The keyboard and trackpad on a Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 are part of a gaming laptop with per-key lighting and a wide trackpad, and when keys or the pointer stop working the cause is often a setting, a driver or a software layer, and not a broken part. Start by establishing what fails: a few keys, all keys, the trackpad or only certain functions such as the volume keys. Restart the laptop, since a restart clears a stuck driver.
The checks in more detail
Test the keys in the BIOS by pressing F2 or Fn and F2 at start-up: if the keyboard works in the BIOS but not in Windows, the problem is software. Check whether the trackpad has been switched off by the function key combination, usually shown on a key with a trackpad icon, and in Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Touchpad, make sure it is on. Disable Filter Keys and Sticky Keys in Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, since these accessibility features switched on by accident make the keyboard feel broken.
Open Device Manager and look under Keyboards and Mice and other pointing devices for marks, and uninstall and reinstall the drivers, then restart. Update the BIOS, the touchpad driver and Lenovo Vantage, since keyboard and hotkey behavior come from Vantage and from Lenovo's hotkey driver. Lenovo Legion Space or Vantage sets the lighting, and a lighting profile that is stuck can look like a dead key. If a key sticks or types twice, clean around it with compressed air held away, and test with an external keyboard to prove the hardware.
A trackpad that jumps may have a dirty surface or a setting for palm detection that needs adjusting. Liquid spilled into the keyboard needs prompt service, because corrosion spreads. If one row or section fails together, the keyboard cable may be loose, which a technician can reseat. A laptop whose keyboard fails in the BIOS too has a hardware fault, and Lenovo will repair it under warranty with the serial number from the base.
Differential
Likely causes of “Lenovo Legion Pro 7i Gen 9 keyboard or trackpad is not working correctly”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Accessibility features left on
What separates it Keys feel delayed or stuck
How to confirm Turn off Filter Keys and Sticky Keys
- 2
The trackpad switched off
What separates it The pointer does not move
How to confirm Use the function key or Settings, Touchpad
- 3
A driver problem
What separates it Device Manager shows marks
How to confirm Reinstall the drivers and update Vantage
- 4
A stuck lighting profile
What separates it A key looks dead
How to confirm Reset the lighting in Legion Space or Vantage
- 5
A hardware fault
What separates it Fails in the BIOS too
How to confirm Lenovo repair
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which keys or the trackpad fail
- Whether it works in the BIOS
- Whether an external keyboard works
- Whether liquid was spilled
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedRestart
ReversibleAnd test in the BIOS.
Check the trackpad switch
ReversibleFunction key and Settings.
Turn off accessibility filters
ReversibleFilter Keys and Sticky Keys.
Reinstall drivers
ReversibleIn Device Manager.
Update Vantage and BIOS
ReversibleFor hotkey fixes.
Test an external keyboard
ReversibleTo prove the hardware.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- BIOS test
- If it works there, the fault is software.
- Accessibility
- Filter Keys can mimic a fault.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the keyboard fails in the BIOS, contact Lenovo
- !If liquid was spilled, switch off and seek service at once
- !Update BIOS and Vantage
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why do some keys not work on my Legion?+
A software layer, a driver or an accessibility setting.
How do I test the hardware?+
In the BIOS and with an external keyboard.
Can lighting profiles affect keys?+
A stuck profile can look like a dead key.
What about spills?+
Switch off and seek service.