Solved Make touch keyboard automatically appear?

jlmartyres

New Member
Messages
9
Hi, I have a dell xps 12, for some reason I can't find a way to make the on screen keyboard appear automatically when I click a text entry field, like it does on phones.

I have to manually select it from the task bar each time when I use it as a tablet

Is there a way round this? Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
Hello Marty,

By default, the on-screen or touch keyboard will only appear automatically when you tap in a text field in a modern UI screen or modern app.

They don't automatically appear if you’re using a desktop app. Instead, you need to tap or click the Touch keyboard icon
2a01b195-4202-4488-81fd-91f1078860b7.png
on the right side of the taskbar. :(
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Damn that's just what I thought!

It gets a bit tedious! Hopefully there will be an update to toggle it on and off soon
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
Hi there

I might be being a bit pedantic here but on a Touch LAPTOP I can't see what's so hard or inconvenient in just touching the keyboard icon for the on screen touch keyboard. If you DON'T WANT to use the on screen keyboard then IMO it woud be MORE annoying to have to hide / disable it than just press it when you want to use it.

On a Tablet - yes that could be an irritant - the mobile phone idea is better for example when you want to enter say a url address the on screen keyboard appears.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Hi, it's a hybrid tablet / laptop so when it's in tablet mode it just makes things a whole lot more convenient.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
Hi there
When it's in tablet mode I'm surprised that the keyboard doesn't automatically appear !! -- Is there anything in the manual about how the computer operates when in Tablet mode. I know your running Windows but the computer should know if it's in tablet or PC mode.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I haven't found a solution to this problem yet, and I've been searching all over. Microsoft wants to be a bigger force in the tablet game but they can't even get something very basic to work. It's crazy.

I found this alternative keyboard: TouchPal X Keyboard, Feel the speed & have fun.
But it doesn't work for me. Maybe others will have better luck.

If someone finds a solution please bump this thread. Having to manually hit the keyboard button each time is just retarded.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Nokia Lumia 2520
    CPU
    Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800
    Memory
    2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.1"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB SSD
    Case
    Asus Case
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wedge Keyboard
    Mouse
    Bornd Bluetooth Mouse
    Browser
    IE 11
Touch-It - Home

Is Another one that will work

Hi there
I think you might have misunderstood the post. The OP HAS a touch keyboard already - he just wants it to display automatically when he is in tablet mode and wants to type in a URL for example a web address without first having to click a mouse or touch the keyboard to activate it first. (It should appear automatically in the same way as it does on a smart phone when using an application that requires user input).

So action on the tablet would be

1) Touch the IE or browser app
2) Touch Keyboard would appear automatically
3) User enters data


Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
Touch-It - Home

Is Another one that will work

Hi there
I think you might have misunderstood the post. The OP HAS a touch keyboard already - he just wants it to display automatically when he is in tablet mode and wants to type in a URL for example a web address without first having to click a mouse or touch the keyboard to activate it first. (It should appear automatically in the same way as it does on a smart phone when using an application that requires user input).

So action on the tablet would be

1) Touch the IE or browser app
2) Touch Keyboard would appear automatically
3) User enters data


Cheers
jimbo

Oh yeah, I understood. The OP already expressed he understood the keyboard would only automatically come up for apps in the Metro/Modern UI. The keyboard that comes with Windows will not behave that way in the Desktop mode. The link I provided actually WILL provide a keyboard that can be configured to pop up automatically when clicking on text fields in the Desktop mode. I have used it before. It is a viable option for a possible solution to meet his request.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Nokia Lumia 2520
    CPU
    Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800
    Memory
    2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.1"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB SSD
    Case
    Asus Case
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wedge Keyboard
    Mouse
    Bornd Bluetooth Mouse
    Browser
    IE 11
so here is what i have figured out. hopefully this helps. i had the same problem getting my keyboard to automatically appear except when in my windows search area. so i fiddled with it for awhile and here is what i found. this is of course assuming you are using Google chrome. I am sure that explorer is similar but i have not figured it out just yet.

If when you launch Google chrome it takes you to your desktop and opens the browser there then it will not work. you must be using the Windows 8 system to make it work.
Launch Google Chrome, on the top right corner select the options menu (that's the little stacked lines). select the option to Relaunch Chrome to Windows 8.
this will relaunch Google Chrome to the windows program and from then on when you select chrome it will not be on the "Desktop" it will operate from Windows 8. it may look a bit different, but the keyboard will automatically appear again.
hope this helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8
Better Solutions

I think this is better:


  • Press the Windows key + W
  • Type "services," and press Enter
  • Scroll down to "Touch screen keyboard and handwriting panel"
  • You can either right click and "Stop" or you can double-click and change it from "Manual" to "Automatic" startup.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
I think this is better:
  • Press the Windows key + W
  • Type "services," and press Enter
  • Scroll down to "Touch screen keyboard and handwriting panel"
  • You can either right click and "Stop" or you can double-click and change it from "Manual" to "Automatic" startup.
That doesn't fix the problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Why not buy a cheap stylus and write it in by longhand! For me it definitely works better on my 10.1" Asus tablet. Although on the desktop you still have to select the keyboard icon.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 and 10, 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga Pro 1370 (Ultrabook)
    CPU
    Intel (R) 5Y70 @ 1.10GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo VIUU4
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel (R) HD Graphics 5300
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio Device
    Screen Resolution
    3200 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Samsung MZNTE256HMHP-000L2
    Cooling
    Fan
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Ccleaner, Malwarebytes.
    Other Info
    Touchscreen,
Touch-It - Home

Is Another one that will work

Hi there
I think you might have misunderstood the post. The OP HAS a touch keyboard already - he just wants it to display automatically when he is in tablet mode and wants to type in a URL for example a web address without first having to click a mouse or touch the keyboard to activate it first. (It should appear automatically in the same way as it does on a smart phone when using an application that requires user input).

So action on the tablet would be

1) Touch the IE or browser app
2) Touch Keyboard would appear automatically
3) User enters data


Cheers
jimbo

brilliant, tks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Hello, I think that I've a solution for you. I created this little tool to do what you want : Télécharger AutoKeyBoard 1.0.0.BETA sur cloodl, I think it can be usefull.

I signed up here, so I could thank you for creating this keyboard tool. I searched everywhere, before finding your post, and this is just what I was looking for. I have a shortcut to it pinned to the taskbar, and when I switch to tablet mode, I turn it on. Works flawlessly.

Thanks very much!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
I most definitely did not misunderstand him. Though this post is old, I decided in case others were reading they would understand the issue.

In Windows 8/8.1, the only was for the on-screen keyboard to automatically pop-up when the user taps on a field (like the URL field in IE) is in a Metro/Modern UI application. If user is using a standard x86/x64 app from the desktop in "desktop mode", the keyboard will not pop-up automatically. I believe Microsoft programmed this on purpose because they believed if you are in the desktop mode, you must be using a keyboard and mouse because the desktop mode is unfriendly is touch screens.

There is no way to get the on-screen keyboard to pop-up in the desktop mode without manually bringing it up.

Now, there are several 3rd party applications on the web, like the one I posted, that DOES add this functionality to the desktop.
You would need to download and install them in order to use their functionality.

Without a 3rd party application, the on-screen keyboard will have to be manually activated in the desktop mode,
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Tablet
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Nokia Lumia 2520
    CPU
    Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 800
    Memory
    2GB
    Monitor(s) Displays
    10.1"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    32GB SSD
    Case
    Asus Case
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wedge Keyboard
    Mouse
    Bornd Bluetooth Mouse
    Browser
    IE 11
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