The Razer name has long been synonymous with ushering in a new era in computer peripherals through their ‘gaming-grade’ keyboards, mice, controllers, headsets, and many other PC accessories.
If you’ve been having problems with your Razer keyboard, you might want to try out these troubleshooting tips that should fix most of the issues you’re experiencing with your Razer keyboard.
Try a different USB Port or try another PC
If your Razer keyboard was working perfectly fine until recently but suddenly stopped working out of the blue, switching to another USB port on your PC or laptop might do the trick.
USB ports are generally very robust and can often handle a few thousand inserts and removals throughout their lifetime. However, depending on which manufacturer your motherboard or laptop is from – or how unlucky you are – some USB ports just decide to stop working altogether after just a few hundred insert cycles.
Rear USB ports on many PCs are generally the more reliable ports for just about any peripheral or device that you’re connecting over USB. USB ports on the rear of a motherboard are soldered on and have direct access to the motherboard mainboard chip or processor, giving them full access to all the resources they need to work properly.
On the other hand, front-mounted USB ports on desktop PCs require a passthrough cable that connects to the motherboard via cable.
In addition, rear USB ports can usually deliver more power to USB devices, which should rule out any possibility of your USB device running short on power to function properly.
Another thing to consider is the type of version of the USB port that you’re using to connect your devices. Most of the time, gaming peripherals such as gaming mice and keyboards generally do not require users to plug them into the highest USB version available.
For example, Razer keyboards should work fine with legacy USB 2.0 ports (black) and do not require a USB 3.0 (blue) port or higher.
In addition, it is best to connect your Razer keyboard and just about any USB device directly into your computer and completely forgo the use of USB hubs and other unnecessary USB adapters, which may introduce compatibility issues.
As a last resort, take your Razer keyboard and plug it into a different system to rule out the possibility of the keyboard itself being the issue. If your Razer keyboard works fine on a different PC, your problem is most likely driver-related. Move on to the next section to find out how to Update/reinstall Razer keyboard drivers.
Update/reinstall Razer Keyboard drivers
Microsoft frequently rolls out updates for Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices to keep devices secure and bug-free. Unfortunately, these updates can sometimes introduce driver conflicts, causing PC peripherals such as Razer keyboards to stop working as intended.
Windows 11 is arguably even more susceptible to driver conflicts and errors since it is a relatively newer operating system that many developers are still optimizing devices and drivers for.
Nevertheless, to fix an unresponsive Razer keyboard on Windows 10 or 11, updating the Razer Keyboard drivers to their latest version should fix the problem.
- Open device manager by right-clicking on the Windows Start Button:
- Click on the “Keyboards” drop-down menu, right-click on your Razer keyboard, then select “Update Driver”
If that didn’t work, then try Uninstalling the Razer Driver instead. Don’t worry, Windows will automatically reinstall default drivers once you plug your Razer keyboard into your PC again.
Reinstall Razer Synapse
Razer Synapse is Razer’s all-in-one software for all Razer products on Windows and Mac.
Razer’s proprietary software allows users to change and configure their Razer device’s macro keys, RGB lighting, and device’s firmware.
When an unknown error occurs with Razer Synapse, your Razer keyboard might not work properly as well. In that case, a simple Razer Synapse reinstall should fix this problem.
- Right-click on the Windows Start Button, then select “Apps and Features”:
- Scroll down and look for the Razer Synapse software:
- Left-click on the Razer Synapse icon, then select “Uninstall”:
- This Razer Gaming Software window should pop up:
- Select “Repair” to reinstall your current installed Razer software:
Disable Razer Demo Mode/Hard Reset
Razer is notorious for adding RGB lighting in just about every model in their product stack. Of course, since their keyboards are some of the most popular in the keyboard market, Razer has gone ahead and added a built-in Demo Mode to showcase their RGB lighting capabilities.
As the name suggests, Razer’s Demo Mode is meant to show off the multi-zone RGB lighting found in almost every Razer keyboard.
While showing off the awesome RGB lighting that Razer gaming keyboards are known for is something that owners would definitely want to do, accidentally activating Demo Mode can render Razer keyboards unresponsive.
Assuming your Razer keyboard is not completely dead (RGB lights up, but keystrokes do not register), exiting Demo Mode or doing a Hard Reset should restore the keyboard to its original out-of-box functionality.
Below is a list of button combinations to exit Demo Mode or perform a Hard Reset on most Razer keyboards.
Razer BlackWidow Chroma
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and Hold the “Escape” button (Esc) and the “Macro 5” button (M5).
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
Razer BlackWidow Chroma V2, BlackWidow Tournament Edition Chroma, and BlackWidow X Chroma
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc) and the “Caps Lock” button (Caps)
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
Razer Cynosa
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc), “Caps Lock” button (Caps), and Space Bar.
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
Razer Deathstalker Chroma
- Unplug the keyboard
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc) and the “Caps Lock” button (Caps).
- Plug-in the keyboard to the USB port
- Release all keys.
Razer Huntsman Elite
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc), “Caps Lock” button (Caps), and the Space Bar.
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
- Plug-in the second USB connector (the “Port”, or the lightbulb icon) to power up the underglow of the keyboard and wrist rest.
Razer Huntsman
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc), “Caps Lock” button (Caps), and Space Bar.
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
Razer Ornata Chroma
- Unplug the keyboard.
- Press and hold the “Escape” button (Esc) and the “Caps Lock” button (Caps).
- Plug-in the keyboard to a USB port.
- Release all keys.
Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro
- Switch the keyboard off.
- Unplug the USB cable
- Press and hold “Escape”, “Caps Lock”, and the space bar.
- Plug the keyboard into a USB port or switch it on.
Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed
- Switch the keyboard off.
- Unplug the USB cable
- Press and hold “Escape”, “Caps Lock”, and the space bar.
- Plug the keyboard into a USB port or switch it on.
Restart your computer
Sometimes the best solution to the most complex software problems is the humble Restart. More often than not, a simple restart is all that’s needed to sort out any installation or driver problems within Windows PCs.
Windows can be quite buggy sometimes, especially if you’re on an older build version of the operating system. So it is generally good practice to take these Windows updates and patches seriously to avoid errors and bugs from ruining your experience despite how inconvenient these updates can be sometimes.
A simple System Restart should reload every driver in the system and start whatever driver it is that’s keeping your Razer keyboard from being detected by Windows.
Closing Thoughts
Razer keyboards are some of the most feature-packed keyboards on the market today. Their solid build quality, gorgeous looks, and solid gaming performance are almost second to none in the keyboard market – it’s no wonder the Razer Huntsman Elite is the best-selling gaming mechanical keyboard in the US.
However, despite how great Razer keyboards are for gaming and everyday use, like any other electronic device, a few issues are bound to surface sooner or later. The good news is that most of these issues are minor and can easily be resolved through simple methods such as the ones we have outlined above.
If you happen to have a malfunctioning Razer keyboard, at least a few of the tips we’ve shared above should help you fix and address any problems you’re currently experiencing with your Razer keyboard.
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Susan is a professional writer. She has been a writer for eight years and has always been so fulfilled with her work! She desires to share helpful, reliable, and unbiased information and tips about tech and gadgets. She hopes to offer informative content that can answer users’ questions and help them fix their problems.