Fix: WASD and Arrow Keys are Switched

The issue often occurs when the WASD keys are switched with the arrow keys. However, in some cases, the problem occurs due to interference from filter keys, corrupted keyboard driver and misconfiguration of the keyboard settings.

1. Swap the Keyboard Keys Back

If your WASD keys are working the same as arrow keys or your arrow keys are working the same as WASD keys, it means your keyboard keys are swapped. To fix this, You need to hold the FN key and then press the W key on the keyboard to fix this issue.

2. Enable Touch keyboard

If your keyboard keys are not fixed by following the above method, you will need to use the touch keyboard to follow the below methods. To enable the touch keyboard, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Right-click on the taskbar, and click Show Touch Keyboard Button
   

   

2. After that, you will notice that the keyboard icon appears on the bottom right; click on it to use the touch keyboard

   

You will need to sign out and then sign in if you follow method 5, so if your account is locked with the password, and the password includes WASD keys, you might not be able to sign in with the keyboard keys. So you need to use a touch keyboard.

1. To enable the touch keyboard, you need to click on the Ease Of Access Icon from the bottom right

   

2. Click On-Screen Keyboard
   

   

3. A touch keyboard will appear; you need to sign in with your credentials.

3. Turn Off Filter Keys

Filter keys are for those users who want to ignore repeated keystrokes. This feature is especially for those users who are not used to typing on a keyboard, meaning that it makes typing a lot easier for new users or users with hand tremors. However, in some cases, this feature causes WASD keys not to work. Therefore, try disabling the filter keys to check if the issue is fixed.

1. To do so, right-click on the Start Menu and type Settings
   

   

2. Open Settings and navigate to the Ease Of Access

   

3. Scroll down to the bottom from the left pane
4. Then, click Keyboard and then scroll down to Use Filters Keys on the right pane
5. Turn off the filter keys by toggling off the button named Ignore Brief Or Repeated keystrokes And Change Keyboard repeat Rates
   

   

6. Once done, now check if the issue is fixed. If the Use Filter Keys option is already disabled, try enabling it to check if it works.

4. Run Keyboard Troubleshooter

If the problem is in the keyboard settings, then the easy fix for this issue is to run the keyboard troubleshooter. Troubleshooters are built-in tools created to fix problems automatically for the individual component of Windows. Follow the steps to run the Troubleshooter:

1. Click Start Menu and type Troubleshoot Settings
   

   

2. Click on Additional Troubleshooters
   

   

3. Scroll down to the Keyboard Troubleshooter and then select it to click on Run The Troubleshooter
   

   

4. Once you run it, it will automatically fix the problems related to the keyboard settings.

5. Update or Reinstall Keyboard Driver

If the problem is not fixed yet, another method that can fix this issue is to update or reinstall the keyboard driver. It is possible that your keyboard driver is corrupted and for that reason, the issue is occurring. Every driver has an INF file that tells the computer what to do. For example, when I press the key, the driver will tell the computer that I pressed this key and the computer will execute the key according to the driver INF file. So if there is a problem with the driver, you could encounter this issue. Therefore, follow the steps to update or reinstall the driver:

1. Right-click the Start Menu from the bottom right
2. Click Device Manager from the listed options

   

3. Once the device manager is opened, expand the Keyboards menu
4. Right-click on your keyboard driver, and click Update Driver
   

   

5. Choose Browse My Computer For Drivers
6. Then, click Let Me Pick From A List Of Available Drivers On My Computer
   

   

7. Select the Keyboard Driver and click Next to install the driver

   

8. Once done, check if the problem is resolved. If it’s not, then right-click on the keyboard driver and then click Uninstall Device
   

   

9. Once the driver is uninstalled, restart your computer and check if the issue is fixed.

6. Reset Your Keyboard

Windows do not provide an option to reset your keyboard. However, there is a way you can try to reset your keyboard. You have to change your default Windows language and then change the default language again with the one you were using. This will reset your keyboard. Below are the steps:

1. Right-click Start Menu and click Settings to open

   

2. Go to the Time & Language
   

   

3. Then, click on Language from the left pane
4. Under Windows Display Language, change the language by selecting a different language from the menu
5. If there is only one default language, then click on Add A Language
   

   

6. Choose the language and click Next to install it

   

   Note: It will take some time to install the language, so wait till the installation finish.

7. Once done, change the language and then sign out for Windows to apply the new language

   

8. Once done, now go back to the language settings and again change the language with the one you use

   

9. After that, check if the issue is resolved.

7. Restore Your Computer To A Previous State

If you are not familiar with System Restore, it is a utility that takes a snapshot of Windows files which can be used when problems occur, such as a driver failure, a corrupt Windows update installed, or an issue like this.

When you use a restore point, it will take Windows back to the position when your Windows is working fine. However, it requires a restore point created when your Windows was working fine. But you can still check if you have not created a restore point, as some third-party driver installation applications create a reset point before installing a driver. Below are the steps to do that:

1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run program
2. Type rstrui and click OK
   

   

3. Click Next to select a restore point

   

4. Now, if you have a restore point, you will be able to see it
5. Select the Restore point and click Next
   

   

6. Click Finish to restore your Windows

   

7. Once the computer restarts, check if the keyboard is working fine.

8. Remap Your keyboard keys

Another possible scenario could be that your keyboard keys might not be swapped and your keyboard has a hardware issue, preventing you from using WASD keys, which is not easy to believe but go to this website and check if your WASD keys are working. If they are not working, then it could be a hardware issue, as none of the methods have worked for you.

You can remap your WASD keys with the keys that are working. For that, you need an application called Microsoft PowerToys, which allows you to use divert the keys to other keys. In simple words, you will be able to use the WASD keys by pressing the other keys. Below are the steps:

1. Click Start Menu and type Microsoft store
   

   

2. Open the store and search for Microsoft PowerToys
3. Click on Install and wait for the installation to finish

   

4. Once done, the application will open. In case you close the application by mistake, you might not be able to open it by searching from the start menu. So, go to the following path, which is a default path of Microsoft PowerToys

   C:\Program Files\PowerToys

   

5. Open the PowerToys and click on Keyboard Manager from the left pane
6. Then, click on Remap A key
   

   

7. Under the Physical Key option, select the key that you want use instead of keys that are not working
8. Under the Mapped To option, select the key that is not working
9. Repeat this process with the remaining keys which are not working

   

10. Once done, now you can use the WASD keys by pressing the keys you selected under the Physical Key. In my case, I selected the arrow keys, which will work the same as the WASD keys.

You can also try changing the keyboard to see if this fixes your issue. If it’s not, try resetting your Windows without losing your data. This will remove all the settings applied to your keyboard that we might have missed above. Therefore, resetting Windows should fix your issue.