Disabling your Mac’s keyboard was simple before with Big Sur, but now it’s no longer as easy. After some research, I found that many websites indicate that Command + F1 should be used to do the job. So now that leads us to the question, how do you easily disable Mac’s keyboard?
There are two ways you can disable your Mac’s keyboard. It can be by either using the old method or the new method.
The old methods include enabling a mouse key, using the app macOS Big Sur, or pressing Command + F1 on your keyboard.
The new method is when you use a third-party app like Karabiner-Elements, KeyboardLocker, or Keyboard Clean to lock your macOS keyboard.
Disabling the keyboard of a Mac has been a problem for many, which is why you need to know what to do to disable your keyboard. In this article, you will understand how to easily take the right steps to disable your Mac’s keyboard. So let’s show you how to disable the keyboard.
Methods To Disable Your Keyboard
In disabling your keyboard, some methods have been tagged as old, and some people think it doesn’t work anymore. And recently, there have been developments regarding disabling the keyboard. So let’s talk about the old ways or methods of disabling Mac’s keyboard before the new method.
Method #1: Using the Old Method
You can choose to follow different procedures when using the old method. The old method can be either enabling mouse key settings, using macOS Big Sur, or using Command + F1.
Enabling Key Settings
The best way to disable your keyboard with previous macOS versions is to enable mouse keys in the settings. You can easily get this done by finding your way to System Preferences. Then, open “Universal Access” and click on the “Trackpad and Mouse” tab. Next, select “on”. There are variations in this method, such as setting the Option key, then pressing it 5 times to disable the trackpad and enable the mouse keys.
Using macOS Big Sur
On macOS Big Sur, you can’t use the mouse key setting to disable the remaining part of the keyboard, although it is still available. However, those keys that can help move the mouse still function normally. So after some research, we saw that this option does not work on new macOS versions, but it still works with the older version.
Using Command + F1
If you conduct some research on the internet, you will discover that many people have said this method does not work. But we think the function of this Command + F1 is it disables other function keys on the keyboard.
Method #2: New Method
Since it’s tricky to use the previous methods to disable your keyboard, it’s best and more advisable to find a third-party app on the App store or elsewhere that can help you do it. Examples of these apps are Karabiner-Elements, KeyboardLocker, and also Keyboard Clean.
Karabiner-Elements
When you search, this is the app that first pops up. It’s an open source app that is free and allows you to make many modifications to your macOS keyboard. So all you need to do is download and use it.
KeyboardLocker
This is an app fully created and dedicated to locking your keyboard. Although if I lock the keyboard of whatever windows I leave open and open another window, it will lock the keyboard under the original windows and unlock the keyboard under the new windows.
Keyboard Clean
Another app you could choose to use is Keyboard Clean. Please note that other apps not mentioned here can also lock your keyboard. Do well to search for them and install them.
Reasons To Disable Your Keyboard
There are many reasons why you can lock your keyboard. You might want to use an external keyboard. Though you can have the two actives simultaneously, if active, you might mistakenly touch the built-in keys by mistake.
You might also lock your keyboard when trying to prevent pets or children from pressing it or causing data loss. Perhaps the keyboard is damaged or broken; it may cause malfunction and stop you from using your macOS. So disabling your keyboard can help fix this problem.
The old and new methods of locking your keyboard are effective. However, depending on your version, the old method may sometimes not work. But it’s advisable to best use the third-party app gets this done.
Conclusion
Regardless of why you want your keyboard disabled, you might need to disable your keyboard. Though it’s not easy, we hope you have found a way to lock your keyboard after reading this article.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can be done on a Windows machine by pressing the Windows key + L on the keyboard.
If you use a MacBook, you can easily disable a laptop’s keyboard by temporarily using mouse keys or third-party keyboard locking apps.
