When a computer component or peripheral suddenly stops working, what do most people do? We crush it against the desk or strike it with our palms. Although we are aware it is not the proper manner, we nonetheless do it. And to be honest, it sometimes succeeds. One of the most helpful keyboard shortcuts for closing/shutting most programs is Alt+F4. What if the Alt+F4 keys on your Windows PC aren’t functioning, and slamming keys doesn’t help either?
Even while I can relate to your annoyance, it’s not constructive. Instead than hitting your head or the keyboard against the desk, try one of the suggestions below to permanently fix the problem.
FN LOCK (FUNCTION LOCK)
Find if there is an Fn key on your keyboard. It is typically located someplace close to the Space key. If so, use the shortcut Alt+Fn+F4 to see if your computer closes the open window. This works most of the time.
The Fn key, which serves as a modifier key, is typically found on laptop keyboards. The Fn key is used to activate the secondary function of some keys, which have two functions. Why do certain keys have two purposes? That is a result of the laptop’s small size and keyboard layout. The Function keys have two functions because of space restrictions.
UPDATE AND REBOOT
Check Windows Updates to see if there are any updates available, install them, and then restart your machine to see if the Alt+F4 shortcut now working or not.
KEYBOARD DRIVERS
Since we checked if there is a windows update, we also need to check if our keyboard drivers also need an update. Go to your device manager, locate your keyboard and right click it, and select update driver.
If updating the drivers fail to work, you may try to reinstall them after uninstalling them. For that, go to the same menu and this time, select Uninstall device. Now, follow this link to discover two programs that will help you find and update device drivers.
TURN OFF STICKY KEYS
Sticky keys are a component of the accessibility feature set that is intended to assist people with disabilities. A key can remain active after being released thanks to this key modifier.
TROUBLESHOOT KEYBOARD
Windows 10 comes with a Troubleshooter application that can identify and fix a wide range of problems with the pre-installed programs and services. Search for “troubleshoot keyboard” in Settings by hitting the Windows key+I keys simultaneously.
CHANGE KEYBOARD
If everything else fails, you should get a new keyboard. I have a laptop and an external keyboard. If you think that’s excessive and the problem only affects your laptop and not your desktop, get it evaluated by an IT professional who will peek beneath the hood to look for hardware-related flaws.
