How to Disable Num Lock on a PC

The key on the board that causes the greatest friction

The Numlock key on a contemporary keyboard is arguably the most pointless and annoying. With just one careless tap, some of your keys will start to grow in numbers. How can Numlock be permanently disabled on a computer?

This is a particular issue with laptop keyboards since there are numbers written on the regular keys rather than a numeric keypad. And the Numlock is someplace up top, where you usually find yourself tapping it as you reach for the Home button.

The Problem with the Numlock Key

Like the Caps Lock button, the Numlock key is a toggle. Can’t you just tap it again to unlock it if you accidentally press Numlock?

Yes, you can, but that only works in special circumstances. You need a more long-lasting fix if Numlock keeps turning on your computer.

The Numlock not only disrupts your focus and messes up whatever you are working on, but it also wastes a lot of time and effort fixing the error. And because so few people use a number pad, it is practically never helpful, unlike the Caps Lock key.

Why Is My Computer Constantly Activating Numlock

The Numlock indication may appear regularly on a PC for one of three causes.

Initially, by chance. This is the most frequent cause since many quick typists accidentally touch the Numlock key.

Additionally, it could be pre-activated. The Numlock is generally turned off when your computer starts up, but a bug or a change in the relevant setting might make it active every time.

Finally, a software problem might be the cause. The Num Lock occasionally malfunctions and turns on without the actual key being hit. Due to the difficulty in identifying the error’s origin, this is the most challenging problem to resolve.

Read more: How to Delete Files in Windows 10

How to Disable the Num Lock

Accidentally pressing the number lock key while typing is the most common issue. Using AutoHotkey to disable the key, is simple to repair.

Using AutoHotkey, disable the numeric keypad lock

For Windows 10 and 11, AHK is a little tool for key mapping and making unique hotkeys. Additionally, even though it uses scripts, simple tasks like making keybinds need relatively little coding. For instance, by adding just one line, we may deactivate Numlock:

NumLock::Return

Yes, it is simple. The process for setting up AutoHotkey on your computer and running this script is detailed below.

Get AutoHotkey first by downloading it from the official website.

To install AutoHotkey on your computer, launch the downloaded setup.

Anywhere you have AutoHotkey installed, you can write an AHK script. Any folder’s space can be filled by choosing New > AutoHotkey Script from the context menu.

Please give it a proper name, then press Enter. Right-click the file and choose “Open with > Notepad” to edit the script.

There is a tonne of information in the file that is already setting things up for you. Ignore that and start a new line with the following:
The file contains a tonne of information that is already preparing things for you. Ignore that and begin a new line by writing:

Save the document, then close Notepad. Double-click the script to execute it. The Numlock key won’t function anymore. You can close the script at any time by right-clicking on the AHK system tray icon and selecting Exit.

It’s important to keep in mind that some programs (mainly video games) may conflict with AHK, therefore it’s frequently a good idea to run the script by right-clicking on it and choosing Run as Administrator. By receiving priority as a result, the script can execute ahead of all other applications.

SharpKeys: Disable the Num Lock Key

There are more options besides AutoHotkey for remapping keys in Windows. You also have SharpKeys, a GUI-based application that does much the same function.

Other tools exist for remapping keys in Windows than AutoHotkey. You also have SharpKeys, a GUI-based program that performs essentially the same task.

Instead of intercepting keypresses like AHK, SharpKeys modifies the Windows registry directly. Because of this, it isn’t quite as flexible as AHK’s scripting system, but we just need a simple tool to remap a single key.

Visit the utility’s GitHub website to download it. If you like, you may download an MSI installation or a zip file that functions as portable software.

Once SharpKeys has been installed or extracted, launch the application.

All of the key bindings that you assign in SharpKeys are displayed in the main window. Click the Add button to start a new one. By pressing this, the Add New Key Mapping box is up, displaying parallel lists of keys and functions you can use in their stead.

Finding a particular key manually might take some time, so choose Type Key from the list in the left pane and press the Numlock key on your keyboard. Once SharpKeys has recognized the keypress, click OK to proceed.

Turning the key off by default is the option on the right, and this is what we need. Just click OK once more.

As you can see, a new entry outlining the new modification has been added to the main screen. Use the Write to Registry button to make the change.

The result is the same as with an AHK script: your keyboard’s Numlock key will no longer function. Unlike a script, this one requires you to restart SharpKeys to undo the modification rather than simply closing the application.

Set the registry’s default numeric lock state to off

The issue for many folks isn’t that they unintentionally hit the Numlock key; rather, it’s that Numlock is turned on by default on their computer.

Let’s be clear about one thing right away: altering Numlock’s default behavior is not an easy fix. It necessitates changing the pertinent setting in the registry or the BIOS.

Since you can always turn off Numlock manually each time your computer starts, this isn’t even a problem that has to be fixed. Better still, whether or not Num Lock was on by default, the AHK script we explain in Fix 5 takes care of automatically deactivating it.

Here is the step-by-step process to modify the Registry setting if you still want to.

Find Regedit in the Start Menu to launch the Registry Editor.

Go to the left panel and choose HKEY USERS. Default control PanelKeyboard. In the top address bar, you may also add this address after the root as follows:

On the right side, there are several keys, one of which is InitialKeyboardIndicators. To change this entry’s value, double-click on it.

To have Numlock shut off at startup automatically, set the value to 0. To save the modifications, click OK and then exit Regedit. When you next reboot the computer, the updated setting will go into effect.

Set the BIOS’s default numeric lock state to off

The default status of Numlock on the majority of laptops and desktop computers may also be changed through the BIOS settings. As opposed to a Registry modification, which Windows frequently can reverse, this is typically a more durable remedy.

However, because BIOS layouts vary from motherboard to motherboard, there is no particular process for altering the Numlock status in the BIOS. Simply go around in your computer’s BIOS settings and look for anything that says Num Lock; that is often the default option.

Use AutoHotkey to Permanently Disable Num Lock

We’ve already shown how to use AHK to remap the Numlock key to nothing, but what if you want to keep Num Lock completely disabled? There are two approaches to this.

Utilizing AHK’s built-in SetNumLockState function is the first approach. This allows you to prevent the Numlock from ever being enabled, no matter how many times a program (or unintentional keypress) attempts. Simply add the below lines to a brand-new AutoHotkey script and save it:

Force single instance

Persistent

Off for SetNumLockState

AlwaysOff for SetNumLockState

Return

CheckNumlock:

State is equal to GetKeyState(“Numlock,” “T”)

State, 1 if equal

{

Off for SetNumLockState

}

Return

By running this script while logged in as Administrator, Numslock will never reactivate on your machine.

How to Disable Num Lock on Computer the Best

Using an AutoHotkey script that periodically checks the status of Num Lock and turns it off as necessary is the most secure approach to totally deactivating Numlock on your PC and keeping it that way.

However, not all users require such a detailed script. A one-line AHK script is sufficient if all you want to do is disable the hardware Numlock key on your keyboard.

You may either dig through the registry or update the BIOS settings to change the default state of Numlock at startup. If any of those alternatives seem too complicated for you, you may also just press it once each time your PC boots.