Why Is Your Keyboard Lagging?

Imagine having to type an important document, and keyboard delay slows down the process and ruins productivity. Keyboard lags and delays can interfere with your job— especially when you’re a writer, web developer, gamer, or professional editor. Keyboard lags can cause the characters to appear after 3 or 5 seconds you type— thus causing the keyboard and device to appear out of sync. 

However, all these problems can cause a sluggish keyboard but before you start troubleshooting— make sure to check if it’s the keyboard that is the root cause. Once ensured, you can start troubleshooting the methods stated below. 

This guide lists six common reasons that cause a sluggish keyboard and the solutions to fix the problem. Let’s delve into further details.

Reasons for Keyboard Lagging

If you’re using Windows 10 or 11, keyboard lags are common. These errors or delays can be quite annoying and interfere with your job. Thus, here are some issues that can cause your keyboard to lag along with fixes:

Reason #1: Filter Keys

An accessibility or support option that can ignore the keystrokes and repeated inputs from your keyboard is known as Filter Keys. Filter keys can delay the input from your keyboard, especially if you type faster than the normal speeds. Filter keys can also alter the keyboard’s repeated rates. 

Fixing the Issue

Filter keys can be one such cause to ruin your keyboard’s typing speed and sluggishness. You can always turn off this option to avoid delays and sluggishness. Here’s how to turn off the filter keys and check if the problem persists. 

1. Open “Settings” from the Start menu and go to “Ease of Access”. 
2. Find and tap the “Keyboard” section from the right-side menu in the “Ease of Access” menu. 
3. Here, you can find the “Use of Filter Keys”. Tap to turn off this option. 
   

Reason #2: Corrupt Keyboard Driver

Keyboard drivers must be updated in Windows— no matter if you’re using Windows 10/11. The drivers in the system will decide on the keyboard’s performance. Sometimes, if the drivers are outdated, the keyboard will lag during the typing and even cause delays. Outdated drivers can also cause disruptions in the communication between hardware and software.  

Fixing the Issue

A simple solution to this problem is updating the driver or reinstalling them using the device manager. Here’s how to do it seamlessly:

1. Tap on Win+R and type “Devmgmt.msc” to open the Device Manager on your laptop or desktop PC. 
2. Once the Device Manager opens, look for the “Keyboards” option. 
3. Tap to expand the option, right-click on the driver and click on “Update Driver” to download the latest version. 
   

Reason #3: Delay in Keyboard Properties 

If you look at the keyboard properties, there will be two settings named Repeat Delay and Repeat Rate. Both these settings can cause delays in typing speed, increasing the delay. The Repeat delay will slow down the typing of repeated letters. The output repetition rate can be adjusted from the Repeat Rate. If you’re facing any delays while typing— especially during the repeated output— make sure to adjust the speeds from the Keyboard Properties. Here’s how you can do it: 

Fixing the Issue

1. Press Win+R and type “Control Keyboard“. Or you can go to the Search bar and type “keyboard” to open the “Keyboard Properties.” 
2. Adjust the “Repeat Delay” to a minimum and “Repeat Rate” to the maximum to reduce the lag. 
   

Reason #4: Unknown Error 

Sometimes any unknown error— which you cannot detect even after trying all the above solutions— can cause keyboard delays and sluggishness during typing. As the problem is unknown, you cannot do anything but run the troubleshooter for the keyboard.  

Fixing the Issue

Here’s how you can run the troubleshoot for Keyboard in Windows 11:

1. Open Settings and then go to “Troubleshoot” > “Additional troubleshooters”. 
2. Tap on the keyboard to run the troubleshooter to detect the problem. 
   

Reason #5: Error in Windows Image 

Windows Image can experience some errors which can cause an interruption in the normal functioning of hardware connected to the PC. A bad image can be detected and treated using the System File Checker (SFC). 

Fixing the Issue

You can also utilize the DISM, a command-line administrator-level tool to repair the Windows Image. You can also repair the error for keyboard input lag and look for the errors that cause this issue. Because sometimes, the System File Checker cannot detect the errors and repair the issue, DISM will help you. 

Run the Command Prompt, type in the following commands, and let the DISM finish the process. 

Reason #6: Poor Connection or Batteries

Wired keyboards can stop working when the wire is damaged— but the wireless keyboard can experience lag and sluggishness if the connection is poor. Here’re some problems that can slow down the keyboard input:

Battery Issues 

If the battery of your wireless keyboard is drained or near to end— it can experience sluggishness during typing. 

Poor connectivity

Sometimes, the poor connectivity— caused due to large distance between the keyboard and USB receiver— can interfere with the syncing of the device and keyboard. 

Fixing the Issue

Replace the batteries in time and maintain the proper connection between the keyboard and the USB receiver to eliminate these issues. 

Conclusion

Keyboard lags and repeat delays can interfere with your work routine. There are high chances that you’ll get irritated with the slow response of keyboard input— as the typed input will display on the screen with 3 to 5-second delays. We have listed six common problems that can cause delays in the keyboard’s input and fixes to solve each issue.