{"id":29967,"date":"2019-05-13T21:11:02","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T13:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=29967"},"modified":"2019-05-11T22:15:35","modified_gmt":"2019-05-11T14:15:35","slug":"access-window-on-screen-keyboard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/access-window-on-screen-keyboard\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Access Windows On-Screen Keyboard (OSK)"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a myriad of different physical keyboards for PCs<\/a> available in the market. However, Windows also comes with a built-in virtual keyboard<\/strong> called the On-Screen Keyboard. This Ease of Access tool can be a lifesaver in many situations and knowing how to use it<\/strong> can surely help you in the hour of need.<\/p>\n

The on-screen keyboard has all the standard keys of a physical keyboard<\/strong> that you can use with any computer mouse<\/a>. So, for today\u2019s post, I will show you multiple methods to access the on-screen keyboard in Windows 7 and Windows 10<\/strong> along with some of its best uses. Let\u2019s go through these points one-by-one.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRead Also:<\/strong>\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\tHow to Control Windows Only With Keyboard<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Access the on-screen keyboard in all versions of Windows<\/h2>\n

Following are some methods to access the on-screen keyboard that work in all the versions of Windows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

#1: From the Run dialog<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Press Windows<\/span> + R<\/span> keys ro open the Run dialog.<\/li>\n
  2. Type osk.exe<\/code> or just osk<\/code> and hit enter.\n
    \"run<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
  3. The on-screen keyboard will open up<\/strong>.\n
    \"on<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The osk.exe<\/code> command can also be used from the Windows command prompt<\/strong> if you prefer using the command prompt interface.<\/p>\n

    #2: From Ease of Access Center<\/h3>\n

    You can easily start the on-screen keyboard through Windows Ease of Access Center<\/strong>. To open the Ease of Access Center, just press Windows<\/span> + U<\/span> keys and it will open up.<\/p>\n

    In case you don\u2019t have the physical keyboard to press the shortcut keys, you can also go to Control Panel<\/strong>, click Ease of Access<\/strong>, from there select the Ease of Access Center<\/strong>, and finally click on the \"Start On-Screen Keyboard\"<\/strong> button to open up the on-screen keyboard.<\/p>\n

    \"on<\/figure>\n

    #3: From the startup screen<\/h3>\n

    The Ease of Access button is available on the startup screen<\/strong> (or log in screen) of all the versions of Windows.<\/p>\n

    Once you click on it, you\u2019ll see a menu with multiple Ease of Access tools. Here select the option \"turn on Windows on-screen keyboard\"<\/strong> to launch it.<\/p>\n

    Access on-screen keyboard in Windows 7<\/h2>\n

    Apart from the above options, you can also access the on-screen keyboard from the All Programs<\/strong> menu in Windows 7. Here\u2019s how to do it:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Click the Start menu<\/strong>, then select All Programs<\/strong>.\n
      \"start<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
    2. Move to Accessories<\/strong> and then Ease of Access<\/strong>. <\/li>\n
    3. Find and click On-Screen Keyboard<\/strong> to launch the virtual keyboard.\n
      \"keyboard<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Access on-screen keyboard in Windows 10<\/h2>\n

      In Windows 10 (as well as Windows 8) there are two types of virtual keyboards<\/strong>, the regular full keyboard and a touch keyboard for use on touch-based devices. Let\u2019s see in the following how you can access both keyboards, respectively.<\/p>\n

      Access full on-screen keyboard<\/h3>\n
        \n
      1. Click the Start menu and select Settings<\/strong>.\n
        \"ease<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n
      2. Next, click on the Ease of Access<\/strong> option.<\/li>\n
      3. Move to the Keyboard<\/strong> section, toggle the option Turns on the On-Screen Keyboard<\/strong>, and the on-screen keyboard will show up.\n
        \"turn<\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Access touch keyboard<\/h3>\n

        To access the touch keyboard, do the following:<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Right-click on the taskbar and make sure the \u201cShow touch keyboard button\u201d<\/strong> option is selected.<\/li>\n
          \"slow<\/figure>\n
        2. With the option enabled, you should be able to see a keyboard icon in the taskbar system tray<\/strong>. Just click on it and the touch keyboard will launch.<\/li>\n
          \"touch<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

          Note:<\/strong> The touch keyboard is same as your smartphone\u2019s touch keyboard<\/strong> and of course, you can only use it on touch-based devices.<\/p>\n

          Stop on-screen keyboard from starting up with Windows<\/h2>\n

          Accessing the on-screen keyboard is easy, but the on-screen keyboard has a bad habit of forcing itself to start with Windows<\/strong>. Depending on which method you choose to access the on-screen keyboard there is a chance that it may force itself to start every time you log in to Windows<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

          I believe this behavior is there to help people who depend on the on-screen keyboard to easily access it. However, it can become nuisance when you don\u2019t need it anymore<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

          To prevent the on-screen keyboard from starting up with Windows:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Press Windows<\/span> + U<\/span> keys to open Ease of Access Center<\/strong>. <\/li>\n
          2. Click \u201cUse the computer without a mouse or keyboard\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
            \"use<\/figure>\n
          3. Uncheck the checkbox next to \u201cUse On-Screen Keyboard\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
            \"disable\"<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

            On-Screen Keyboard Uses<\/h2>\n

            Now let\u2019s discuss the situations when the on-screen keyboard can prove useful, as well as some of its other benefits.<\/p>\n

            Limited resources<\/h3>\n

            The most common reason why you need to use the on-screen keyboard<\/strong> is when you have limited resources. Such as:<\/p>\n