed.

Virtual keyboard is quite useful and necessary feature in some cases with Windows users. This feature is first integrated on Windows XP, On Screen Keyboard (or still known as virtual keyboard) proved extremely useful when your hard keyboard is certain keys, suspected computer is infected or keylogger . in short, there are many reasons why we cannot use the keyboard, thanks to the virtual keyboard. In the following article, Network Administrator will guide you through several ways to open the On Screen Keyboard virtual keyboard on Windows XP, 7, 8, 8.1 and Windows 10.

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Virtual keyboard in Win XP, Win 7 and Win 8 / 8.1

1. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP, Windows 7

There are 2 ways to open the virtual keyboard on Windows XP and Windows 7:

Method 1: Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessibility > On-Screen Keyboard.

Method 2: Go to Star t> select Run ( or press window + R key combination ).

Enter the command: osk (which is the abbreviation of the 3 K-board eyewear) in the Run box, then press Enter or OK .

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Virtual keyboard wins 7

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

To open the virtual keyboard in Windows 8, in addition to the same 2 ways as for Windows XP and Windows 7, you can do the following:

Method 1: Open from the taskbar

Right-click on the system tray, select Properties :

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In the window that opens, navigate to Toolbars> check the Touch Keyboard checkbox

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A small keyboard icon will appear in the system tray, as shown below:

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Basically, this keyboard is a keyboard for touch devices, it is more compact than full virtual keyboard, with separate numbers and text:

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Method 2: Open from the Search box

Hover over the top right corner of the screen, show the magnifying glass icon, click on it, type "osk" in the search box, then click on the virtual keyboard shown below.

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This 2 way along with 2 ways to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 8 / 8.1 like Windows XP and Windows 7 will open the full virtual keyboard below:

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Virtual keyboard on Windows 8 / 8.1

Note:

If you want to use the row of Function keys (from F1 to F12), please remember to press the Fn button to display the Function key line on the virtual keyboard:

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3. How to open the virtual keyboard on Windows 10

3.1. Open the virtual keyboard on the Start Menu

Enter the keyword On screen keyboard in the Search box on the Start Menu or on the Taskbar and then press Enter to open the virtual keyboard On screen board on Windows 10.

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3. 2. Open the virtual keyboard from the Run command window

To open the virtual keyboard from the Run command window, follow the steps below:

Step 1:

Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run command window.

Step 2:

On the Run command window, enter OSK (without capitalization) on it and press Enter to open the virtual keyboard.

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3.3. Open the virtual keyboard via Command Prompt or PowerShell

Follow the steps below to open the virtual keyboard via Command Prompt or PowerShell:

First open the Command Prompt window or PowerShell window, then type "OSK" into it and press Enter.

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3.4. Method 4

Open the Start Menu, then click on All apps and then click the folder icon Windows Ease of Access to expand the folder, then click On Screen Keyboard to open the virtual keyboard On Screen Keyboard.

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3.5. Method 5

Step 1:

Open the Settings app by clicking the Settings icon in the left corner of Start Menu.

Step 2:

On the Settings window, find and click to select Ease of Access.

Step 3:

Click on Keyboard, then on Turns on the on-screen keyboard you switch the option state to ON.

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3.6. Open the virtual keyboard via Control Panel

Step 1:

Open Control Panel by right-clicking on the Start button, then selecting Control Panel .

Step 2:

On the Control Panel window, find and click to select Ease of Access .

Step 3:

Click Select Ease of Access Center.

Step 4:

Finally click on Start On-Screen Keyboard to open the virtual keyboard.

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Refer to some of the following articles:

1. Fix keyboard error not working on Windows 10

1. Instructions for handling when the laptop keyboard key is broken

1. How to disable 1 or more any key on Windows 10 keyboard?

Good luck!