Keyboard Tester Online

TestKey is a free keyboard tester that runs in your browser. Press the keys on your keyboard and each one lights up when it arrives, so you see at once which keys work, which stay silent and which stick. There is nothing to download, install or sign up for, which makes it a quick keyboard test without download on any computer. Save the report if you need proof for a repair shop, a seller or a warranty claim.

How to test your keyboard online

1. Click the keyboard picture or press any key. The test starts listening right away. Space, Tab and the arrow keys stop scrolling the page while the test is active.
2. Press every key once and let it go. A key glows green as soon as your browser receives its signal. While you hold a key it turns purple.
3. Watch the counter. “61 / 91 tested” shows how many key positions have arrived so far. The bar fills as you go.
4. Press Finish test. Keys that never arrived start to pulse red, so you can try them again or note them for a repair.
5. Save the result. Download the report as text or as an image, or copy a link that opens the same result on another device.

Press Esc at any time to give Space, Tab and the arrow keys back to the page. Esc itself is still counted.

No physical key for a position, or checking a key by eye? Click or tap the key on the picture to mark it as checked. It turns green too, and the report lists it separately as “marked by click”, so a repair shop or buyer can tell it apart from a real key signal.

Windows and Mac layouts

Use the Windows and Apple switch above the keyboard to pick the layout that matches yours. The Windows view is a full-size ANSI keyboard with 91 testable positions. The Apple view follows the full-size Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad, including the clear key and the keypad equals sign. Keys you have already pressed stay green when you switch, as long as they exist on both layouts.

The test reads the physical position of each key, not the character it types. That means it works the same with English, German, Ukrainian or any other input language, and you do not need to switch your system layout before you start.

What the colours mean

Under the keyboard, held shows how many keys are down at this moment and peak rollover shows the most keys the browser saw held together during the session. The live events list shows your last presses with the key name, its code and the time.

Why a key does not register

If a key never turns green, try it a few more times with a firm press, then work through the usual causes:

• Dirt or liquid under the keycap. Crumbs and dried drinks are the most common reason for dead or sticky keys. Turn the keyboard upside down, use compressed air and test again.
• A loose or worn switch. On mechanical keyboards, a switch that registers only on hard presses or registers twice often needs cleaning or replacement. The chatter test checks for double presses.
• Connection problems. Try another USB port, a different cable or re-pair a Bluetooth keyboard. If many random keys fail at once, the connection is more likely than the keys.
• Software that takes the key first. Macro tools, game overlays and system shortcuts can swallow a key before the browser sees it. Close them and test again.
• Accessibility settings. Windows Filter Keys ignores brief or repeated presses. If short taps do not register, check Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard.

A key that stays purple after you let go usually means the browser missed the release, for example because you switched windows while holding it. The test clears held keys when the page loses focus, so a short purple flash is not a hardware fault. A key that really sticks will feel stiff or slow to rise.

Test a laptop, a used keyboard or a keyboard after cleaning

For a laptop, choose the layout closest to yours and ignore positions your laptop does not have, such as a separate numeric keypad. Function keys on many laptops send media or brightness commands unless you hold Fn, so try both ways.

When you buy a used keyboard, run the full test, press Finish test and save the image. It shows the seller and you exactly which keys worked at the time of the check. After cleaning or a spill, let the keyboard dry completely before you connect it, then run the test twice: once with single presses and once holding several keys together in the rollover test.

What a browser cannot test

A web page only sees the keys that your keyboard and operating system hand over. Fn, power, Touch ID and many media keys are handled inside the keyboard or by the system, so they never appear here. Shortcuts the system reserves, such as Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Command+Tab, are taken before the page sees them. The test also does not measure input latency or polling rate: a browser cannot see those values accurately, so this tool does not guess them. The methodology page explains every measurement.

Find stuck, dead or unresponsive keys

A dead key never turns green, however hard you press. A stuck key stays purple after you let go and keeps the held now counter above zero, so the page doubles as a stuck key detector. If the keyboard is not registering some keys, or you notice missing keystrokes while typing, press each suspect key a few times: a key that works only sometimes points to dirt or a worn switch, while a key that never arrives points to a broken switch or circuit. Run the test again after cleaning, after a spill and before you buy a used laptop.

Test specific keys

You do not need to press the whole keyboard to check one key. Press it, watch it turn green and read Last key to see the exact code your system sent. A few practical notes:

• Space bar: the stabilizer can rattle or stick, so press it at both ends. For speed, use the spacebar counter.
• Enter and Return: the main Enter and Numpad Enter are different keys. Both must turn green.
• Shift, Ctrl and Alt: left and right are separate positions. Alt Gr on international keyboards arrives as the right Alt key.
• Windows and Command keys: the key may open the Start menu or Launchpad. That is normal, it still counts.
• Esc, Tab, Backspace and Delete: for an escape key test just press Esc. It is counted and it also hands Space, Tab and the arrows back to the page.
• Caps Lock and Num Lock: the lights above the keypad show the current lock state.
• Function keys and Fn: F1 to F12 are not part of this test. Browsers and laptops treat them as system shortcuts or media keys, so a result would not be reliable. Fn never reaches a web page. If your top row sends volume or brightness, the Media & Fn-row keys strip under the keyboard lights up when those keys arrive.
• Print Screen: Windows often reports it only on release, and it is counted then.

Keyboard sizes and layouts

Under the progress ring you can switch Layout and Size. Size redraws the keyboard as full-size (100 percent, 91 testable keys), TKL or tenkeyless (no numpad) or 60% (no navigation block or arrows). Testing a 65%, 75% or 80% keyboard, a compact board or a Chromebook? Pick TKL or 60% and ignore the keys you do not have. Split and ortholinear keyboards are not drawn yet; their keys still arrive and appear under Also received, so you can check every key even without a matching picture.

Layout switches between ANSI and ISO shapes and national labels. The test reads the physical position of each key, so a Dvorak or Colemak user can keep their software layout and every key is still counted where it sits on the board.

Laptop, mechanical, gaming and wireless keyboards

The same page works for a laptop, a desktop PC or an external keyboard on Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. Mechanical, membrane, gaming, USB, wireless and Bluetooth keyboards are all treated the same way, because they send standard key codes. The brand does not matter: a Logitech, Razer, Corsair, Keychron or Akko board and a Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS or Acer laptop report their keys identically. A keyboard connected to an iPad should work in the browser too, although we have not tried every model.

For gaming keyboards, also run the ghosting and rollover test. For keys that type twice, use the chatter test.

Frequently asked questions