How to Disable Caps Lock in Windows 11

How to Disable Caps Lock Using the Windows Registry Editor

The easiest way to disable Caps Lock is by changing a setting in the Windows Registry Editor. This tool lets you change how Windows works.

Other Ways to Disable Caps Lock

While editing the Windows Registry works, it’s not the only way. You can also use Microsoft PowerToys, a free tool that adds many features to Windows, or other third-party keyboard remapping programs. These can offer more options, like changing Caps Lock to another key instead of just turning it off.

If you want to learn more about opening the Registry Editor first, check this guide: How to Open the Registry in Windows 11.

To use the Registry Editor, you'll need to make a specific change. You will add a new key and a new value within that key. The exact path is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Inside this path, you will create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named WinkeyScancodeMap and set its value data to 00000000000000000300000000003A00. This tells Windows to ignore the Caps Lock key.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. This opens the Registry Editor.
3. If a security prompt appears, click Yes to continue.
4. In the Registry Editor, navigate to this folder path:
   

   🗝️Registry

   Copy

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layout

5. If you don’t see the Keyboard Layout folder, right-click on Control, choose New › Key, and name it Keyboard Layout.
6. Click on the Keyboard Layout folder to select it.
7. In the right pane, right-click on an empty space and select New › Binary Value.
8. Name this new value Scancode Map.
9. Double-click on Scancode Map to edit it, and enter this value exactly (including commas and zeros):
   
   00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,00,00,3a,00,00,00,00,00
   
10. Click OK to save.
11. Close the Registry Editor.
12. Restart your computer to apply the change.

After restarting, the Caps Lock key will no longer work. You can still use Shift + letter to type capital letters.

Why Disable Caps Lock?

• Prevents accidentally typing in all caps, especially when entering passwords.
• Makes typing easier and reduces mistakes.
• You still have the option to capitalize letters with the Shift key.

If you want to enable Caps Lock again, just delete the Scancode Map value in the Registry Editor and restart your PC.

To re-enable Caps Lock, you need to go back into the Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System. Delete the WinkeyScancodeMap value you created earlier. After deleting the value, restart your computer. Caps Lock should then work normally again.

That's it! You now know how to disable the Caps Lock key on your Windows 11 computer.

Using Microsoft PowerToys

A simpler and often preferred method for disabling or remapping keys is using Microsoft PowerToys. This free suite of utilities includes a 'Keyboard Manager' that lets you easily change key functions without editing the registry.

1. Download and install PowerToys from the Microsoft Store or GitHub.

2. Open PowerToys and select 'Keyboard Manager' from the left-hand menu.

3. Click on 'Remap a key'.

4. Click the '+' button to add a new mapping.

5. Under 'Select:' choose 'Caps Lock' (or its scancode 0x3A).

6. Under 'To send:' choose 'Disable' or select another key like 'Shift' if you want to remap it.

7. Click 'OK' to save the changes. PowerToys will prompt you to confirm.

This method is reversible and doesn't require a system restart.