Share this article

Improve this guide

Tab Key Not Working? How to Enable It & Alternatives

Ensure you’ve updated your OS to rule out compatibility issues

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

You know, the Tab key. That little key on the left of your keyboard makes it incredibly easy to navigate through everything from web pages to your favorite text editor. Now picture it not working!

You can still get out of your browser window or text editor but with a little more effort. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to enable the tab key and make it work as expected again. Some methods are better than others, and some might even be faster.

Why isn’t my tab button working?

If you’re pressing the tab key on your keyboard with no response, below are some reasons why it is not working:

How do I enable the tab key on my keyboard?

Perform the following preliminary steps before moving to the fairly advanced solutions below:

1. Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter

2. Run the keyboard troubleshooter

3. Update Keyboard drivers

The process of installing new drivers is fairly straightforward. However, a third-party tool that does this job automatically is a preferred choice for most users.

Some computers are shipped with drivers that do not support all of the keyboard’s features, and updating them manually won’t help. That’s where Outbyte comes in.

This tool is very easy to use and has a very small memory footprint. It will find outdated, corrupt, or incompatible drivers, then replace them with the right ones.

⇒Get Outbyte Driver Updater

4. Reinstall keyboard drivers

If updating drivers didn’t resolve your issue, it’s time to remove old keyboard drivers and reinstall them.

5. Check for Windows updates

6. Run DISM and SFC scans

7. Perform a clean boot

What is the alternative key for tab?

Unfortunately, you can perform all the solutions above, and your tab key will still not work. The good news is that many other keys perform the same function as the tab key.

For instance, you can still use the arrow keys to move forward and backward through your form. You can also use the on-screen keyboard, but it can quickly become cumbersome if you have to navigate through lots of cells or tabs.

Keyboard shortcutsor hotkeys also allow you to achieve the same results by performing various actions using just one keystroke instead of several clicks or mouse movements.

You must exercise caution when using hotkeys, as this requires you to edit the registry. If it’s unnecessary, you better stick to other options, likeusing your phone as a keyboard.

Pass by our other article to find out what to do when theALT + TAB combo is not working.

That’s it from us, but be sure to let us know of any other solutions that may be missing from our list but were extremely instrumental in helping you solve this issue.

Tab Key Not Working? How to Enable It & Alternatives#

Why isn’t my tab button working?#

How do I enable the tab key on my keyboard?#

1. Run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter#

2. Run the keyboard troubleshooter#

3. Update Keyboard drivers#

4. Reinstall keyboard drivers#

5. Check for Windows updates#

6. Run DISM and SFC scans#

7. Perform a clean boot#

What is the alternative key for tab?#