What causes num lock turns off at startup or after restart on Windows?

Common causes of num lock turns off at startup or after restart include: Windows overrides BIOS Num Lock state at login screen, Fast Startup bypassing Num Lock initialization, Registry value for initial keyboard indicators not set, BIOS Num Lock on boot setting disabled, User profile loading resetting keyboard state, Remote Desktop client not sending Num Lock state.

How do I know if I have num lock turns off at startup or after restart issues?

Common symptoms of num lock turns off at startup or after restart include: Num Lock always off at Windows login screen, Num Lock turns on after login but is off at the lock screen, BIOS Num Lock setting not carrying over to Windows, Num Lock state resets after every restart, Fast Startup causing Num Lock to not persist, Remote Desktop always starts with Num Lock off.

Fix Num Lock Turns Off at Startup or After Restart

Symptoms

You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:

•Num Lock always off at Windows login screen
•Num Lock turns on after login but is off at the lock screen
•BIOS Num Lock setting not carrying over to Windows
•Num Lock state resets after every restart
•Fast Startup causing Num Lock to not persist
•Remote Desktop always starts with Num Lock off

Common Causes

⚠Windows overrides BIOS Num Lock state at login screen
⚠Fast Startup bypassing Num Lock initialization
⚠Registry value for initial keyboard indicators not set
⚠BIOS Num Lock on boot setting disabled
⚠User profile loading resetting keyboard state
⚠Remote Desktop client not sending Num Lock state

Solutions

Solution 1: Registry Fix (Most Reliable)

1Regedit → HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard
2Find "InitialKeyboardIndicators"
3Change value to "2" (Num Lock ON at login screen)
4Values: 0 = all off, 2 = Num Lock on, 6 = Caps Lock + Num Lock on
5Also check: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard
6Set same value "InitialKeyboardIndicators" = "2"
7Restart PC to test

Solution 2: Disable Fast Startup

1Fast Startup often causes Num Lock to not persist:
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 PC — Num Lock should now persist based on BIOS/registry setting
7Also check BIOS: look for "Num Lock on Boot" setting → enable it

Solution 3: Login Script Method

1If registry fixes don't work (some laptops ignore them):
2Create a VBScript to toggle Num Lock at login:
3Create file "numlock.vbs" with content:
4Set WshShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
5WshShell.SendKeys "{NUMLOCK}"
6Place this file in shell:startup folder
7This sends a Num Lock keypress at every login
8For all users: place in shell:common startup

FIXES THIS IN 5 MINUTES