How to Enable or Disable the On-Screen Keyboard in Windows 10

Hint: Find it in the Ease of Access center

By
S.E. Slack
S. E. Slack
S.E. Slack
Associate General Manager, Lifewire.com
  • California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
S.E. Slack has 30+ years' experience writing about technology. She has authored 12 books, thousands of articles, and worked for IBM and Microsoft.
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Updated on June 16, 2022
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
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Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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What to Know

  • The quickest methods: Press Win + Ctrl + O or type RUN in the Windows search box. In the Run dialog box, type OSK. Click OK.
  • The official way: Go to Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard > toggle the switch to On.
  • Turn it off by clicking the close button (X) on the keyboard.

This article explains different ways to turn on or off the on-screen keyboard in Windows 10. It also explains how to pin the keyboard to the Start menu.

Use the Shortcut Keys for the On-Screen Keyboard

If you like shortcuts, you'll love this: Press Win + CTRL + O on your physical keyboard. That will instantly display the on-screen keyboard without going through the Ease of Access center.

Use the RUN command to open the keyboard, too. Type RUN in the search box, then type OSK and click OK.

How to Turn on the On-Screen Keyboard Using the Ease of Access Center

To enable the screen keyboard, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, then click Settings.

    The Windows Start button showing the Settings option.

  2. Click Ease of Access.

  3. Scroll down and click Keyboard.

    The Ease of Access menu showing the Keyboard option.

  4. Under Use your device without a physical keyboard, slide the button to On.

    The Keyboard options screen showing the option to use a device without a physical keyboard.

  5. The keyboard will appear on your screen. You can use it with your mouse or a touchscreen; many physical keyboards will still work even when the on-screen keyboard is showing.

    The on-screen keyboard available with Windows 10.

  6. To close the keyboard, click the close button (X) at the top right of the keyboard or follow the above steps and move the slider back to Off. Either method will remove the keyboard from your screen and reposition the use of the on-screen keyboard to its default "off" option.

    On-screen keyboard with the close (X) highlighted

How to Get the On-Screen Keyboard (Kind of) Permanently

You can't keep the keyboard displayed on your screen permanently; it will close when you turn off your computer. However, you can pin it to the Start menu, so it's quick and easy to find the Ease of Access menu and toggle the keyboard on when you need it.

Follow these steps:

  1. Click Start.

  2. Click Settings.

    The Windows Start button showing the Settings option.

  3. Click Ease of Access.

    The Ease of Access menu showing the Keyboard option.

  4. Right-click Keyboard and click Pin to Start.

    The Keyboard Pin to Start option.

  5. A pop-up window will ask you to confirm you want to pin the keyboard to Start. Click Yes.

    The pop up windows asking for confirmation before pinning the keyboard to Start.

  6. The on-screen keyboard tile will now appear when you click the Start button.

    The Keyboard tile in the Start menu.

  7. Click Keyboard to take you directly to the Ease of Access menu.

  8. Toggle the keyboard to On.

FAQ
  • How do I pin the on-screen keyboard to the taskbar in Windows 10?

    To pin the on-screen keyboard to the Windows 10 taskbar, open the Start menu and choose All apps. Expand Windows Ease of Access and select On-Screen Keyboard. Choose Pin to taskbar.

  • How do I resize the on-screen keyboard in Windows 10?

    This couldn’t be simpler. Position your cursor at the corner of the on-screen keyboard and drag it to the size you want.

  • How do I get rid of the on-screen keyboard on a Chromebook?

    Get rid of the on-screen keyboard on a Chromebook by going to Settings and selecting Advanced followed by Accessibility. Choose Manage accessibility features. In the Keyboard and Text Input section, select Enable on-screen keyboard to disable it.

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