The keyboard worked yesterday and today the tablet ignores it. The fix depends entirely on how the keyboard connects, because a magnetic smart connector and a Bluetooth keyboard fail for completely different reasons.
The short answer
For a magnetic keyboard that attaches to contacts on the tablet, clean both sets of contacts, because that is the cause most of the time. For a Bluetooth keyboard, forget the pairing on the tablet, restart both, and pair again. Establishing which type you have takes one look and determines everything else.
Magnetic connector keyboards
These attach to metal pads on the edge of the tablet and need no pairing or battery. They fail when the contacts are dirty, when something is between them, or when the connection is physically misaligned.
Clean both sets of contacts
The pads on the tablet and the corresponding pins on the keyboard. A cotton bud lightly dampened with isopropyl alcohol, then dry. Skin oil and pocket debris build up and break the connection.
Check for anything in between
A case, a screen protector edge, a sticker, or debris caught by the magnets. Even a hair across a contact is enough.
Detach and reattach firmly
Feel for the magnets pulling it into position. If it does not click into place decisively, it is not aligned and it will not connect.
Restart the tablet
A stuck accessory driver is real and a restart clears it. Do this before anything more involved.
Check for a case interfering
Many tablet cases are not designed to work with the keyboard attached and hold it a millimetre too far away. Remove the case and test.
Check for bent or damaged pins
Look at the keyboard connector with a torch. Bent or recessed pins mean it has been attached at an angle or dropped, and that is a hardware problem.
Test with the tablet at a different angle
Some keyboard cases only make contact at certain hinge positions. If it works in one position and not another, the connector is marginal.
Check the accessory is enabled in settings
Some tablets have an accessibility or accessory setting that can disable external keyboards. Rare, and worth ruling out.
Bluetooth keyboards
These have their own battery and pair like any Bluetooth device. They fail on charge, on pairing state, and on being connected to something else.
Charge it fully first
A keyboard with a low battery connects intermittently or not at all, and many have no useful battery indicator. Charge it for an hour before troubleshooting anything else.
Check it is not connected to something else
Bluetooth keyboards reconnect to the last device they saw. A laptop or another tablet in the same room will claim it silently. Turn Bluetooth off on other devices as a test.
Forget the keyboard on the tablet and re-pair
Remove it completely rather than just disconnecting, restart the tablet, then put the keyboard into pairing mode and connect fresh.
Find the pairing button
Usually a dedicated button or a key combination held for several seconds until an indicator flashes. Check the manual rather than guessing, since a partial reset leaves it in a worse state.
Clear space in the tablet's Bluetooth list
Devices have a limit on remembered pairings, and a full list causes new connections to fail in confusing ways. Delete entries you no longer use.
Move away from interference
Bluetooth shares 2.4 GHz with Wi-Fi. Pairing is more fragile than an established connection, so move away from the router while you pair.
Check for a multi-device switch
Many keyboards pair with two or three devices and have keys to switch between them. If it is set to a channel with nothing on it, it will appear dead.
Replace the batteries if they are removable
Some keyboards use AA or AAA cells rather than an internal battery. Replace rather than test them, since a keyboard draws enough current to fail on cells that still read as good.
The multi-device switch catches people constantly. Keyboards that pair with several devices have number keys or a physical switch to choose between them, and it is easy to knock. If the keyboard seems completely dead, press each channel key in turn before doing anything else.
Connected but typing wrong
- Wrong characters appear. The keyboard layout setting does not match the physical keyboard. Change it in the tablet’s language and input settings.
- Keys repeat or stick. Debris under a key, or a low battery causing erratic behaviour.
- It types with a delay. Bluetooth interference, or a keyboard running low on charge.
- Some keys do nothing. Function keys often need the tablet’s own software to work, and shortcuts vary by app.
- The on-screen keyboard keeps appearing. The tablet has not registered the physical keyboard properly; reconnect it.
Never use liquid directly on the contacts or into the keyboard. Alcohol on a cotton bud, squeezed nearly dry, and let it evaporate fully before reattaching. Liquid running into a keyboard or into a tablet’s connector turns a cleaning job into a repair.
Why did my magnetic keyboard stop working?
Almost always dirty contacts. Clean the pads on the tablet and the pins on the keyboard with a cotton bud and isopropyl alcohol, and check nothing is between them.
Why does my Bluetooth keyboard connect to the wrong device?
It reconnects to whatever it saw last. Turn Bluetooth off on other devices, or use the keyboard’s channel switch if it has one.
My keyboard types the wrong characters. Why?
The layout setting does not match the physical keyboard. Change it in the tablet’s language and input settings rather than assuming a fault.
Does a case stop the keyboard connecting?
Frequently, on magnetic keyboards, by holding it a millimetre too far from the contacts. Remove the case and test.
Why does the on-screen keyboard keep appearing?
The tablet has not registered the physical keyboard properly. Disconnect and reconnect it, and restart the tablet if that does not help.
The bottom line
Establish which type of keyboard you have first, because the fixes share nothing. Magnetic keyboards fail on dirty contacts and a case holding them too far away. Bluetooth keyboards fail on charge, on being claimed by another device, and on the multi-device channel switch being knocked. Check that switch before assuming anything is broken.
