TestDock
🌐 EN

Chromebook keyboard test

The key map opens with a Chromebook layout: the Search or Launcher key where other keyboards have Caps Lock, the top row of action keys and the compact arrow cluster. Press each key and watch it turn green when the press and release reach the browser.

Ready: press any key. Tab, Space, arrows and F-keys still do their usual job until you start full capture.

Not pressed yetHeld down nowPressed and releasedRelease not seen (focus lost)Usually handled by ChromeOS

Overview, brightness and volume keys are usually handled by ChromeOS and may never reach this page; they are not counted as missing. If Back or Refresh navigates the page, press Start full capture first.

Keys tested
0
Held now
—
Last key
—

Keys outside this map: none

Event log (last 60 events)
mseventkeycodelocationrepeatnote

How to test a Chromebook keyboard

  1. Choose ANSI for US-style keyboards or ISO for UK and European ones (tall Enter key and an extra key beside left Shift). The test switches to ISO by itself if it sees that extra key.
  2. Press every key once, slowly. Keys turn orange while held and green after release.
  3. Press Start full capture before testing Tab, Space, the arrows and the top row, so the page keeps those presses instead of the browser. Press Esc twice to stop.
  4. Press List keys not tested yet at the end to list every key that never reached the page.

The top row and the Search key

  • Search / Launcher: Chromebooks put this key where Caps Lock usually is. Browsers report it as the left Meta key, the same code a Windows key sends, so it lights up like any other key.
  • Back, Forward, Refresh and Full screen reach Chrome. If the page goes back or reloads when you press one, the key works: Chrome acted on it before the test could keep it. Start full capture first and try again.
  • Show windows (Overview), brightness and volume are usually handled by ChromeOS itself and never reach web pages. They are shown faded and are not counted as missing. If ChromeOS reacts (the brightness or volume changes), the key works.
  • Function keys: with Treat top-row keys as function keys turned on in the keyboard settings, or while you hold Search, the top row sends F1, F2 and so on. The map counts those presses on the matching top-row key.
  • Layouts differ between models: newer Chromebooks add keys such as screenshot, privacy screen, keyboard backlight or media keys. Any key the page receives that is not on the map appears under Other keys with its code.
  • Power / lock is not on the map: it is handled by the system, and holding it can turn the Chromebook off.

Chromebook settings that change what keys do

  • Remapped keys: open Settings → Device → Keyboard and check Remap keyboard keys. A Search key set to work as Caps Lock, or a swapped Ctrl and Alt, will light up as the key it has been changed to.
  • Caps Lock: there is usually no Caps Lock key. Press Alt + Search (or Alt + Launcher) to turn it on or off.
  • Auto-repeat: the same settings page controls whether a held key repeats. Repeats show in the event log, not as new presses.
  • Shortcuts: Ctrl + Search + S shows the keyboard shortcuts of your ChromeOS version, including the Search combinations that act as Home, End and Delete on other keyboards.

If keys do not respond

  • Restart the Chromebook and test again: a key that works after a restart was not a hardware fault.
  • Connect an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard and test it here. If the external keyboard works, the problem is in the built-in keyboard rather than ChromeOS.
  • Check the remapping settings above before deciding a key is broken.
  • If a key still never lights up in full capture, note which ones in List keys not tested yet and contact the manufacturer or your school or work administrator if the device is managed. The keyboard keys not working guide goes through the steps in more detail.

Questions

Why do brightness and volume keys not light up?

ChromeOS handles them itself and does not pass them to web pages. If the brightness or volume changes when you press them, the keys work. With top-row keys set as function keys, or while holding Search, they send F-keys and light up on the map.

Does this work with an external keyboard on a Chromebook?

Yes. Switch the key labels to Windows / Linux or Mac to match the keyboard you are using; the Windows key works as Search on ChromeOS.

Can I test a Chromebook keyboard on another computer?

The Chromebook key map is also in the key labels menu of the main keyboard test, but the built-in keyboard can only be tested on the Chromebook itself.

Related tests

Guides