RunTheTests
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Numpad Tester

Test every key on the number pad, including the NumLock behaviour behind most faults.

Num/*-789+456123Enter0.

Click the pad first so it has keyboard focus. Dashed keys are ones the system usually takes.

How this test works

Each key on the number pad is drawn and lights up when it reports a press, matched on the physical key position rather than on the character produced — so the pad behaves the same on any keyboard layout. The behaviour worth understanding is NumLock. With it on, the number keys send digits. With it off, the same physical keys send Home, End, Page Up, Page Down and the four arrows, which are entirely different key codes and will not light the digit keys here. That is the explanation behind most reports of a numpad that has stopped working: nothing is broken and NumLock is off. A key reporting a press with no matching release is the one result here that is a genuine hardware fault, and it is called out separately.

What the results mean

Numpad keys tested
How many distinct positions have registered a press.
Stuck keys
A press with no release. The one finding here worth acting on, and visible directly rather than inferred.
Reserved by the system
Keys the browser or OS takes first. Never counted as a fault.
NumLock
Changes what the number keys report entirely. Off, they are navigation keys and will not register as digits.

Common problems and fixes

My numpad types nothing
Press NumLock. With it off the keys send navigation codes rather than digits, which is the cause in the great majority of cases.
The arrows work but the numbers do not
That is exactly the NumLock-off state — the physical keys are sending their secondary function.
A key stays lit after I release it
That is a stuck key and it is a real fault. Press it firmly a few times to clear debris, then unplug and reconnect the keyboard to reset the controller state.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my numpad send arrows instead of numbers?

Because NumLock is off. The number pad keys have two functions each, and NumLock chooses between them — digits when on, navigation when off. This has been the behaviour since the original IBM PC keyboard.

Can this page tell whether NumLock is on?

Not reliably. No browser exposes the lock indicator state, so the tool infers it from which key codes arrive rather than claiming to read it.

My laptop has no separate numpad

Many laptops overlay one on the letter keys behind the Fn key. That overlay is resolved inside the keyboard controller, so the browser sees only the resulting key and this page cannot distinguish it.

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