The Sticky Keys Situation: How to Turn Sticky Keys On and Off

Sticky Keys can be annoying, especially if the prompt to enable the feature pops up at inconvenient times. Learn how to turn off Sticky Keys for good!…

Aziz Hamidov

20 Feb 2024

5 min to read

The Sticky Keys Situation: How to Turn Sticky Keys On and Off

Table of contents

What Are Sticky Keys?
How to Turn Off Sticky Keys on Windows 11 and 10
How to Activate Sticky Keys
Conclusion
FAQ

If you want to know how to turn off Sticky Keys, this guide is for you. Even though this accessibility feature can be helpful, some users find it difficult to turn it off.

Other users don’t have any use for the accessibility feature. If you’re one of them, this guide will show you how to disable Sticky Keys.

Let’s begin.

What Are Sticky Keys?

What does Sticky Keys do? It’s an accessibility feature that allows you to perform keyboard commands with fewer keystrokes.

Sticky Keys allows you to push the keys one at a time rather than all at once.

For example, you can press Alt first, then Ctrl, and finally Del one after the other instead of simultaneously pressing Alt + Ctrl + Del.

Here’s another example: normally, you’d press Ctrl + Shift + Esc at the same time to open the Task Manager. But, with this accessibility feature turned on, you can press them one at a time.

How to Turn Off Sticky Keys on Windows 11 and 10

If you want to learn how to turn off Sticky Keys on Windows 10 and 11, follow the steps below:

Method 1: Use keyboard shortcuts

The easiest way to learn how to remove Sticky Keys is to use the keyboard shortcut. Just press the “Shift” key five times to disable this accessibility feature.

Alternatively, you can press two of the following keys simultaneously: Alt, Shift, Ctrl, or Windows key.

This will fix your issue right away, but won’t stop it from happening again.

Method 2: Use Control Panel

Control Panel is another way to turn off the accessibility feature. Here’s how to turn off Sticky Keys:

Type “Control Panel” in the search bar and click to open.

Click the drop-down menu beside “View by” and select “Large icons” from the list of options.
Select “Ease of Access Center.”

Select “Make the keyboard easier to use.”

Uncheck the box for “Turn on Sticky Keys” and select “Apply” and “OK” to save the changes.

After saving the changes, the feature will be turned off.

Method 3: Use the Settings app

Here’s how to turn off Sticky Keys using the Settings app:

Press “Windows + I” to open the Settings window.
Click “Accessibility” and select “Keyboard.”

PRO TIP

To instantly access the Sticky Key feature, press “Windows key + A,” select “Accessibility” and disable the feature.

Click the toggle beside “Sticky Keys” to disable the feature.

You can further customize this feature by clicking the enter tab or the forward arrow.

You’ll find self-explanatory individual preferences. Go through them and disable the preference you don’t want.

If you don’t want Sticky Keys to turn on when you accidentally press the Shift key five times, disable the first option. Check the screenshot above to understand what I mean.

Method 4: Use the registry

You can also learn how to disable Sticky Keys using the registry. Here’s how to do it:

Warning:

If you don’t know much about the registry, we recommend using the methods above. Any incorrect changes to the registry can cause data loss, unexpected shutdowns, or other issues.

It can even cause your system to be unstable or fail to boot properly. But if you decide to proceed, back up your data.

Press “Windows + R” to open the Run dialog box.
Type “regedit” in the text field and press “Enter.”

Enter the following path into the search field and double-click “Flags”: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\StickyKeys.

Enter “58” and click “OK” to save the changes.

This will disable the feature.

How to Activate Sticky Keys

Activating this accessibility feature is simple. Just reverse all the methods discussed above. You can enable Sticky Keys by pressing the Shift key five times.

If you’ve already disabled “Keyboard shortcut for Sticky Keys,” go to the Settings menu. Then, select “Accessibility” and click on “Keyboard” under “Interaction.”

Next, switch on the feature.

If you want to activate the feature by pressing the Shift key five times the next time you use it, click on “Sticky Keys” and enable “Keyboard shortcut for Sticky Keys.”

Conclusion

Sticky Keys can be useful. But if you don’t need it, you can easily disable it. You can press the Shift key five times to disable it.

You can also use Control Panel or the Settings app to disable this accessibility feature. Furthermore, you can customize the feature to suit your preference.

However, be careful when using the registry approach because it can cause issues with your PC. So, it’s advisable to use other methods to disable the Sticky Keys feature.

What’s your experience with Sticky Keys? Is there a method we didn’t mention? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

FAQ

How do I stop Sticky Keys from popping-up?

You can adjust the settings in the accessibility options to stop this feature from popping up. First, go to the Settings menu or Control Panel, depending on your operating system. Search for Ease of Access or Accessibility settings. There should be a Sticky Keys option in these settings. Click on it and disable the feature.

Is there a shortcut to disable the Sticky Keys pop-up?

Yes. Press and hold the Shift key for about eight seconds when the pop-up appears. This will make the pop-up disappear and turn off Sticky Keys. If the pop-up still appears, you might need to ensure the feature is correctly disabled in your computer’s accessibility settings.