---
title: "Laptop keyboard types numbers instead of letters, the Num Lock fix"
language: en
topics: ["Amsterdam", "cash", "lifestyle", "people", "repair", "volunteer"]
full_article_url: https://willem.com/en/2016-11-21_being-a-volunteer-in-amsterdam-zuidoost/
---
# Laptop keyboard types numbers instead of letters, the Num Lock fix

*A free fix for a keyboard that only seems broken.*

> When a laptop types numbers instead of letters (the U key gives a 4, the I key a 5), the keyboard is not broken: Num Lock is enabled. Turn Num Lock off and the keys type letters again.

At the community center in Amsterdam-Zuidoost where I ran the weekly computer support, a man brought in a laptop he had fallen onto. A computer store had concluded he needed a keyboard replacement for 55 euros, or a 30 euro external USB keyboard if that was too expensive.
I started the laptop and pressed some keys: the U key produced a 4, the I key a 5. To an untrained eye the keyboard is malfunctioning, but this is the Num Lock function, accidentally switched on. Num Lock turns part of a laptop keyboard into a number pad.
I disabled Num Lock, demonstrated the keyboard typing fine, and saved him the cost of a new keyboard. If your letters come out as digits, check Num Lock before paying for any repair.