How to Disable a Key on Keyboard

It might be a good idea to disable a key on the keyboard if it keeps spamming and limits you from typing correctly. Also, if you recently shifted to a new keyboard and not used to the position of a particular key, the best bet is to disable it.

MS-PowerToys is a general go-to option to disable a key for most Windows users. However, there are also methods you can easily use without installing any applications. Keep reading to know more!

How to Disable a Key on Keyboard?

Disabling a key on your keyboard is not that cumbersome. You can either use the customization tool from Microsoft, modify registry settings, or opt-in for other applications.

Here, we have compiled the best 3 proven methods to disable a key on your keyboard. Let’s get straight into them.

Disable Using MS-PowerToys

The first method we will learn is disabling a key using Microsoft’s PowerToys application. The application is available on Microsoft Store and lets you customize overall Windows. It has different functionalities like changing the color format, resizing images, and customizing File Explorer including modifying the keyboard settings.

Follow these steps to disable the desired key on your keyboard.

1. Open Microsoft Store application on your computer.
2. In the search box, type Microsoft PowerToys and hit Enter.
3. Click Install button.
   
4. Once the installation is complete, launch the application.
5. On the left pane of the PowerToys application window, search for and click Keyboard Manager.
6. Then on the right pane, toggle on Enable Keyboard Manager.
   
7. Click Remap a key under the Keys section.
   
8. It will open up a new Remap keys window.
9. Click (+) symbol under Physical Key.
   
10. Click Type button under the same Physical key section.
    
11. Now press the key that you want to disable. It will be shown on the screen after you press it. For instance, I pressed “A.” If you can not type the key, select it from the dropdown.
12. Click OK.
    
13. Now click the dropdown under Mapped To section.
14. Scroll all the way up in the dropdown and click Disable.
    
15. Click OK.
16. Confirm disabling in the popup, and you are done. You don’t even need to restart the computer, and the key will stop working afterward.

Disable Using Registry Editor

Another method to disable a key on your keyboard is using the Registry Editor. This method works like a charm every time. You don’t need to use any applications or third-party tools to use this method. However, make sure you create a backup of your registry before proceeding with this method.

1. Hit Windows + R key on the keyboard.
2. Type regedit in the text field. Then press Enter key.
   
3. Click Yes in the popup.
4. Once the Registry Editor window opens, copy and paste this location into the address bar and hit Enter key. Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout
5. Right-click the empty area on the right pane and click New > Binary Value.
   
6. Click the empty space once.
7. Now double-click and open New Value #1.
   
8. Enter eight pairs of zeroes (00) on the first line.
   
9. In the second line, you first need to enter 02 or 03.
10. If there is a single key you want to disable, type 02, and if there are a pair of keys you need to disable, type 03. 
11. For example, If you wish to disable the letter key “A” which is a single key, type 02. Likewise, if you want to disable the Ctrl key, which is in pairs, type 03.
    
12. Next, enter five pairs of zeroes (00).
    
13. Then enter the Hex code for the key you want to disable. You can see the Hex code for each key in the keyboard from the table below.
14. For instance, I want to disable the letter key “A” on my keyboard. It means I should type “1E 00”.
    
15. Now on the third line, enter four pairs of zeroes (00).
    
16. Click OK and exit from Registry Editor.
17. Restart your computer. The key will stop working now.

Key	Code	Key	Code	Key	Code	Key	Code
Q	1000	1!	0200	Left Windows	5BE0	Spacebar	3900
W	1100	2@	0300	Right Windows	5CE0	Power	5EE0
E	1200	3#	0400	Backspace	0E00	Messenger	11E0
R	1300	4$	0500	Escape	0100	F1	3B00
T	1400	5%	0600	Num Lock	4500	F2	3C00
Y	1500	6^	0700	Scroll Lock	4600	F3	3D00
U	1600	7&	0800	Up Arrow	48E0	F4	3E00
I	1700	8*	0900	Down Arrow	50E0	F5	3F00
O	1800	9(	0A00	Left Arrow	4BE0	F6	13E0
P	1900	0)	0B00	Right Arrow	4DE0	F7	4100
A	1E00	-_	0C00	Insert	52E0	F8	4200
S	1F00	=+	0D00	Page Up	49E0	F9	4300
D	2000	[{	1A00	Page Down	51E0	F10	4400
F	2100	]}	1B00	Left Alt	3800	F11	5700
G	2200	;:	2700	Right Alt	38E0	F12	5800
H	2300	‘“	2B00	Volume Up	30E0	Wake	63E0
J	2400	,<	3300	Volume Down	2EE0	Forward	69E0
K	2500	.>	3400	Play/Pause	22E0	Back	6AE0
L	2600	/?	3500	Home	32E0	Refresh	67E0
Z	2C00	\|	2800	Stop	24E0	Save	57E0
X	2D00	Enter	1C00	Prtsc	37E0	Print	58E0
C	2E00	Right Shift	3600	FN	63E0	Delete	53E0
V	2F00	Left Shift	2A00	Sleep	57E0	Caps lock	3A00
B	3000	Tab	0F00	Mute	20E0	Undo	08E0
N	3100	Left Ctrl	1D00	`~	2900	Next track	19E0
M	3200	Right Ctrl	1DE0	Calculator	21E0	Prev Track	10E0

Use Third-party Apps

If you do not prefer or have hands-on experience using the Registry Editor, you can opt-in for third-party apps like Keytweak.

The application makes it easy to customize the functions of keys on the keyboard with its simple interface. It also works by making changes in the registry of your computer. Simply download the application from the Internet and install it. Then follow the steps below to disable the key.

1. Launch Keytweak on your computer.
2. Hover the mouse pointer over the keys on the on-screen keyboard of KeyTweak. It will show you the key mapping.
   
3. For instance, I hovered the pointer over 31 and clicked it. It shows Key selected: 31 is currently mapped to “A”.
4. Click Disable Key.
   
5. Then click Apply button.
   
6. Click Yes in the popup to restart your computer. This application will do the same in the registry settings we did in the second method to disable the key.