Note Some products might not be available in your country or region.
Notes
- If your Surface Cover is torn or needs physical repair or replacement, go to Get my Surface fixed.
- If you have a Surface Keyboard or Surface Ergonomic keyboard, see Troubleshoot problems with Surface Keyboard and Surface Ergonomic Keyboard.
Before you begin
In many cases, downloading and installing the latest updates for Windows and your Surface will fix the issue. To see how, go to Install Surface and Windows updates.
Restart Surface
Restart (don't shut down) your Surface. Select the Start button, then select Power > Restart.
If you have a Type Cover, detach and reattach it
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Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.
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Wet a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol. (Use 95% or stronger isopropyl alcohol if possible.) Rub the cotton swab back and forth over the six circular magnets on the Type Cover's connector. After you're done, make sure the pins are dry and that no cotton fibers remain on the connector. Then clean the connector on your Surface.
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Reattach the Cover, making sure that all the magnets touch the bottom edge of your Surface.
Reinstall the Surface Cover driver
If shutting down doesn't fix the problem, try reinstalling the driver for your Surface Cover.
- Select the search box in the taskbar, enter device manager, and select Device Manager in the results.
- Expand Keyboards.
- Right-click Surface Type Cover Filter Device.
- Select Uninstall > OK.
- Restart your Surface. It'll automatically download and install the Surface Cover driver the next time you connect to the Internet.
Force a shut down
See Force a shut down and restart your Surface to find out how.
Make sure Filter Keys are turned off
If your touchpad works but the keys on your keyboard or Cover don’t, it’s possible an Ease of Access setting, such as Filter Keys, Sticky Keys, or Mouse Keys, may be causing the problem. To learn more, see Make your PC easier to use.
Make sure the touchpad is on
You'll need to know what kind of Surface or Type Cover you have in order to check.
| If you have one of these Covers | And one of these Surface models | Attach the Cover and |
| Touch Cover 2 | Surface Pro Surface Pro Surface Laptop | Go to Start , and select Settings > Devices > Touchpad. |
| Touch Cover (early model) Surface Pro Signature Type Cover | Surface Pro Surface Pro 2 Surface Pro 3 | Use the Surface Trackpad Settings app to turn the touchpad on or off and to change most other settings. Its available for free from Microsoft Store. To help prevent the cursor from moving accidentally while you type, set the delay: |
By default, there's a delay in the touchpads responsiveness while you're using the keyboard that way, if you accidentally brush against the touchpad while you're typing, you won't move the cursor when you didn't mean to. But if you want the touchpad to respond right away (say while you're playing a game or using certain apps), here's how to change the sensitivity.
Select the Start button and then select Settings > Devices > Touchpad. Under Touchpad sensitivity, select High sensitivity or Most sensitive.
You might want to change the touchpad sensitivity back to Medium when you're going to be doing a lot of typing.
Solution 1: Check your keyboard language settings
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Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Time & language > Region & language.
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Make sure the language you're using on your keyboard (the input language) matches the one you're using on your PC (the display language). Then select the language, select Options and ensure the correct keyboard layout is added. To make sure your language is available for Windows, check the list of the language packs.
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Here's how to add an input language and switch between languages.
Solution 2: Check your Sticky Keys setting
You'll find them in Ease of Access settings. To learn more, see Make your PC easier to use.
Adjust the keyboard backlighting
To decrease the backlighting brightness, press the key on your keyboard. To increase it, press the key.
- If you don't see these keys on your keyboard, it doesn't have backlighting. For more info, see Find out which Surface keyboard you have.
- The and keys on the Type Cover control brightness for the keyboard backlighting only.
- On some Surfaces, you can use the and keys to dim or brighten the screen. To learn more, see The Surface touchscreen.
Reset your Surface
It will:
- Remove all your personal settings
- Remove all apps that you installed
- Give you the option of keeping or removing your personal files
For more info, see Restore or reset Surface.
If you're having problems with the fingerprint reader on your Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID, see Troubleshoot problems with Windows Hello on Surface.
- Surface Pro 4 Type Cover with Fingerprint ID isn't available in all countries and regions.
- The fingerprint reader on Surface Pro 4 Keyboard with Fingerprint ID only works with Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Pro 1796 devices running Windows 10. If you have a different Surface, you can still use the Cover to type.
If you're still having problems with your keyboard or Type Cover, Get in touch with us.
If your Surface doesn’t detect your Surface Cover when you connect it, if your Cover stops working, or if the keys or touchpad don’t work consistently, try these solutions.
If your Surface Cover is torn or needs physical repair or replacement, go to Get my Surface fixed.
Two-button shutdown (Surface Pro models only)
Important
Don’t use this process on Surface RT, Surface 2, or Surface 3.
Use this two-button shutdown process to make sure your Surface is turned off completely. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the power button on your Surface for 30 seconds and then release it.
- Press and hold the volume-up button and the power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, and then release both.
The screen may flash the Surface logo, but continue holding the buttons down for at least 15 seconds. - After you release the buttons, wait 10 seconds.
Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on.
Solution 1: Clean the connection between your Surface and the Cover
- Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.
- Clean the magnetic connectors on your Surface and the Cover with a soft cloth and a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
- Reattach the Cover, making sure that all of the magnetic connectors make contact with the bottom edge of your Surface.
- The Cover should click into place. You shouldn’t see any gaps or any metal at the connection points. If you don’t get a good connection, remove the Cover and attach it again.
- Place your Surface on a firm, flat surface such as a table, with the kickstand out, and try typing on the Cover again.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest updates
Installing the updates may be all you need to get you going again.
- With the Cover attached, install the latest Surface and Windows updates. See Install Surface and Windows updates to learn how.
Solution 3: Restart your Surface
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Power > Restart.
Solution 4: Refresh your Surface
Refreshing your Surface reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, apps that came installed on your Surface, and apps you installed from Microsoft Store. Desktop apps you installed will be deleted, but you can reinstall them after refreshing your Surface.
Refresh will reinstall the version of Windows and the apps that came installed on your Surface. Windows updates, app updates, and other apps you installed will be gone, as will your customized settings. Reinstall your updates and apps after the refresh is complete.
For detailed how-to info, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
Solution 5: Reset your Surface
A reset does the following:
- Removes all your personal settings
- Removes all apps that you installed
- Gives you the option of keeping or removing your personal files
For info on resetting your Surface, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
If you still have a problem
If you still have a problem with your Surface Cover, contact us.
Solution 1: Detach and reattach the Cover
- Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.
- Clean the magnetic connectors on your Surface and Cover with a soft cloth and a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
- Reattach the Cover, making sure that all of the magnetic connectors make contact with the bottom edge of your Surface.
- The Cover should click into place. You shouldn’t see any gaps or any metal at the connection points. If you don’t get a good connection, remove the Cover and attach it again.
- Place your Surface on a firm, flat surface such as a table, with the kickstand out, and try typing on the Cover again.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest updates
Installing the updates may be all you need to get you going again.
- With the Cover attached, install the latest Surface and Windows updates. See Install Surface and Windows updates to learn how.
Solution 3: Restart your Surface
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Power > Restart.
Solution 4: Make sure filter keys are turned off in your Ease of Access settings
- On the Start screen, tap or click Search .
- In the search box, enter filter keys, and in the search results, tap or click Turn filter keys on or off.
- Under Filter Keys, make sure that Filter Keys is turned Off.
Solution 5: Two-button shutdown (Surface Pro models only)
Don’t use this process on Surface RT, Surface 2, or Surface 3.
Use this two-button shutdown process to make sure your Surface is turned off completely. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the power button on your Surface for 30 seconds and then release it.
- Press and hold the volume-up button and the power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, and then release both.
The screen may flash the Surface logo, but continue holding the buttons down for at least 15 seconds. - After you release the buttons, wait 10 seconds.
- Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on.
Solution 6: Refresh your Surface
Refreshing your Surface reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, apps that came installed on your Surface, and apps you installed from Microsoft Store. Desktop apps you installed will be deleted, but you can reinstall them after refreshing your Surface.
Refresh will reinstall the version of Windows and the apps that came installed on your Surface. Windows updates, app updates, and other apps you’ve installed will be gone, as will your customized settings. Reinstall your updates and apps after the refresh is complete.
For detailed how-to info, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
Solution 7: Reset your Surface
A reset does the following:
- Removes all your personal settings
- Removes all apps that you installed
- Gives you the option of keeping or removing your personal files
For info on resetting your Surface, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
If you still have a problem
If you still have a problem with your Surface Cover, contact us.
Solution 1: Detach and reattach the Cover
- Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.
- Clean the magnetic connectors on your Surface and Cover with a soft cloth and a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
- Reattach the Cover, making sure that all of the magnetic connectors make contact with the bottom edge of your Surface.
- The Cover should click into place. You shouldn’t see any gaps or any metal at the connection points. If you don’t get a good connection, remove the Cover and attach it again.
- Place your Surface on a firm, flat surface such as a table, with the kickstand out, and try typing on the Cover again.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest updates
Installing the updates may be all you need to get you going again.
- With the Cover attached, install the latest Surface and Windows updates. See Install Surface and Windows updates to learn how.
Solution 3: Restart your Surface
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Power > Restart.
Solution 4: Make sure the touchpad isn’t turned off
The way to check whether the touchpad is turned on, to turn the touchpad on or off, and to change other touchpad settings depends on which Cover and which model of Surface you have.
| If you have one of these Covers | And one of these Surface models | Attach the Cover and |
| Touch Cover 2 Type Cover 2 Power Cover Type Cover for Surface Pro 3 Surface 3 Type Cover | Surface Pro Surface Pro 2 Surface Pro 3 Surface 3 | On the Start screen, search for PC Settings and tap or click PC Settings > PC and devices > Mouse and touchpad. |
| Touch Cover (early model) Type Cover (early model) | Surface Pro | Use the Trackpad Settings app. It’s available for free from Microsoft Store. |
For more info, see Touchpad use and settings.
Solution 5: Two-button shutdown (Surface Pro models only)
Don’t use this process on Surface RT, Surface 2, or Surface 3.
Use this two-button shutdown process to make sure your Surface is turned off completely. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the power button on your Surface for 30 seconds and then release it.
- Press and hold volume-up button and the power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, and then release both.
The screen may flash the Surface logo, but continue holding the buttons down for at least 15 seconds. - After you release the buttons, wait 10 seconds.
- Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on.
Solution 6: Refresh your Surface
Refreshing your Surface reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, apps that came installed on your Surface, and apps you installed from Microsoft Store. Desktop apps you installed will be deleted, but you can reinstall them after refreshing your Surface.
Refresh will reinstall the version of Windows and the apps that came installed on your Surface. Windows updates, app updates, and other apps you’ve installed will be gone, as will your customized settings. Reinstall your updates and apps after the refresh is complete.
For detailed how-to info, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
Solution 7: Reset your Surface
A reset does the following:
- Removes all your personal settings
- Removes all apps that you installed
- Gives you the option of keeping or removing your personal files
For info on resetting your Surface, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
If you still have a problem
If there’s still have a problem with your Surface Cover, contact us.
Here are some solutions if the keyboard seems to respond erratically—for example if:
- You type one character but see another on the screen.
- The keyboard doesn’t respond when you type quickly.
- You press a key and it’s as though you held down Ctrl, Alt, or Shift while you pressed it.
Solution 1: Detach and reattach the Cover
- Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.
- Clean the magnetic connectors on your Surface and Cover with a soft cloth and a small amount of rubbing alcohol.
- Reattach the Cover, making sure that all of the magnetic connectors make contact with the bottom edge of your Surface.
- The Cover should click into place. You shouldn’t see any gaps or any metal at the connection points. If you don’t get a good connection, remove the Cover and attach it again.
- Place your Surface on a firm, flat surface such as a table, with the kickstand out, and try typing on the Cover again.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest updates
Installing the updates may be all you need to get you going again.
- With the Cover attached, install the latest Surface and Windows updates. See Install Surface and Windows updates to learn how.
Solution 3: Restart your Surface
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Power > Restart.
Solution 4: Check your keyboard language settings
Set up a keyboard language
Keyboards differ depending on the language and regional settings. Here’s how to make sure your Cover is set up for your language:
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Change PC settings > Time and language > Region and language.
- Make sure your region is selected in the drop-down box.
- See what language is listed under Languages. If you don’t see the language you want, tap or click Add a language, and tap or click the language you want to add.
- To delete a language you don’t want, tap or click the unwanted language, and tap or click Remove.
Choose a special keyboard layout
You can also choose a different keyboard layout, like Dvorak or a layout specific to a different region. Here’s how:
- On the Start screen, tap or click Search .
- In the search box, enter control panel, and in the search results, tap or click Control Panel.
- Under the Clock, Language, and Region category, tap or click Change input methods.
If your view of Control Panel shows icons instead of categories, tap or click Language. - Tap or click Options next to your language to see a list of your current input methods.
- Tap or click Preview next to a method to see the keyboard layout.
- Tap or click Remove next to a method to stop using the keyboard layout.
- Tap or click Add an input method to select a different keyboard layout. Then choose the layout from the list and tap or click Add.
Check which keyboard layout you’re using
If you have more than one language or layout set up, you may need to switch to the one you want. You can switch between them from the taskbar. Here’s how:
- Tap or click the language abbreviation at the right edge of the taskbar, and tap or click the language or layout you want to use.
Solution 5: Check your Sticky Keys setting
If you hold down the Shift, Ctrl, or Alt key for more than 10 seconds, those keys may continue to work as if they’re pressed, even after you’ve release them.
To return keys to their normal function, double-tap the Shift, Ctrl, and Alt keys individually.
Here’s another way to do it:
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Change PC settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.
- Make sure Sticky Keys is set to Off.
Solution 6: Refresh your Surface
Refreshing your Surface reinstalls Windows and keeps your personal files, settings, apps that came installed on your Surface, and apps you installed from Microsoft Store. Desktop apps you installed will be deleted, but you can reinstall them after refreshing your Surface.
Refresh will reinstall the version of Windows and the apps that came installed on your Surface. Windows updates, app updates, and other apps you’ve installed will be gone, as will your customized settings. Reinstall your updates and apps after the refresh is complete.
For detailed how-to info, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
Solution 7: Reset your Surface
A reset does the following:
- Removes all your personal settings
- Removes all apps that you installed
- Gives you the option of keeping or removing your personal files
For info on resetting your Surface, see Restore, refresh, or reset Surface Pro or Surface 3.
If you still have a problem
If you still have a problem with your Surface Cover, contact us.
Solution 1: Adjust the keyboard backlighting
Adjust the keyboard backlighting with the brightness keys on your Cover. To decrease the backlighting, use the key. To increase backlighting brightness, use the key.
- If you don’t see these keys on your Cover, it doesn’t have backlighting. For more info, see Find out which Surface keyboard you have.
- The and keys on the Type Cover control brightness for the keyboard backlighting only.
- On the Surface 3 Type Cover, you can use the and keys to dim or brighten the screen. To adjust the brightness of the screen if you’re using a different Cover, see The Surface touchscreen.
Solution 2: Make sure you have the latest updates
Installing the updates may be all you need to get you going again.
- With the Cover attached, install the latest Surface and Windows updates. See Install Surface and Windows updates to learn how.
Solution 3: Restart your Surface
- Swipe in from the right edge of the screen and tap Settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and click Settings.) - Tap or click Power > Restart.
If you still have a problem
If you still have a problem with your Surface Cover, contact us.