Where is the virtual keyboard in the laptop? Enable the on-screen keyboard on different versions of Windows
Virtual keyboard is a standard component of operating systems Windows family. The need to use it may arise not only for people with disabilities. A virtual keyboard will help you out in cases where for some reason the regular one fails, and you urgently need to do something on the computer. It is also useful when entering confidential information, which needs to be protected from special programs that intercept characters entered from the keyboard.
The on-screen keyboard appears on the computer screen with all the standard keys. Only extra is missing digital block. To enable the virtual keyboard, follow these steps.
- Click the "Start" button and in the menu that appears, expand the "All Programs" list.
- In the list of programs, expand the “Standard” group.
- IN standard programs Find the "Accessibility" folder and enter it.
- Launch the On-Screen Keyboard component.
- By clicking the mouse pointer on the corresponding key.
- By hovering the mouse cursor over the corresponding key for a certain time. The hover duration can also be set in the settings.
- According to the key scanning mode for which control actions via the joystick can be used, gaming tablet, or a specially assigned key on a regular keyboard.
The most famous site where you can use the built-in virtual keyboard is the search page Google. On text, image and map search pages, you can activate the virtual keyboard by clicking on the corresponding icon in the right corner of the search bar.
Also, the virtual keyboard can be launched by default when entering a password on Internet banking access sites in order to protect users as much as possible from theft of passwords by intercepting them when entering from a regular keyboard.
Thus, the ways to enable the virtual keyboard on modern computer quite enough. You just need to choose the most suitable and convenient for you.
The virtual keyboard will help you out when the main one fails physical device input, in whole or in part ( several keys will break). It will also be an excellent solution to the problem of lack of availability in nearby stores. keyboards with your native layout(what if fate takes you to Honduras).
Built-in Windows virtual keyboard
To begin with, I’ll briefly tell you about the native (built-in) on-screen keyboard of the operating room. Windows systems, how to turn it on and, in general, what it is.
It is very easy to find - in all Windows versions the switch is in special features control panels…
Very quick access to these settings system hotkeys“Win+U” - they immediately take us where we need to go, even in a slightly confusing Windows 10...
The built-in on-screen (virtual) keyboard does not have a huge number of settings...
...and additional convenient functions - absolute minimalism...
No choice of covers (skins), no option automatic stretching along the width of the screen (only with handles, by the edges), there is no transparency adjustment (only the “Disappear” button, which temporarily, before the first click on any key, makes the “keyboard” translucent).
My personal opinion is that a very “sad” virtual keyboard is built into the most popular operating system.
Free Virtual Keyboard - free virtual keyboard
It’s a completely different matter - third-party, more practical and convenient solutions, such as the free portable Free Virtual Keyboard.
It starts with one click on the portable file you downloaded from the official link at the end of the article...
Magic poke with any button computer mouse by the small keyboard icon on the left top corner program window you can get to the menu of this on-screen information input device...
Here with simple clicks along the lines “Activate the next keyboard type” and “Change colors”...
...the view changes...
...and keyboard color...
The slider at the bottom right adjusts the transparency...
Very convenient feature— the keyboard does not obscure the content of a website or forum; you can read and type text at the same time.
I also liked the ability to automatically stretch to fit the width of the screen...
By the way, when manual change The size of the window of this wonderful virtual keyboard changes and the “boldness” of the characters on the keys, if you notice. I am sure that people with low vision will appreciate this “trick”.
The input language changes in the standard way - using hot keys or by clicking on system icon in the tray...
If you do not have your native language in the operating system, then it is not at all necessary to batch download, install and constantly change it if necessary - you can use special online keyboards, but that’s a completely different story (I’ll tell you it next time).
Download Free Virtual Keyboard
On official page programs You will find several links to different options installer...
The size of the convenient free virtual keyboard, as you can see, is very tiny - only 227 kb. It works in all versions of the Windows operating system: 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10. There are no viruses, as well as built-in "useful" additional software.
P.S. I also liked the on-screen virtual keyboard called Virtual Keyboard 4. It has dozens of input languages built into it and has a cool text transfer mode, but it’s not at all clear whether it’s free or “greedy.”
IN computer systems The Windows line has such an interesting tool as the on-screen keyboard. Let's see what options there are to launch it in Windows 7.
There may be several reasons to launch the on-screen or, as it is otherwise called, virtual keyboard:
- Failure of the physical analogue;
- Limited user capabilities (for example, problems with finger dexterity);
- Working on a tablet;
- To protect against keyloggers when entering passwords and other confidential data.
The user can choose whether to use the built-in Windows virtual keyboard, or turn to similar third-party products. But you can even launch the standard Windows on-screen keyboard using different methods.
Method 1: Third Party Programs
First of all, let's focus on launching using third-party programs. In particular, we will consider one of the most famous applications in this area - Free Virtual Keyboard, and study the nuances of its installation and launch. There are download options for this application in 8 languages, including Russian.
- After downloading, run installation file programs. The installer's welcome window opens. Click "Next".
- The next window prompts you to select a folder for installation. By default this is the folder « Program Files» on disk C. These settings should not be changed unless absolutely necessary. So press "Next".
- Now you need to assign a folder name in the menu "Start". The default is "Free Virtual Keyboard". Of course, if the user wants, he can change this name to another, but there is rarely a practical need for this. If you don’t want it on the menu at all "Start" If this item was present, then in this case you need to check the box next to the parameter "Don't create a folder in the Start menu". Click "Next".
- The next window asks you to create a program icon on your desktop. To do this, check the box next to “Create an icon on the desktop”. However, this checkbox is already checked by default. But if you do not want to create an icon, then in this case you need to remove it. After making a decision and performing the necessary manipulations, press "Next".
- After this, a final window opens, where all the basic installation settings are indicated based on the data that was entered earlier. If you decide to change any of them, then click "Back" and make the necessary adjustments. Otherwise, press "Install".
- The Free Virtual Keyboard installation process is in progress.
- After it is completed, a window opens indicating the successful completion of the procedure. By default, this box has checkboxes next to the items And “Free Virtual Keyboard website on the Internet”. If you do not want the program to be launched immediately or do not want to visit the official website of the application through a browser, then in this case uncheck the corresponding item. Then press "Finish".
- If in the previous window you left a tick next to the item "Launch Free Virtual Keyboard", then the on-screen keyboard will launch automatically.
- But on subsequent launches you will have to activate it manually. The activation algorithm will depend on what settings you made when installing the application. If you have allowed the creation of a shortcut in the settings, then to launch the application you will only need to left-click on it ( LMB) twice.
- If the installation of an icon in the Start menu was allowed, then to launch you need to perform the following manipulations. Click "Start". Go to "All programs".
- Mark the folder "Free Virtual Keyboard".
- In this folder, click on the name "Free Virtual Keyboard", after which the virtual keyboard will be launched.
- But even if you did not install program icons either in the Start menu or on the desktop, you can launch Free Virtual Keyboard by directly clicking on its executable file. Default this file is located at the following address:
C:\Program Files\FreeVK
If you changed the installation location when installing the program, then in this case required file will be located in the directory you specified. Go to that folder using Explorer and find the object "FreeVK.exe". To launch the virtual keyboard, double-click on it LMB.
Method 2: Start Menu
But install third party programs not at all necessary. For many users, the functionality provided by the built-in Windows tool 7 – “On-screen keyboard”. You can run it in various ways. One of them is to use the same Start menu, which was discussed above.
Method 3: “Control Panel”
You can also access the On-Screen Keyboard through the Control Panel.
Method 4: Run window
You can also open the desired tool by entering an expression in the “Run” window.
Method 5: Search the Start Menu
You can also enable the tool we study in this article by searching in the Start menu.
Method 6: Directly Run the Executable File
The on-screen keyboard can be opened by directly launching the executable file by going to its location using Explorer.
Method 7: Launch from the address bar
You can also launch the on-screen keyboard by entering the address of the location of its executable file in the address field of Explorer.
Method 8: Create a shortcut
Convenient access to launching the On-Screen Keyboard can be organized by creating a corresponding shortcut on the desktop.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways to launch the On-Screen Keyboard built into Windows 7. Those users who are not satisfied with its functionality for some reason have the opportunity to install an analogue from a third-party developer.
The virtual keyboard appears as keys located on top of all windows and the desktop. To call it in the Windows 7 operating system, you must perform a certain sequence of actions. They will be discussed in this article.
Why is on-screen keyboard support needed?
Many users do not understand at all why Windows has the function of displaying the on-screen keyboard. To understand why this function is used, let's look at the reference material. The virtual keyboard is primarily designed for people who have missing or immobile fingers. It can also be used if a regular keyboard refuses to work.
In recent years, they have gained great popularity tablet computers. You can connect to them peripherals using wi-fi or bluetooth. However, if there is no USB connector and wireless connection working with these devices would be terribly inconvenient if not for the on-screen keyboard. The virtual keyboard also helps protect your computer from keyloggers. These are malicious programs that read passwords entered from a regular keyboard and send them directly to attackers.
How to enable on-screen keyboard?
There are several methods you can use to enable the virtual keyboard.
1. Using search
IN latest versions The Windows operating system has a very convenient search function. To use it, just click on the “Start” button and enter the phrase “on-screen keyboard”. After that, click on the top link. The window you need will appear on the screen.
2. Using a keyboard shortcut
The second method of calling the on-screen keyboard is more efficient. All you need to do is press the key combination “Win” + “R”. As a result, the Run window will appear. You must enter “osk.exe” or simply “osk” into it. Then click on “Enter” or “Ok”. If the window you need does not open after pressing a key combination, you will have to do a little work. To begin, hover your cursor over the Start menu bar, then right-click on it and select Properties. On the right side of the window that opens, select “Settings” and click on it. After clicking, a window will appear in which you need to check the box next to “Run”.
How to enable the on-screen keyboard if the regular one does not work?
You can open the on-screen keyboard using only the mouse pointing device. To do this, click on the “Start” menu, then select “Control Panel” and find the “Ease of Access” line. As a result, a window called “Center” will open. special features" Here, select “Enable virtual keyboard.” As a result, keys should appear on top of all windows.
Sometimes due to the activity of viruses and malware I can't enable the virtual keyboard from the control panel. Then you will have to open it manually executable file. To do this, go to the path “C:\\Windows\System32\” and run the file “osk.exe”.
Additional features and settings
To enable the virtual keyboard in the settings window, just follow these steps: Click on “Options” and select a hover reaction.
Disabling the on-screen keyboard
Perhaps after some time the need for an on-screen keyboard will no longer be necessary. This function will become unnecessary. To disable it, you just need to click on the OS familiar to all users Windows icons, located in the upper right corner of the virtual keyboard window. To close the window completely, select the cross, and to minimize the window, select the underscore symbol.