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Keyboard Tester

Press any key to light it up on a full ANSI layout, test media keys, hold chords to check rollover, and pin sticky keys — all in this browser tab.

Press any key to begin

No keys held — press and hold several at once to test rollover.

Keys that go dark while you hold a chord were dropped by the keyboard controller — that is its rollover limit showing.

ANSI layout — tenkeyless

Click a cap to pin it (sticky test) or press it on your keyboard. Lit = registered. Non-US layouts still light the physical position; anything unmapped appears raw below.

Media and volume keys

Some systems route media keys to the OS before the browser sees them — if one never lights, your system consumed it, not this page.

Unmapped keys, shown raw

Anything without a slot on the ANSI map is listed exactly as the browser reported it — useful for international layouts and extra macro keys.

Nothing yet. Unmapped keys you press will appear here.

Quick Answer

The keyboard tester at practicalwebtools.com/utilities/keyboard-tester lights up a full ANSI tenkeyless layout as you press each key, so dead or flaky keys are easy to spot. It shows the raw key and code for anything unmapped, tests media and volume keys, lists every key you hold at once for rollover checking, and lets you pin caps for a sticky-key test. It runs entirely in this browser tab.

How It Works

1

Press keys anywhere on the page — each working key lights its cap on the ANSI layout

2

Read the last-key strip to confirm the reported key name and physical code

3

Hold several keys at once to see exactly which ones your keyboard registers together (rollover)

4

Tap the media row for playback and volume keys; toggle latch mode to pin keys for a sticky test

Key Facts

  • Full ANSI tenkeyless layout — function row, alphanumerics, modifiers, nav cluster, and arrows
  • Pressed keys light instantly; release and blur (alt-tab) clear them, so nothing sticks falsely
  • Rollover check: hold a chord and read exactly which keys the keyboard reports at once
  • Latch mode pins keys for a sticky-key test; click any cap to pin or unpin it individually
  • Media and volume keys get their own row, with a note when the OS consumes them first
  • Unmapped keys (non-US layouts, macro keys) display raw e.key and e.code instead of being ignored
  • Shows the browser-reported key and code for the last key pressed
  • Runs entirely in this browser tab — nothing is sent anywhere

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I test whether a key on my keyboard is dead?

Open this page and press the suspect key. Its cap on the ANSI layout lights the instant the browser receives the event, and the "Last key" strip shows the reported key name and code. If nothing lights, press harder or wiggle the cap; if it still never registers while neighbors do, the switch or the key matrix path is likely faulty.

What is keyboard rollover, and how does this page test it?

Rollover is how many keys a keyboard can report as held at once. Hold down a chord — say W, A, S, D plus Shift — and watch the "holding" readout. Keys that light and stay lit are registered simultaneously; keys that go dark were dropped by the controller. Most membrane keyboards manage 6 keys (6KRO); many mechanical keyboards advertise NKRO, full n-key rollover.

Why do some keys show raw codes instead of lighting a cap?

The visual layout maps standard ANSI e.code positions. Keys outside it — extra macro keys, international characters, IME keys — have no cap, so the tester lists them exactly as the browser reported them: the physical code and the produced key. That raw display is itself useful, since it proves the switch fires.

Do media and volume keys work here?

Usually. The browser receives them as keydown events with codes like MediaPlayPause and AudioVolumeMute, and the dedicated row lights up. But some systems route media keys to the OS before any browser sees them — if a media key never lights while letters work, your system consumed it, not this page.

Does this keyboard test work on laptop keyboards?

Yes. Laptops follow the same ANSI positions on their built-in boards, so caps light the same way. Two laptop caveats: the Fn layer is handled by firmware before the browser and can never be observed here, and some laptop media functions need an Fn combination that the OS intercepts.

Is what I type sent anywhere?

No. This tester runs entirely in this browser tab — key events are handled locally to light the layout and nothing more. You can watch the Network tab in your developer tools: no request leaves with your keystrokes. That said, treat any keyboard-test page (this one included) as something that sees what you press, and avoid typing real passwords while testing.