Troubleshoot Surface Type Cover or Keyboard

Force a restart

Select Start  > Power  > Shut down  and wait a moment for your Surface to shut down. Then press and hold the power button for 20 seconds. If you see the logo screen appear after a few seconds, continue to hold for the full 20 seconds until you see the logo screen again.

For more info and a video see Force a shut down and restart your Surface.

Detach and reattach the Type Cover or Keyboard 

1. Unplug your Surface and detach the Cover.

2. Make sure there's no debris, damage or anything that may inhibit a connection.

3. Re-attach the Cover, making sure that all the magnets touch the bottom edge of your Surface.

Get the latest updates

You can quickly check the health of your Surface drivers and firmware using the Surface app.

Open the Surface app

1. In the Surface app, expand Help & support to check if the update status is "You're up to date" or something else.

2. If needed, select the option to update the devices.

   Note: If you don't have the Surface app installed, you can download the Surface app from the Microsoft Store. When it has downloaded, select Start, search for Surface, then select the app from the list of results.

If you have installed a custom or clean Windows image and your Keyboard is not recognized, you may need to install Keyboard drivers. Manually install the latest driver package for your version of Windows. For more info, see Download drivers and firmware for Surface.

Confirm connectivity

Press the Caps and Fn keys on your Surface Type Cover or Keyboard several times to check whether the LED lights turn on.

If the LED lights turn on, your problem may be with Windows and not the device itself. The next step is to reset your Surface. Here's how:

1. Go to Start , enter reset in the taskbar, then select Reset this PC.

2. Select Reset this PC > Keep my files > Cloud download and follow the rest of the prompts shown on screen. For more detailed steps and a video, see Restore or reset Surface for Windows.

   Note: This process reinstalls Windows but keeps your personal files and any apps that came with your PC. It removes changes you made to settings, as well as apps and drivers you installed.

If the LED lights don't turn on, there might be a hardware issue. To verify in UEFI, do the following:

1. Turn off your Surface and wait 10 seconds.

2. Press and hold the Volume Up button—and at the same time, press and release the Power button.

3. You'll see the logo screen on your screen. Continue to hold the Volume Up button. Release the button when the UEFI screen appears.

   1. If you have a Windows Pro/Enterprise device (not a Windows Home device), you can then toggle off Type Cover port from the Devices menu and exit UEFI. Re-enter UEFI (press power + Volume Up) and toggle Type Cover port back on, then check if the Keyboard works in UEFI.

      Note: If you don't see a Devices menu, then your device does not provide this functionality and is working as expected. Not all devices have this option on the UEFI screen.

   2. Exit UEFI and check if the Keyboard now works in Windows.

4. Press the up and down arrow keys to change what is selected on the left side menu to check if the keys work or not.

   • If the keys are working correctly in UEFI, but not in Windows: The problem is likely with the software installed on the Surface, and you'll need to reinstall. See Creating and using a USB recovery drive for Surface.

   • If the keys are still not working correctly: If the Type Cover or Keyboard still doesn’t work on your Surface, submit a service order for your Type Cover or Keyboard.