The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 has a special removable keyboard. This allows you to quickly convert the tablet into a laptop or vice versa. However, it is now possible that the keyboard may not work properly over time.
This means that no more text can be entered or that Surface Pro 7 does not recognize the keyboard at all. If this is also the case with your device, we would like to use this article to explain how you can solve the problem.
Causes why your Surface Pro 7 keyboard is not working properly
- The keyboard is defective
- The driver for the keyboard is old or has a defect
- The installed operating system does not work correctly
- If the keyboard is disabled within the UEFI
- Other unknown software problems
With the help of the following tips, we will now explain how you can solve the problems mentioned above.
Update keyboard driver on the Surface Pro 7
It may happen that the keyboard driver is outdated or damaged. Often it helps to update the drivers. The driver is updated as follows.
1. Open the Windows Control Panel.
2. Select "Hardware & Sound" and then "Show Devices and Printers".
3. Right-click on the Surface keyboard in the list and select "Properties" from the context menu.
4. Change to the "Hardware" tab.
5. Now select each device with the right mouse button and choose "Uninstall" (mark the option Delete driver if available). Afterwards close the window.
6. Now open the "Device Manager" via the search bar.
7. In the Device Manager, select "Action" and then "Check for Hardware Changes".
8. Then expand "Firmware & Keyboards" and activate "Automatically check for new driver software".
9. Update all displayed keyboards or their drivers via the device manager.
10. Then restart the Surface and check whether the changes have been successful.
Perform soft reset - empty cache
This measure can help with errors such as keyboard recognition. This will remove the cache files and delete all temporary configurations. After a restart, these are rebuilt and you don't have to worry about losing important data.
The soft reset is performed as follows:
- Press and hold the Power button for 30 seconds.
- To turn the Surface back on, press and hold the Power button and the Volume button (+) for 15 seconds.
Do not release the keys before the time is up! A stop watch helps you to estimate the time correctly.
Note: Even if you see that the system is starting up, do not exit the buttons before the time specified.
Update keyboard firmware
Microsoft provides firmware updates for the keyboard from time to time. Such an update might help to solve the problem. To update the firmware, follow these steps:
- Open the driver web page of Microsoft (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4023489/surface-surface-pro-4-update-history)
- Download the appropriate driver.
- Start the update by running it as administrator (right mouse button)
Follow the wizard through the firmware update of your keyboard.
Check for Windows file errors:
Damaged Windows files can also lead to the error "Surface Pro 7 keyboard does not work". To fix this problem, enter "CMD" in the search bar. The command prompt opens. Run it as "Administrator".
Now enter SFC/Scannow in the administrator window and press Enter. If faulty files are found on your computer, they can now be repaired and corrected. After a restart the keyboard of your Surface Pro 7 should be found.
