author avatar
1 April 2024  John Weaver  Senior Program Developer
 

Summary
Is your Windows key not responding? Unlock its full potential with our expert guidance. Get back to effortless navigation and quick access to vital functions by following our simple troubleshooting techniques. Say goodbye to interrupted workflow and hello to streamlined efficiency.



Table of contents

table iconI. Why there is no response when the Windows key is pressed?
table iconII. How to solve the problem that the Windows key does not respond?
table iconIII. (Extended reading) Use Renee Becca to back up data regularly
Windows key doesn't work

I. Why there is no response when the Windows key is pressed?

The Windows key, when combined with other keys, enables users to quickly access a variety of system functions. For instance, pressing Windows+R opens the “Run” dialog, while Windows+D instantly reveals the desktop.
However, some reasons may cause the Windows key to fail, such as the following situations:
Hardware issues: If your keyboard has suffered physical damage or hardware damage, it may cause problems with the Windows key, requiring repair or replacement of the hard drive.
Gaming mode enabled: Gaming mode interferes with your keyboard use. Some keyboards conflict with Windows 10′s Gaming Mode. So, you can try disabling game mode to fix the error.
Windows key is disabled: If the Windows key does not work, it may be disabled by the system, for example, it may be disabled by an application, user personal, malware, etc.
After understanding several reasons that may cause the Windows key to fail, let’s learn a few simple methods to solve this problem.

II. How to solve the problem that the Windows key does not respond?

1. Connect the keyboard to another computer

If your computer uses an external keyboard, you can try to connect the external keyboard to other computers to see if there is a hardware problem with the keyboard, which can verify whether the keyboard is good or bad.
If the Windows key doesn’t work, it means the keyboard is the problem and you need to repair or replace it.
If the Windows key works, it means that everything is fine with the keyboard, and the problem is a system error, so you can continue to troubleshoot the problem with the methods described below.

2. Use PowerShell commands to restore Windows key functionality

PowerShell is a very powerful tool in Windows system. It is a command line shell and scripting environment. Its function is to adjust and troubleshoot your computer by executing commands and using a scripting language. Let’s learn how to use PowerShell commands to restore the function of the Windows key. The specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer, right-click the Start menu, and select the (Windows PowerShell (Administrator)) option to open PowerShell with administrator privileges.
Step 2: After entering PowerShell, copy and paste the following command, then press the (Enter) key (if the physical keyboard is not available, you can search and use the on-screen keyboard on the left side of the taskbar) to execute the current command. After the command finishes running, you should be able to use the Windows key again. Tip: If you want to know the official explanation of the following command parameters, you can click and view the description of Get-AppXPackage and Add-AppxPackage related parameters.
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Run PowerShell commands

3. Turn off game mode

Occasionally, Windows may disable potentially game-interfering buttons in order for Game Mode to run more smoothly. Therefore, when your Windows key fails, you can try to turn off the game mode to solve it. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run Computer, click the (Start) button on the far left of the taskbar, and select (Settings) (the little gear icon).
settings in Windows
Step 2: Select the (Game) option in the settings menu bar and enter. Switch the tab bar on the left to (Game Mode), and turn off the Game Mode button on the right.
turn off game mode

4. Turn off Filter Keys

Turning on Filter Keys ignores or slows down repeated keystrokes and adjusts the repetition rate. It may interfere with the use of the Windows key. Turning Filter Keys off is as follows:
Step 1: Run the computer, enter (Control Panel) program in the search box in the lower left corner and open it. Click and enter the (Ease of Access Settings Center) option.
lcik ease of access in windows settings
Step 2: After that click on the (Make the keyboard easier to use) option.
Step 3: Uncheck the (Enable Filter Keys) option and press the (OK) button. Then restart your computer and see if the Windows key works.
Disable filter keys
The above are several simple methods that can help you solve the Windows key failure, and I hope it will be helpful to you. Although we cannot predict what kind of problems you will encounter when using the Windows system, in order to avoid accidental loss of important data in the device, it is recommended that you back up your data regularly. It is recommended that you use a professional data backup tool – Renee Becca.

III. (Extended reading) Use Renee Becca to back up data regularly

1. What is Renee Becca?

Renee Becca is a tool dedicated to system/hard disk data backup and restoration. It can help you back up and restore important data in your computer, such as programs, system configuration, emails, photos, videos, documents, bookmarks, etc. It adopts the leading incremental/differential backup technology, which can save you more time and disk space. In addition to supporting system backup, it also supports partition backup, hard disk backup, file backup, and disk cloning to meet your needs. need.
Renee Becca - Quickly and safely back up SD card data

Fast backup Backup speed up to 3 000MB/minute

Support multiple SD cards Backup data of SD card, SDHC card and SDXC card

Incremental/differential backup technology Automatically analyze data differences between source files and backup files to save disk space

Multiple backup schemes Support system backup/partition backup/hard disk backup/file backup/disk cloning

Easy to use Even newbie can handle it in seconds

Fast backup Backup speed up to 3 000MB/minute

Support multiple SD cards Backup data of SD card, SDHC card and SDXC card

Easy to use Even newbie can handle it in seconds

Free TrialFree TrialAlready 2000 users have downloaded and try Renee Becca

2. How to backup data regularly with Renee Becca?

Backing up data with Renee Becca is very simple, the specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Becca on the computer, and select the (File Backup) option in the main interface (Backup) column.
click to back up files in renee becca
Step 2: Next, select all the files that need to be backed up in (source file (device)), and select the hard disk partition to store the backup data in (destination).
backup files
In addition, in (task plan), you can make a daily/weekly/monthly automatic backup plan and click (confirm) to enable the automatic backup function.
file backup schedule on Renee Becca
In (Backup Scheme)-(Scheme Type), you can choose a suitable backup scheme mode according to your personal needs. Renee Becca has 5 backup schemes to choose from, namely version chain mode, single version mode, overall mode, incremental mode and diff mode.
backup mode of file backup on Renee Becca
Renee Becca has 5 backup plans to choose from:
Version chain mode: Only the latest 5 versions are kept, and useless old versions are automatically deleted after the backup is completed.
Single version mode: Only the latest version is kept, and the previous version is automatically deleted after the backup is completed.
Entire mode: Creates a full backup.
Incremental mode: After the initial full backup, only incremental backups are created.
Differential mode: After the initial full backup, only differential backups are created.

Step 3: Finally, click the (Backup Now) button to start executing the backup file command according to your settings, and you can see the progress of all backup tasks on the task bar. After the backup is complete, you can click the (Restore) button to restore the files to the specified hard disk when necessary.
recover backup files from renee becca
Step 4: After that, select the location where the files are to be restored, and click the (Restore) button.
files recovery location