Several key pushes not being recognised as one action? That can be ghosting on the keyboard. This manual will provide all the information you require (and how to fix the problem).
What about the ghost inside the keyboard? You’ve heard of the ghost in the machine. Keyboard ghosting is a real issue that can be really problematic when you’re playing video games.
Fortunately, if you experience keyboard ghosting, your computer is not possessed. That simply indicates that pressing many keys simultaneously is problematic on your keyboard due to hardware restrictions.
Continue reading to learn more about keyboard ghosting’s causes, how to check for it, and what you can do to fix it.
What is Keyboard Ghosting?
When you push a key on your keyboard but it doesn’t go into effect, this is known as keyboard ghosting. Nothing happens when a key is pressed since it is not recognised by your PC or Mac and nothing is displayed on the screen. This is an example of keyboard ghosting.
Pressing several keys simultaneously frequently causes keyboard ghosting. You’ll hit some keys that will register, but others might just disappear.
This isn’t a significant deal when you’re typing because you rarely need to use multiple keys at once. But when you play games, you frequently push many keys at once. Your game experience could be ruined if one or more of these keystrokes don’t go through.
Why Does Keyboard Ghosting Happen?
The functionality of keyboards leads to keyboard ghosting. There are wires for each row and each column of keys in some keyboards. Your computer will get a signal from the row wire and a signal from the key’s column wire when you press a key. You can tell exactly which key has been pressed from these two signals.
But, things can become confused if you press three keys simultaneously in two distinct rows and two different columns. Your computer can detect that two separate row wires and two different column wires have been activated, but it is unable to pinpoint which specific keys were responsible because there are other combinations that could result in the same output.
You might discover that a key you pressed elicited a reaction while another key you pressed did not.
How to Test for Keyboard Ghosting
You can run a test to see whether you could be experiencing keyboard ghosting. Although it isn’t very exact, you may try using a word editing tool and pressing different combinations of keys to see which appear in your document.
Fortunately, there are websites that make it simple and quick to check for keyboard ghosting. Microsoft provides one option for PC users, but you can test it on any device.
Using the Microsoft anti-ghosting demo, check for keyboard ghosting:
- Open a browser and navigate to the Microsoft keyboard anti-ghosting demo website.
- Click on the message to start the demo.
- Trying holding down a combination of keys, such as A, S, D, and W all at the same time.
- At the bottom of the screen, you will see the number of keys that are registering, and which keys they are.
- You will also see the keys that are registering light up in yellow on the keyboard graphic.
You have keyboard ghosting problems if some of the keys you press do not register.
If all the keys function, hold down W, S, A, and D while trying other keys to see if you can come up with a combination that doesn’t. If you are unable to do so, keyboard ghosting is most likely not a problem for you.
How to Prevent Keyboard Ghosting
There are only a few things you can do if you’re having keyboard ghosting issues. You basically only have two main possibilities because the cause is frequently a restriction of your actual hardware.
Use an Anti-Ghosting Keyboard
The simplest remedy is to swap out your wired or Bluetooth keyboard for one that is made to be anti-ghosting if that is what is causing your issue.
Several methods are used by these keyboards to circumvent the issues that lead to ghosting. The simplest anti-ghosting keyboards will feature a separate wiring configuration to prevent ghosting for the most frequent keystroke combinations. But, if you employ fewer typical keystroke combinations, the issue can still exist.
Some anti-ghosting keyboards include additional wires to make sure that every key generates a distinct signal, preventing ghosting regardless of which keys you hit. These keyboards cost more because of the additional technology they contain. Some anti-ghosting keyboards use a separate diode for each key to guarantee that every key will always register regardless of the key combination pushed. Once more, the cost of these keyboards is increased by their design.
Go for an N-key rollover keyboard if you want a keyboard that can accommodate any combination of keystrokes regardless of the amount of keys pressed. Regardless of how many keys you’re simultaneously pressing, this style of keyboard can register each one.
These are various anti-ghosting keyboards you can browse.
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Remap Your Keyboard
Your options are fairly limited if you don’t want to spend money on a new keyboard or if your issue is with the laptop’s built-in keyboard.
The only practical remedy is to remap your keyboards so that they can recognise the key combination you intend to utilise. Remapping your keyboard entails altering the behaviour of each key. You could remap your keys, for instance, so that your computer types a B when you touch the A key.
Applications exist that will remap your keys for you. The good news is that you won’t have to start from scratch learning how to type because these apps typically make it easy to toggle the remapping on and off.
Your Keyboard Matters
Keyboard ghosting isn’t actually a problem for many of us. Seldom will you need to press multiple keys simultaneously while emailing or web browsing, which might cause keyboard ghosting.
Yet, if you play video games, keyboard ghosting might be a serious problem. Investing in a keyboard with anti-ghosting features is the greatest solution to these issues. Do your study before buying an anti-ghosting keyboard because not all of them are alike.
You must take good care of your keyboard because it is an essential component of your computer setup. There are keyboard repairs that can be effective if your keyboard is giving you trouble. If there are problems with your laptop keyboard, you might need to replace it entirely.
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