How to Fix Fix Num Lock Keeps Turning Off at Startup on Windows
Num Lock turns off every time you restart? Have to press Num Lock after every boot? Num Lock not staying on in Windows? Fix Num Lock startup behavior on Windows 10 and 11.
Symptoms
You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:
- •Num Lock is off every time Windows starts — have to press it manually
- •Num Lock stays on during the session but turns off on next boot
- •Num Lock LED turns off at the Windows login screen
- •BIOS shows Num Lock as enabled but Windows still turns it off
- •Fast Startup seems to reset Num Lock state
- •Num Lock works fine in BIOS but not in Windows
Common Causes
- ⚠Windows overrides BIOS Num Lock setting during boot
- ⚠Fast Startup restoring a previous session state where Num Lock was off
- ⚠Registry setting for default Num Lock state set to off
- ⚠Login screen Num Lock state differs from desktop Num Lock state
- ⚠Keyboard driver resetting Num Lock during initialization
- ⚠Power management turning off keyboard LEDs during boot
Solutions
Solution 1: Fix via Registry (Most Reliable)
- 1Open Registry Editor (regedit) as Administrator
- 2Navigate to: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard
- 3Find "InitialKeyboardIndicators"
- 4Change the value to "2" (Num Lock on at startup)
- 5Values: 0 = all off, 2 = Num Lock on, 6 = Num Lock + Caps Lock on
- 6Also check: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard → same key → set to "2"
- 7Restart and verify Num Lock is on at the login screen
Solution 2: Disable Fast Startup
- 1Fast Startup can override the Num Lock registry setting:
- 2Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do
- 3Click "Change settings that are currently unavailable"
- 4Uncheck "Turn on fast startup (recommended)"
- 5Click Save changes
- 6Restart the computer (not shutdown)
- 7Num Lock should now respect the registry setting on every boot
Solution 3: Enable in BIOS + Windows
- 1Enter BIOS/UEFI (usually Del or F2 during boot)
- 2Look for "Num Lock State" or "Boot Up NumLock Status"
- 3Set it to "On" or "Enabled"
- 4Save and exit BIOS
- 5Then also apply the Registry fix above — both need to agree
- 6Some laptops without a dedicated numpad ignore this setting
- 7For laptops: check if Fn+NumLock is needed to toggle the numpad overlay
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