On-screen keyboard does not display in tablet mode - Surface Pro

Anonymous
2013-02-13T07:57:49+00:00

I am having trouble getting the onscreen keyboard to display when my Surface Pro is not connected to its type cover.

I noticed this when I was in the Metro UI.  The issue occurs when I select the search option from the charms menu.  Once I do this, the onscreen keyboard does not appear, so, I am unable to type anything into the search box.

This also occurs when I attempt to access the Surface Pro from sleep mode.  The password box appears, but, I cannot input into it without the onscreen keyboard.

I have already tried the refresh option - it did not work.

Any thoughts on a fix for this issue?

Surface | Surface Pro | Install and update

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Anonymous
2016-09-19T15:45:17+00:00

I am having trouble getting the onscreen keyboard to display when my Surface Pro is not connected to its type cover.

I noticed this when I was in the Metro UI.  The issue occurs when I select the search option from the charms menu.  Once I do this, the onscreen keyboard does not appear, so, I am unable to type anything into the search box.

This also occurs when I attempt to access the Surface Pro from sleep mode.  The password box appears, but, I cannot input into it without the onscreen keyboard.

I have already tried the refresh option - it did not work.

Any thoughts on a fix for this issue?

Hi. I had the same problem and it was really bugging me but I finally got it sorted. Basically, while your in laptop mode press the little keyboard icon (at the bottom right of the screen where the time is) and the on-screen keyboard should come up. Without pressing 'x' on the on-screen keyboard, un-clip your real keyboard so it turns into tablet mode. Now you can press 'x' and go onto the internet or something to test out whether it worked or not. Press on the search bar and it should come up. I had to do it twice but it worked. Hope this helped someone.

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Anonymous
2013-02-13T09:11:34+00:00

when waking it from sleep, only remove the keyboard when the lockscreen is displayed. Thus is also a bug with the surface rt when waking from connected standby.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-03-16T17:48:53+00:00

    A real solution!

    I was dissatisfied with all the solutions to this problem posted thus far.  I'm sorry, but remove the keyboard only on the lock screen is not a solution, it is a work around at best.  I did not want to return my surface or even reimage it.  I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard 18 times seemed like a voodoo type procedure (and it didn't work either of course).  However this got me to thinking as the post says that Microsoft support stated this would reinstall the drivers for the keyboard.  Hey I know the proper way to reinstall the drivers, and this way resolved my issue.

    To solve this problem all I had to do was go to device manager (search settings for device manager and then click it).  With the type cover attached expand the keyboards node, select the type cover device and then hold down until you get the context menu.  Touch (or click) uninstall this device.  Select the option to delete the driver from the system.  Continue and then the type cover driver will be uninstalled.  Disconnect and then reconnect the type cover.  The device manager will refresh and install a new keyboard called HID keyboard device.  After this is installed touch and hold to bring up the context menu again and select to update the device.  Search the internet and the touch cover driver will be reinstalled.  After performing this I have not encountered the problem where the type cover will not work or the on-screen keyboard will not enable on the lock screen.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-03-16T18:42:33+00:00

    I did the uninstall trick you mentioned on the surface rt. it didn't quite work as you said.

    uninstalling the device and then trying to update the driver had no results. it didn't find a new driver, and the keyboard would be listed as hid keyboard device. it only got fixed when I ran windows update and it installed the driver as part of a system hardware update (dated march 12th).

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-03-16T20:24:20+00:00

    I did the uninstall trick you mentioned on the surface rt. it didn't quite work as you said.

    uninstalling the device and then trying to update the driver had no results. it didn't find a new driver, and the keyboard would be listed as hid keyboard device. it only got fixed when I ran windows update and it installed the driver as part of a system hardware update (dated march 12th).

    I'm using the surface pro and the type cover, so maybe there is a difference there.  Thanks for noting the different experience in case others go through the same.  I'm curious though, did the reinstall also solve the problem for you?

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