The numeric keypad on the laptop does not work. How to enable side keyboard

Keyboards in laptops come in two formats: with and without a numeric keypad. Most often, compact versions are built into devices with a small screen diagonal, adapting to the overall dimensions. In laptops with larger displays and larger device sizes, it is possible to add a Num block to the keyboard, usually consisting of 17 keys. How to enable this additional block in order to use it?

Most often, the principle of enabling and disabling this sector is identical to conventional wired keyboards, but in some cases it may differ. And if you don’t have a right block with numbers at all, but you really need it, or for some reason Num Lock doesn’t work, for example, the mechanism itself was broken, we recommend using a virtual keyboard. This is a standard Windows application that is available in all versions of the operating system and emulates keystrokes by clicking the left mouse button. Use it to turn on Nam Lok and use the rest of the number pad keys. For information on how to find and run such a program in Windows, read the article at the link below.

Method 1: Num Lock Key

Key Num Lock is intended to enable or disable the Num keyboard.

Almost all laptops have a light indicator that displays its status. The light is on - this means the numeric keypad is working and you can use all its keys. If the indicator goes out, you just need to press Num Lock to enable the block of these keys.

In devices without illumination of the key status, you just have to navigate according to logic - if the numbers don’t work, you just have to press Num Lock to activate them.

There is usually no need to disable Num keys; this is done for convenience and protection from accidental presses.

Method 2: Keyboard shortcut Fn + F11

Some laptop models do not have a separate number pad; there is only an option combined with the main keyboard. This option is stripped down and consists only of numbers, while the full right block consists of 6 additional keys.

In this case, you will need to press the key combination Fn+F11 to switch to the numeric keypad. Repeated use of the same combination activates the main keyboard.

Please note: depending on the make and model of your laptop, the keyboard shortcut may be slightly different: Fn+F9, Fn+F10 or Fn+F12. Do not press all the combinations in a row, first look at the function key icon to make sure if it is responsible for something else, for example, changing the screen brightness, Wi-Fi operation, etc.

Method 3: Changing BIOS Settings

In rare cases, the BIOS is responsible for the operation of the right block. The option that activates this keyboard should be enabled by default, but if the previous owner of the laptop, you or another person, disabled it for some reason, you will need to go in and activate it again.

Accounting employees and all those who often do calculations in specialized programs or spreadsheets know how uncomfortable it can become if the numbers on the keyboard on the right do not work. In addition, using the numeric keypad and ALT codes, characters are entered for which there are no separate keys.

This block is so popular and in demand that it is even available as a separate keyboard. Once you get used to using it, it is difficult to give up this advantage. What should you do if you suddenly find out that the number buttons on the keyboard on the right do not work?

First tip for beginners

To start using the number pad, just press the Num Lock key located right there. This is the top left button of the seventeen that belong to this part of the keyboard. When activated, one of the indicators on the keyboard may light up.

Thus, instead of keys that move the cursor, you will get buttons that print numbers and enter arithmetic symbols, an additional semicolon button in the Russian layout and a period in the English one, and when combined with pressing Shift, the lower right buttons will retain the Insert, Delete and Enter functions.

If Num Lock is turned on and the button functions have not changed

It happens that Num Lock is turned on, but for some reason the numbers on the keyboard on the right do not work, although they should. There are several options to solve the problem:

1. Enter the menu through "Start" - then "Settings" - "Keyboard" - select the "Mouse Buttons" tab and disable "Allow mouse control from the keyboard" - uncheck the box.
2. The option is “Options - “Keyboard” - “Layout Options” - “Options” - “Numeric Keypad Layout Options” - and select from the proposed styles “ATM” or “Phone”.
3. Change BIOS settings:

• reboot the equipment;
• at the moment the system starts, press the F2 button (as an option - Delete or Esc);
• by entering the BIOS settings, find the BootUp NumLock Status function and check the value set for it, it should be Enabled or On;
• then use the F10 key, followed by Y, so that the changes are successfully saved.

If there is no Num Lock button

Situations are different, and so is technology, and sometimes all sorts of troubles happen to it. However, if for some reason you do not have a Num Lock button on your keyboard, this will not prevent you from using the functions of the number pad in full:

• You can press it (not available on every keyboard) in combination with the desired number.
• Using the combination Fn + F11, or alternatively Fn + F10 or Fn + F12, depends on the brand and model of the equipment and the operating system installed on it (it is better to press it again, since through trial and error you can not only use the necessary buttons, but also turn off something external - sound, for example).

• Enable the necessary keys using the on-screen keyboard: enter through “Start” - “Accessories” - “Special Features” or through the same “Start”, then use the search for the specified words. If the Num Lock button is also missing on the on-screen keyboard, you need to press the "Options" key and in the window that appears, add an icon that enables the numeric keypad. The Num Lock button will appear and you can use it.
• Create hotkeys yourself using the free AutoHotkey program.

In most cases, you can figure out why the numbers on the keyboard on the right do not work and correct this situation quite quickly on your own.

Lateral keyboard often called digital or additional. This is a group of keys located to the right of the rod keyboard. In the standard version, it consists of seventeen keys and includes nine buttons with numbers, as well as signs of four mathematical operations, a dividing point, an enter key and a button to activate this keyboard. Many of these keys have dual functional purposes.

Instructions

1. Press the key labeled Num Lock to turn on the digital keyboard. It is placed, as usual, on this very additional numeric keypad and stands in the very first (left) place in the top row. It works as a trigger, that is, when the side segment of the keyboard is disabled, pressing this button turns it on, and when it is on, it turns it off.

2. Use the key combination fn + f11 to enable this additional digital keyboard on a laptop or laptop. On some of the models of such computers, to reduce the size, the additional keyboard is removed, and its functions are transferred to a group of keys on the rod keyboard. These buttons have additional symbols that differ in color from the symbols of the main keys. Pressing fn + f11 reassigns the functions of these keys, and they begin to work in the same way as the number pad on a standard keyboard. The f11 key may be replaced by another function key depending on the computer model you are using.

3. Change the value of the corresponding setting in the BIOS if the additional keyboard becomes inactive immediately after loading the operating system. Not all BIOS versions have such an option, but if your computer has it, it may be called, say, Num Lock Status, and the value corresponding to the enabled state is indicated by the inscription ON. In order to enter the BIOS settings panel, initiate an OS reboot through the main menu on the “Start” button, wait until the computer turns off and a new boot cycle begins. When the lights on the keyboard blink, press the Delete key and you will see the BIOS settings panel. Sometimes, instead of Delete, you need to press f10, f2, f1 or key combinations that you can find out from the description of your version.

The problem of proper operation of an additional keyboard is quite common on nix platforms. Users faced with such a problem sometimes drive themselves into a dead end, sinning because of the “curvature” of the latest version of the distribution, although the solution to the problem lies on the surface.

You will need

• Operating system of the Linux family.

Instructions

1. Fresh distributions (alpha and beta versions), mainly Debian-based systems, namely Ubuntu and Linux Mint, are especially susceptible to this disease. Before everyone else, you need to find out the reason for disabling the additional keyboard, because... she could not do it on her own.

2. Test the operation of the NumLock keyboard buttons in various applications, games, and the console (standard and virtual). Pay attention to its use in games, you need to assign actions to the buttons used (from 1 to 9). Don’t be afraid to assign all the buttons; the settings can always be returned to their original form.

3. If the NumLock unit is working properly, the keys should work in applications such as the Typical Calculator, Gedit, and Internet browsers (programs that work directly with this type of keyboard). To launch the virtual console, use the key combination Ctrl + Alt + T, and for the regular console, Ctrl + Alt + F1 (F1-F6).

4. If in all the programs listed above, the task persists, and there is a chance to exclude the option of the keyboard not working, therefore, you have activated the “Control the mouse pointer from the keyboard” function. It’s easy to cure this disease; just press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + NumLock again.

5. To avoid subsequent attempts to accidentally press these keys, you need to go to the “System” menu and select the “Keyboard” item from the “Options” list. In the window that opens, go to the “Mouse Buttons” tab, uncheck the “Allow the pointer to be controlled from the keyboard” option. Now this task will not bother you anymore.

6. In some cases, you may need to reboot the system or just restart the “x” (x-server). To do this, press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Backspace.

Lateral panel on a computer monitor can be an excellent assistant in acquiring the necessary information. It contains mini-applications such as “Weather”, “Currency Rates”, “Clock”, “Slide Show” and others. By placing, say, the Weather widget on the sidebar panel and by setting it to your region, you will always be aware of what weather is expected today, as well as for the coming days. The same applies to exchange rates and other information.

You will need

• - computer;
• - side panel.

Instructions

1. Lateral panel You can set it on top of all windows, remove or add mini-applications, prefer the clock format, and so on. When there is no need for the sidebar or it interferes with working with documents, it is easy to disable it.

2. To turn off the side panel, right-click on it. In the window that opens, select “Close sidebar” panel" It will disappear from the desktop. In this case, those mini-applications that you placed on the desktop will be displayed as before. Lateral panel it is also easy to reopen by right-clicking on its icon in the taskbar in the notification area, which is located in the lower right corner.

3. If lateral panel you don’t need it, you can exit it, thereby closing all mini-applications and removing the sidebar icon from the notification area on the taskbar. To do this, right-click on the sidebar icon in the notification area. In the window that opens, select “Exit”. Lateral panel will be closed, and along with it all applications that you have installed on your desktop.

4. In case it becomes necessary to return the side panel On your computer desktop, go to the Start menu and All Programs. Next, find the item “Side panel» or Windows Sidebar. Launch this program with one click of the mouse. Now open your desktop and check for the presence of the utility. It is also worth noting that this program resumes its work when the computer is restarted, so you can easily restart the PC, and everything will fall into place.

5. Taken together, we can say that disabling the side panel On a computer it’s not difficult, just like turning it on, the main thing is to perform all the actions in order. After several times, you will not have similar difficulties when working with a personal computer or laptop.

Video on the topic

It is convenient to use the keys of an additional or numeric keyboard to fill in numerical data in spreadsheets, perform calculations on a software calculator, etc. In addition, the buttons of this keyboard can be used for navigation - moving the mouse pointer across the screen, the input cursor across the document being edited, etc.

Instructions

1. The standard method for turning the numeric keypad on and off is to press the Num Lock key. Find it among the buttons in the upper right corner of the keyboard - the specific placement may vary on different models of this input device. The enabled state of the numeric keys is indicated by an LED, which should be marked with the same Num Lock designation. If it is not lit, press NumLock and the numeric keypad will turn on.

2. If you previously used the mouse pointer function from the keyboard or activated it by accidentally pressing “hot keys,” then the buttons of the additional group of keys are configured to move the cursor around the screen. It is impossible to return them to their former digital values ​​just by pressing NumLock. In this case, disable the cursor control function using the same key combination that activates it - Alt+Shift+NumLock.

3. On laptop and netbook keyboards, to save space, the NumLock key is often removed, as is the additional keyboard itself. In this case, the functions of the missing buttons are distributed among the keys of the rod group, and switching is done by pressing the Fn button in combination with one of the function buttons. Try the Fn+F11 combination - it is used for this purpose more often than others. If the switch does not occur, check with your computer for the required combination.

4. If the computer's numeric keyboard remains inactive when you turn on the computer, change the corresponding setting in the BIOS settings. To do this, when you boot the computer, enter the settings panel of the basic input/output system - press the Delete key. In your computer model, the button for calling the BIOS settings panel may be different - it should be indicated in the inviting message that appears during the boot process.

5. In the settings panel, find the Boot Up Num-Lock line under Advanced BIOS Features and set this setting to On. After that, exit the settings panel and save the changes.

Reassigning keys on a laptop is used to make it more comfortable to customize keyboard settings to suit your personal needs and make work more convenient. The keyboard on a laptop cannot be replaced, and therefore you can use specialized programs to change the functions of the buttons.

Instructions

1. One of the particularly famous and simple-to-use utilities for reassigning keys is Map Keyboard. Using its intuitive interface, you can change the functions of any button on the keyboard. This utility can be used on all laptops running Windows operating systems, starting with XP.

2. Download the program from the Internet. It does not have its own installer and is distributed as an archive. Unpack the resulting RAR file using the WinRAR program by right-clicking on the program package and clicking “Extract to current folder.” Go to the resulting directory and run the MapKeyboard.exe file.

3. In the utility window you will see an image of your keyboard. Left-click on the button you want to change. Later, at the bottom of the utility window, click on the Remap selected key tools item. From the drop-down list, select the key you want to change the previously selected button to.

4. After reassigning the keys, click the Save Layout link in the lower right corner of the program. Confirm the changes made and restart the system by clicking “Yes” in the dialog box that appears. If you want to reset your settings, click on the Reset keyboard layout item.

5. In addition to Map Keyboard, there are a large number of other programs with which you can reassign the buttons you need. So, among other free utilities you can mention Key Remapper, which works in a slightly different way.

6. After downloading, installing and launching the utility, you will see a window divided into two parts. To specify the key you want to change, click on the drop-down list under the “Start key” section and select the name of the button to use. If it's not there, tap New Key and tap the key you want to change.

7. In the list on the right side of the window, in the drop-down context menu, select the button to which you want to replace the function. After this, you can save the metamorphosis by clicking on “Apply” and restarting the computer.

How to enable the numeric keypad on a laptop?

Master's answer:

Full-size standard keyboards are designed in such a way that the keys on them are divided into several sections. The section on the far right contains the keys of an additional keyboard, which is often also called a numeric keyboard. To save space, portable computers are equipped with either a shortened version of this section, or in them it is combined with the main keyboard, or it is not there at all, and its functions are assigned to other buttons. On laptops, enabling the numeric keypad is not so easy.

To begin with, you can try the standard option - look for a button on the keyboard that says Num Lock. Typically, its location is the top left position of the key group. By pressing the key, we turn on this group if the NumLock indicator was not lit before. Otherwise, by pressing it, we will, on the contrary, disable the numeric keypad. If the laptop model does not provide such a key, then proceed to the next step.

We check whether it is possible to enable the numeric keyboard by pressing the fn + f11 keys. Typically, the use of this combination is suitable for those models of laptop computers that do not have a separate group of numeric keys. Their keyboard combines these buttons with the letter keys in the main group. These “multi-purpose” buttons have additional markings that differ in color from the markings on the main keyboard. Instead of the f11 key, some other key can be used to turn the number keys on and off.

There is another non-standard method that is suitable when the desired method can no longer be found - this is using the on-screen keyboard. This program is included in the standard set of Windows applications. It can be brought up on the screen by going to the main menu. There we go to the “All programs” section. In it we enter the “Standard” subsection, after which we find the “Special Features” section and select “On-Screen Keyboard” in it. You can call the on-screen keyboard without using the main menu. To do this, simultaneously press the win and r buttons, then enter the osk command and press “enter”. An interface will open in which you need to find the key indicated by the letters nlk and click on it with the mouse - thus, we activate the numeric keypad.

How to enable the numeric keypad on a laptop?

Master's answer:

Full-size standard keyboards are designed in such a way that the keys on them are divided into several sections. The section on the far right contains the keys of an additional keyboard, which is often also called a numeric keyboard. To save space, portable computers are equipped with either a shortened version of this section, or in them it is combined with the main keyboard, or it is not there at all, and its functions are assigned to other buttons. On laptops, enabling the numeric keypad is not so easy.

To begin with, you can try the standard option - look for a button on the keyboard that says Num Lock. Typically, its location is the top left position of the key group. By pressing the key, we turn on this group if the NumLock indicator was not lit before. Otherwise, by pressing it, we will, on the contrary, disable the numeric keypad. If the laptop model does not provide such a key, then proceed to the next step.

We check whether it is possible to enable the numeric keyboard by pressing the fn + f11 keys. Typically, the use of this combination is suitable for those models of laptop computers that do not have a separate group of numeric keys. Their keyboard combines these buttons with the letter keys in the main group. These “multi-purpose” buttons have additional markings that differ in color from the markings on the main keyboard. Instead of the f11 key, some other key can be used to turn the number keys on and off.

There is another non-standard method that is suitable when the desired method can no longer be found - this is using the on-screen keyboard. This program is included in the standard set of Windows applications. It can be brought up on the screen by going to the main menu. There we go to the “All programs” section. In it we enter the “Standard” subsection, after which we find the “Special Features” section and select “On-Screen Keyboard” in it. You can call the on-screen keyboard without using the main menu. To do this, simultaneously press the win and r buttons, then enter the osk command and press “enter”. An interface will open in which you need to find the key indicated by the letters nlk and click on it with the mouse - thus, we activate the numeric keypad.