The numeric keypad has two modes. With Num Lock on it types digits; with it off, the same keys are arrows and navigation keys. Almost every numpad complaint is one of three things: Num Lock is in the wrong state, Mouse Keys has taken the keypad over, or a laptop’s hidden keypad overlay is toggled. The tester above shows exactly what each keypad key is sending.
Read the state
Press Num Lock and look for its indicator. Most desktop keyboards have an LED; many laptops show an on-screen indicator or an LED on the key. Then press 8 on the keypad in the tester:
| Tester shows | State |
|---|---|
| 8 | Num Lock on, keypad working |
| Up arrow | Num Lock off |
| Nothing | Mouse Keys, a remap, or a hardware fault |
| The mouse pointer moves | Mouse Keys is on |
Fix 1: Turn Num Lock on
Press Num Lock once. On laptops it may be Fn+Num Lock, Fn+F11, Fn+Insert, or Fn+F8 depending on the brand. If the keypad now types numbers, that was the whole problem.
If your keyboard has no Num Lock key at all:
- Press Win+Ctrl+O to open the on-screen keyboard.
- Click Options, tick Turn on numeric key pad, click OK.
- Click the NumLock key on the on-screen keyboard. The state applies to the physical keyboard too.
Fix 2: Turn off Mouse Keys
Mouse Keys makes the keypad move the pointer. It switches on with Left Alt+Left Shift+Num Lock on Windows, which is easy to hit while gaming.
- Windows: Settings → Accessibility → Mouse → Mouse keys off. Turn off its keyboard shortcut as well.
- Mac: System Settings → Accessibility → Pointer Control → Mouse Keys off.
Fix 3: Laptop overlay
Compact laptops hide a keypad on U, I, O, J, K, L, M and the surrounding keys. When their Num Lock is on, those letters type numbers; when it is off, there is no keypad at all. Toggle with the same Fn combinations above. Keyboard typing symbols instead of letters covers the overlay in detail.
Fix 4: Num Lock turns off at every boot
Windows normally restores the last Num Lock state. If it comes up off every time:
- Turn off Fast Startup: Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Change settings that are currently unavailable → untick Turn on fast startup.
- Check the BIOS or UEFI for a Num Lock at boot or Boot Up NumLock State option and set it to On.
- As a last resort, set the registry value
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard\InitialKeyboardIndicatorsto2to turn it on at the sign-in screen.
Fix 5: Numpad works in some apps only
Games and remote desktop sessions can rebind the keypad. Test in Notepad. Excel and some spreadsheets use the keypad Enter and operators normally, but a stuck modifier can turn 8 into a shortcut; tap Shift, Ctrl and Alt once each.
Fix 6: Remaps and vendor software
Gaming keyboards can assign macros to the keypad per profile, and PowerToys or Karabiner rules can reassign it. Switch to the default profile and remove the rules.
Fix 7: Driver and hardware
- Device Manager → Keyboards → Uninstall device → restart.
- Test in the BIOS: the keypad always works there if the hardware is sound.
- The keypad shares matrix lines; if a column of keypad keys is dead, see Some keys not working.
- Try another keyboard to confirm.
Alt codes and the numpad
Alt codes only work when Num Lock is on and you type on the keypad. If you have no keypad, use Win + . for the symbol panel, type the hex code then Alt+X in Word, or copy the symbol from this site. The Alt codes finder lists every code, and How to type Alt codes on a laptop covers the workarounds.
Num Lock on a Mac
Apple keyboards have no Num Lock. The numeric keypad on a full-size Apple keyboard always types numbers, and the Clear key at its top left clears a field in Calculator and Numbers rather than toggling anything. If a Windows keyboard is connected to a Mac and its keypad types arrows, press its Num Lock key; macOS honors the state.
Numpad keys and what they send
| Num Lock on | Num Lock off |
|---|---|
| 7 8 9 | Home, Up, Page Up |
| 4 5 6 | Left, nothing, Right |
| 1 2 3 | End, Down, Page Down |
| 0 | Insert |
| . | Delete |
| Enter, +, -, *, / | Unchanged |
Holding Shift temporarily reverses the state for the key you press, so Shift+8 on the keypad sends Up when Num Lock is on. That is normal and often mistaken for a fault.
Games and the numpad
Many games bind the keypad only when Num Lock is on, and some launchers toggle Num Lock themselves. If keypad controls stop working mid-session, press Num Lock once. Gaming keyboards with a game mode can also disable the keypad in certain profiles; switch to the default profile in the vendor software.
Troubleshooting flow
- Press 8 on the keypad in the tester and read what it sends.
- Press Num Lock (Fn+Num Lock, Fn+F11 or Fn+Insert on laptops).
- Mouse Keys off, and its shortcut off.
- Toggle the laptop overlay.
- Fast Startup off and BIOS Num Lock on if it resets at boot.
- Test in Notepad; clear stuck modifiers.
- Remove remaps; reinstall the driver; BIOS test.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Why does my numpad move the cursor instead of typing numbers? +
Num Lock is off. Press the Num Lock key at the top of the keypad. When it is off, the keypad acts as arrow keys, Home, End, Page Up and Page Down.
How do I turn Num Lock on at startup? +
Windows remembers the last state in most cases. If it does not, Fast Startup is usually the reason; turn it off under Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do. A registry value, InitialKeyboardIndicators, controls the default.
Where is Num Lock on a laptop? +
Laptops without a keypad put Num Lock on a function key, often F11 or Insert, used with Fn. Some laptops have no Num Lock at all; use the on-screen keyboard's numpad instead.
Why do the numpad keys do nothing at all? +
Mouse Keys may be on, which turns the keypad into a mouse controller. Turn it off under Accessibility settings. On a laptop, the Fn overlay may be off.
Does the numpad work for Alt codes with Num Lock off? +
No. Alt codes need Num Lock on so that the keypad sends digits. That is the most common reason Alt codes fail.