How to enable on-screen keyboard in kiosk mode in Windows 11/10

Kiosk mode is a unique feature of Windows that allows an institution to continue working with a single application. Most of the time there is no keyboard connected to the system and everything works through the on-screen keyboard. However, if you can’t find it, read this post to learn how to enable the On-Screen Keyboard in Kiosk Mode on Windows.

Enable On-Screen Keyboard in Kiosk Mode in Windows 11/10

Follow these methods to enable the on-screen keyboard in kiosk mode. Normally, the keyboard should appear automatically when you click on the text field, but if it doesn’t, this should fix the problem.

1. Registry Method
2. Add registry data at login
3. Keyboard setup during setup

Two of these methods modify the registry. Be sure to create a system restore point. So in case something goes wrong, you can quickly restore your PC. In addition, you will need an account with administrator rights.

1]Registry method

The registry method is a one-time setting that ensures that no further changes are required. This way, even if you restart your computer in kiosk mode, it will work as expected.

• Use the Win + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run window.
• Type regedit and press the Enter key.
• Locate and set the three registry settings to customize the keyboard as mentioned below:
  • Go to the next location

HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftTabletTip1.7

• • Right click right sectionand create a new DWORD with EnableDesktopModeAutoInvoke. Double click to edit this, and set the value as 1
  • Create a new DWORD again named DisableNewKeyboardExperience. Double click to edit it and set the value to 1.
  • Next, go to the following location:

HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftwindowsCurrentVersionImmersiveShell

• • Create a new DWORD – TabletMode and set the value to 1.
• After that, restart your Windows PC and check if the keyboard starts to appear.

2]Add registry details at login

If the registry changes are not saved, something is reset every time the kiosk user logs in. You then need to make changes to the registry as soon as the user gains access to the account.

Create registry file

Add them to a TXT file and save it on your computer where you won’t be able to delete it.

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftwindowsCurrentVersionImmersiveShell" /v TabletMode /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftTabletTip1.7" /v EnableDesktopModeAutoInvoke  /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftTabletTip1.7" /v DisableNewKeyboardExperience  /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Be sure to save the file as enabletouchkeyboard.bat.

Create a task

• Open a Run prompt using Win + R
• Enter taskschd.msc and click Enter
• Right click Task Scheduler Library and choose Create Task
• In Task Scheduler, switch to General and then under Security Options select Run only when the user is logged in.
• Press Change User or group, and choose KIOSK user.
  
• Switch to Triggers and click Create
• In the New Trigger window, click the dropdown next to the Start Task label.
• Then select Specific user radionand choose Kiosk user.
  
• Close this and then switch to Actions Create a task
• Then click on New open New Action window
• Next click on drop down next to Action and select start program option.
• Then click on Browserchoose BAT file and click on OK.
  
• Save your changes, restart your computer and that should fix the issue.

3]Keyboard setup during setup

One forum user suggested tweaking the tablet configuration after logging in with the physical keyboard disabled. To get started, first create a dedicated user for kiosk mode, and then select a tablet configuration after logging in as that user.

Then you must create an assigned access for this local custom kiosk and restart it. This manifests itself when setting up a kiosk for a single application. You can use the Set Up Kiosk (previously called Set Up Assigned Access) option in Settings to set up one device as a kiosk for a local user account. This will also work for Microsoft Edge.

One of these methods will help solve the problem. I hope the post was easy to understand and that you were able to enable the on-screen keyboard in kiosk mode in Windows.

How to open the on-screen keyboard?

go to Settings (Win + I) > accessibility > Keyboard, and turn on the on-screen keyboard. A keyboard will appear on the screen that you can use to navigate and enter text. Until you close the window, the keyboard will remain visible on the screen.

How to enable or disable the keyboard on a laptop?

Enabling the on-screen keyboard to display on your laptop is very simple. go to Settings (Win + I) and find and click accessibility. Next, scroll down and click Keyboard. Under Use your device without a physical keyboard on this slider button. The keyboard will appear on your screen.