How to connect a keyboard to the laptop

How to connect a USB keyboard to your laptop

You would like to understand how to connect a USB keyboard to your laptop? I'll explain immediately how to do it, it's child's play.

The first thing you need to do is locate one USB-A port (what are commonly considered standard USB ports) free on your computer. Typically, laptops are equipped with multiple ports of this type and are placed on the side edges and, in some cases, are also marked with the words USB.

Should the number of available USB ports be insufficient to connect the keyboard to your laptop, I suggest you consider purchasing a USB hub, through which it is possible to increase the number of USB inputs available.

You can buy this type of device in any computer store, both physical and online, at fairly low prices.

If, on the other hand, you have a MacBook or other computer that only has USB-C (smaller and allowing connection in all directions), you have to buy a adapter or USB-C to USB-A hub.

Next, make sure your computer is turned on (and if not, turn it on), then plug in the end of the keyboard wire with connector to the USB port of the computer (or of the adapter / hub in use) and wait a few moments for the connection with the PC to be established.

Stai using Windows and the PC audio is enabled, you will also hear a dedicated notification sound and in the lower right part of the desktop you will see a notice indicating the thing.

In case the keyboard is not recognized from the laptop, I recommend plugging it into another USB port, so you can check if the problem can be traced back to a malfunctioning port.

If, on the other hand, you cannot use the keyboard connected to the laptop because the operating system indicates that the driver, you can try to cope with it by downloading and installing the missing ones yourself, as I explained to you in my specific guide on the subject.

After having established the connection between the keyboard and the computer via USB, you can finally start using the peripheral, in a practically similar way to how you have done up to now with the "standard" keyboard of your notebook.

I also point out that, if you deem it necessary, you can configuration the operation of the keyboard based on your preferences as I explained to you in detail in my guide on how to use the PC keyboard.

How to connect a wireless keyboard to the laptop

Now let's see what needs to be done for connect a wireless keyboard to the laptop, therefore without taking advantage of the cable connection.

If what you have is a wireless keyboard with radio frequency receiver, to be able to connect it to your laptop you must proceed as follows: make sure that the computer is turned on (and if not, turn it on) connect the wireless receiver to USB port free of your computer (or adapter / hub in use), enter the battery inside the keyboard or recharge it using the special base and bring it up ON the switch for the ignition on it.

At this time, if the receiver and keyboard have the function plug and play, and therefore they appear to be pre-paired, you can immediately begin to take advantage of the peripheral.

If the keyboard does not have the functionality, however, first press the button for starting the connection between the receiver and the keyboard itself, which is usually located on the sides of the peripheral, or between the upper buttons.

After establishing the connection, you can finally start using your wireless keyboard paired with your laptop, in a practically similar way to how you have always used the one already integrated into your computer.

If, on the other hand, you want to connect a keyboard Bluetooth, the instructions you must follow differ depending on the operating system you are using. For more details, please continue reading, you will find everything explained below.

Windows

Stai using Windows, to connect a keyboard to the laptop using Bluetooth, first turn on the PC (if off) and enable the use of the connectivity in question on the computer.

Per riuscirci, you are using Windows 10, click on the icon comic placed next tosystem clock (at the bottom right of the taskbar) and then on the button Bluetooth, in such a way that from Grey you become colored.

Alternatively or if you are using one older version of Windows, you should be able to activate Bluetooth from the notebook keyboard by pressing on key appropriate (the one with the Stylized "B"), possibly together with the key Fn, or by moving the appropriate switch in position of to. For more details, you can refer to my specific guide on how to activate Bluetooth on your PC.

If your computer does not natively have Bluetooth, you can buy a adapter ad hoc to be connected to one of the USB ports free of the computer. They are found in computer stores and are cheap.

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Once Bluetooth is enabled on your computer, turn on the keyboard by swiping up ON the appropriate switch, and also press the pairing button for a few seconds, until the relative LED does not begin to blink (to find out what it is, consult the manual).

Later, to pair the keyboard with the laptop, if you are using Windows 10, click here Start button (I cheer with the Microsoft flag) che trovi nella part in fund to sinistra della taskbarselect the icon delle Settings (Quella with the ruota d'ingranaggio) in the menu that opens and, in the window that appears on the desktop, click on the item devices.

Now, click on the item Bluetooth and other devices located on the left, press the button Add Bluetooth or other device, select the dicitura Bluetooth and wait for the name keypad appears in the list of detected devices. Finally, click on the name device and then on the button Connect.

Stai using a older version of Windows or as an alternative to how I just explained to you, click on Start button on taskbar and select the link for the Control Panel present in it. In the window that will subsequently open on the desktop, click on the item View devices and printers.

At this point, press the button Add device at the top, click on name of the keyboard that appears in the new window that is shown to you and press the button NEXT, to complete the connection.

Note that the pairing procedure only needs to be performed the first time you connect the keyboard to the computer. Then, just turn on the device and activate the computer's Bluetooth to make sure that the two devices pair automatically.

Once the connection is established, you can use your wireless keyboard coupled to the laptop in a similar way to how you have always used the one already integrated into the computer.

MacOS

want connect a Bluetooth keyboard to a portable Mac? If so, turn on your MacBook (if you haven't already) and make sure the connectivity in question is enabled on your computer.

To do this, click on the icon Bluetooth (Quella with the Stylized "B") that you find in the upper right part of the menu bar of the Mac and verify that it fulfills the voice Bluetooth: active in the menu that opens. If not, enable Bluetooth by selecting the option Turn on Bluetooth.

If the Bluetooth icon is not present in the menu bar, you can proceed as follows: click on the icon of System preference (Quella with the ruota d'ingranaggio) present sulla Dock bar, select the voice Bluetooth in the window that opens on the desktop and click on the button Turn on Bluetooth located on the left. To enable the display of the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar, instead, select the option Show Bluetooth in the menu bar which is located at the bottom.

After completing these steps, turn on the keyboard by moving up ON la physical toggle placed on it and press the pairing button (you can find out what it is by reading the manual of the device) for a few seconds, until the relative LED does not start flashing.

Afterwards, go to the section again Bluetooth of the System Preference, as I indicated earlier, and wait for the keyboard to be identified and shown in the list of available devices. When this happens, click on the button Connect next to name of the peripheral and on the button Match.

Once you have successfully established the connection, you can start using your wireless keyboard with your MacBook, just as you have always done using the one already built into your laptop.

In the specific case that you want to connect to the MacBook you are using the Magic Keyboard 2, that is the most recent keyboard made directly by Apple for its computers, to establish the connection simply connect the peripheral to the laptop via the Lightning to USB cable supplied with one of the USB ports on the Mac and wait for the notifies indicating that the procedure was successful. Afterwards, you can unplug the cable and start using the Magic Keyboard smoothly.

How to connect a keyboard to the laptop