Spacebar Not Working on Your Windows PC? Here are 7 Possible Ways to Fix It

Stuck with a busted spacebar key on Windows? Here are 7 ways to get it working again.

Whether you're a desktop or laptop user, you've probably experienced a keyboard issue at least once in your life. And if the spacebar key on your Windows PC has gone rogue, you're definitely not alone.

While you can replace your keyboard and get your spacebar working again, other useful tricks are worth exploring first. But before we check them out, let's quickly dive into the possible causes of your spacebar malfunction.

Like most Windows errors, spacebar issues are caused by various reasons. Here are a few of the most common ones:

The exact cause of your keyboard error can vary, so we've rounded up a list of solutions to get your spacebar working again. Let's check them out.

Although there are many ways to fix an issue, rebooting your PC is the quickest and easiest solution. A simple reboot clears your memory and refreshes all system processes, which can solve many random glitches on your PC, including keyboard malfunctions.

It's no wonder a restart is often recommended as the first solution before users get into complex solutions. So, before you do anything, try a quick restart and see if it solves the spacebar problem on your PC.

Computer drivers (what are computer drivers?) breathe fire into your hardware. They allow your operating system to communicate with your part or peripheral, allowing you to get things done.

So if you're facing driver errors for some reason—whether they are caused by hardware, malware problems, or just simple updating issues—you might get malfunctioning keys or an unresponsive keyboard.

In this case, you have two options to fix any underlying driver issues: do a driver update or completely reinstall the driver. Here's how you can get started with both of them:

To update the keyboard driver, follow the steps below:

That's it; your keyboard driver will be updated. If you have multiple HID Keyboard Devices, ensure that you update everything.

If a driver update doesn't solve the problems with your PC's spacebar key, then a quick reinstallation is worth a shot.

Repeat the previous instructions, but click Uninstall device instead of choosing Update driver. In the Uninstall Device window, click Uninstall.

Again, if you have multiple HID Keyboard Devices, ensure that you uninstall all of them. Once done, restart your PC. Your computer will then reinstall the driver automatically once it boots up. After that, check and see if your spacebar is working again.

Windows Troubleshooters are a collection of built-in tools that help you fix random bugs and problems on your PC. In this case, you can use the keyboard troubleshooting tool to fix the problem with your spacebar.

Here's how you can get started:

If the Troubleshoot detects any problems, it will automatically fix them after the scan. Alternatively, you'd only see something like this:

Losing your keyboard's functionality over time isn't unheard of. In fact, losing a key or two over time is the norm if you use your keyboard for any extensive activity (such as gaming).

So, to see if the problem is with the hardware, use an alternate keyboard for testing. Borrow a keyboard from a friend or colleague and see if you face the same issue. If their spacebar works normally on your computer, the problem is with your hardware.

If you have a hot-swappable keyboard, use a switch from a less-used key, like Scroll Lock, to see if that solves the problem. If yes, you could either keep it that way or buy another switch to replace the broken one. That way, you can help reduce e-waste while saving money—one of the reasons why you need a hot-swappable mechanical keyboard.

But if you have a membrane keyboard (what's the difference between a membrane and a mechanical keyboard?), it's irreparable—you must buy a new keyboard as soon as possible.

The methods outlined above are your best shot to fix the spacebar key error on your Windows keyboard.

While it's highly likely that one of these solutions will get your spacebar key to function as usual once again, they might not work in all cases. In this case, you should try some of our generic fixes.

A System Restore takes a snapshot of your system files and Windows registry, saving them as Registry Points. So when you encounter errors on your PC, you can do a quick System Restore to get everything on your system back to normal.

We've covered a short guide to help you perform a System Restore on your Windows.

A malware attack can cause havoc to your system. From deleting your system files to locking out critical documents—almost nothing is off-limits.

Getting fidgety hardware is another such possible issue to be caused by malware. Luckily, we've covered how to remove malware with Microsoft's Defender on your PC.

Updates are essential to every Windows operating system and with good reason. Latest security patches, fixing up your software glitches, or introducing new features are just some of the essential tasks carried out by them.

So if you're unsure how long it has been since you last performed an update, now might be as good a time to carry them out. In one of our previous guides, we've covered four different ways to carry out a Windows update, which will take you through the step-by-step process.

Diagnosing and fixing an unresponsive spacebar, or any key for that matter, shouldn't be difficult. We hope one of the above methods helped you get your keyboard working back as usual.

In fact, many of these fixes can also help out other similar bugs with hardware, such as an unresponsive mouse, etc. So make sure you bookmark these quick hacks for future reference.

Shaant is a Senior Writer at MUO, and has been writing about Windows since 2021. He holds a bachelors in Computer Applications, and he now pens complex how-to's and other handy Windows guides for his readers; he also has a strong interest in Cybersecurity and Productivity. When not researching or writing, he can be found enjoying a good book, running, or hanging out with friends.