Fallout 4 Keyboard Not Working is a problem gamers have had to deal with every once in a while. The keyboard will just cease working completely during the Fallout 4 gameplay. The inability to use the keyboard, and occasionally the mouse, may be caused by software conflicts or outdated drivers. 

In most cases, players have been able to resolve the problem by restarting the Fallout 4 game. Reconnecting the keyboard may also help fix some temporary keyboard problems. In other cases, restarting the game or reconnecting the keyboard may not fix the issue. 

If you are in such a situation, the more advanced solutions discussed in this guide will come in handy. The guide also explains the various causes of the Fallout 4 keyword not working issue, and some quick fixes for the problem. 

What Caused the Keyboard not to Work in Fallout 4?

When not using the gamepad, you will need to use the keyboard to play and to alter various settings on the Fallout 4 game. A considerable number of Fallout players have had their keyboards fail during the gameplay. 

When this happens, you will be unable to use the keyboard while playing Fallout 4 until the problem is resolved. The inability to use the keyboard on Fallout 4 may be caused by several things, including: 

App Overlay 

Some of the applications you may have installed in your computer are known to overlay the Fallout 4 game. This prevents the game from running as it should and may even cause the keyboard to be unresponsive. 

Some of the applications commonly associated with this problem include Overwolf and Steam. If this is the cause of your keyboard problem, you should consider disabling the problematic App, as discussed later in this guide. 

Fallout 4 Limiting You to One Input Method at a Time 

The game is known to prevent players from using multiple input devices. For instance, using both the keyboard and mouse may be considered to be cheating in the Fallout 4 game. If the game suspects you to be cheating, it will automatically deactivate the keyboard, rendering it unusable in the gameplay. 

This error may also occur when you have the controller connected to the console or just installed as a device. Again, using a gamepad alongside the keyboard to play the game may also be detected as cheating, resulting in the same problem. 

If this is the problem, the solution would be to remove all devices, restart the computer, and then install the keyboard. 

How to Fix the Fallout 4 Keyboard not Working Problem 

You may realize that the keyboard is simply unresponsive while playing the Fallout 4 role-play video game. The problem may be caused by a number of things, ranging from outdated keyboard drivers to software conflicts. 

A simple, but often temporary, fix to this problem would be to restart the Fallout 4 game. Another solution would be to unplug and then reconnect the keyboard. However, these will only offer a temporary fix, the error may recur later one. 

The following methods and procedures will help you fix the Fallout 4 keyboard not working problem once and for all: 

Method 1: Edit the Fallout4Prefs File

According to the developer, the Keyboard not working issue in the Fallout 4 game may be resolved by editing the Fallout4Prefs file. This operation will disable the game controller entirely. As such, you should only use this method if you do not intend to use a controller in the game. 

To edit this file, press and hold the Windows + E keys combination to open File Explorer. Click on This PC/My Computer and select the local disk. On the local disk, you should navigate to Users > your account’s name > Documents > My Games > Fallout 4.

Right-click on the Fallout4Prefs file, and select to open it with Notepad. On the top menu click on Edit, and select the Find option from the drop-down menu displayed. Enter bGamepadEnable into the search box, and alter its value from 1 to 0.

Finally, press the Ctrl + S keys combination to save the changes, and close the window. 

Method 2: Restart Fallout 4 and Steam

The Fallout 4 video game often runs through the Steam client. As such, steam has to be running before the game can run. A considerable number of players have been able to fix the Fallout 4 keyboard not working by just restarting the two apps, as follows: 

Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination to open the Task Manager. Alternatively, you can navigate to the Task Manager from the Start menu. Now open the Apps tab and locate the Steam process. Select it, and click on the End Task button. 

Repeat the procedure to stop the Fallout 4 process. Having terminated not processes, close the task manager. Try launching the Fallout 4 game to see whether the problem has been resolved. 

Method 3: Disable the Controller Using In-Game Settings 

This method has been found to be more appealing to regular users. To achieve this, Launch Steam by double-clicking its entry on the Desktop or the start menu. From the home screen, click on the settings button.

On the displayed list of items scroll down to find the Controller entry. Once you find it, switch the option from ON to OFF. Save the changes and exit the window. Launch the game to see whether the keyboard is working. 

If you decide to use a game controller to play the Fallout 4 game in the future, remember to undo the changes you have made to the .ini file. Otherwise, the controller will not be detected by the game.

Method 4: Disable Overwolf Overlay

Overwolf is a preferred program among Fallout 4 players for adding overlay apps to the game. The software may be used to add such overlay apps as Twitch streaming, Game capture, TeamSpeak overlay, or even a browser. Despite being so handy, this program can also cause software conflicts, rendering the keyboard unusable in gameplay. 

If you suspect this to be the problem in your case, the solution would be to disable the Overwolf overlay for the Fallout 4 game. To do this, click on the System Tray to reveal hidden icons, and then locate the Overwolf icon. 

Right-click on the Overwolf icon, and select Settings. On the settings options, choose Overlay, and navigate to Library > Games > Fallout 4. Once on the left lane, click on the Fallout 4 file, and select the Enable Overlay option. Slide the selector for this option to the left to disable the Overlay. 

Save the changes and edit them. 

Method 5: Disable Overlay for Steam

If you happen to be playing the game through Steam, disabling the Steam overlay may solve the Fallout 4 keyboard not working problem. The overlay apps on the Steam client may cause interference, preventing the game from detecting the keyboard and mouse. 

To disable Steam Overlay, launch the steam client and navigate to the Library tab. From the list of games displayed, select the Fallout 4 entry and right-click on it to choose Properties. Now you need to navigate to the General tab. 

From this tab, unselect the checkbox adjacent to the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game. Save the changes you just made, and re-launch the game to check whether the Fallout 4 hotkeys not working issue is fixed. 

Method 6: Update the Keyboard Driver

If the keyboard driver in your PC is outdated, you may also encounter the keyboard not working issue while playing Fallout 4. The fix for such a problem is to update the keyboard driver to the latest version, as follows: 

Step 1: Open the Device Manager 

Press and hold the Windows + R keys combination on your keyboard to open a Run dialog box. Type devmgmt. Msc and press Enter. 

Step 2: Start the Update 

Expand on the Keyboards category, and right-click the device driver. From the displayed list of options, select “Update Driver”. Select the “Search automatically” to have the system search for and install keyboard driver updates automatically. 

Thereafter, you only need to follow the on-screen prompts to download and install the relevant updates. 

Method 7: Uninstall the Game Controller from Device Manager

If you are not using any controller to play the Fallout 4 game, you should consider deactivating it from the device manager. This has been proven to fix the keyboard not detected a problem in this game. To do that, right-click on the Start menu, and select Device Manager from the pop-up menu.

Now expand the Sound, video, and game controllers category to reveal all the installed devices. Locate each game controller on the list, and right-click on it. From the context menu that pops up, select “Uninstall Device”.

Repeat this step to uninstall all game controllers. Once you are done, restart the computer and launch the game to see whether the keyboard is detected. 

Final Verdict 

As intriguing as the Fallout 4 game may be, it is still faced with a number of inconveniencing bugs. One such error is the keyboard not working problem. This problem may be caused by many things, including overlay apps, outdated drivers, and limitations by the game itself. 

Each of these causes demands a specific solution, as elaborated in this guide. All in all, the fire will equip you with all the information you need to fix the Fallout 4 keyboard not working problem. 

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