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TKL Keyboard Tester

Test all 87 keys on a tenkeyless keyboard — the full function row and navigation cluster, without the number pad.

Simply press any key on your keyboard to test it — if it works it will turn green

0Keys Pressed0Total Keys0%Tested

QWERTY on the US ANSI shape: a wide flat Enter and a full-length left Shift. Standard key positions, with no vendor-specific extras.

Ctrl+W, Ctrl+T, Ctrl+N, Alt+Tab and the Windows or Command key are reserved by the browser and the operating system. No web page receives them, so they cannot be tested here or anywhere else in a browser.

At a glance

Key counts and layout facts
DetailValue
Common nameTKL, tenkeyless, 80%
Key count (ANSI)87 keys
Key count (ISO)88 keys
Number padNo
Function rowYes — Esc and F1 to F12
Navigation clusterYes — separate 6-key block plus arrows
Keys on a Fn layerNone
Typical width355 to 365 mm

A tenkeyless keyboard in numbers

Every figure describes the 87-key TKL board this page opens on.

87
Testable keysAll of them report, so a working TKL reaches 100%.
17
Keys removedThe entire number pad, and nothing else.
0
Keys on a Fn layerUnlike 75% and smaller, nothing is folded away.
90
Millimetres savedDesk space that goes straight to mouse travel.

How to test a TKL keyboard

Three blocks, and the third is the one people skip.

  1. Function row and alphanumeric block

    Esc through F12, then the number row and the three letter rows. Finish the bottom row with both Ctrl, both Alt, both Windows keys and Menu.

  2. The navigation island

    Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause on the top row, then Insert, Home and Page Up, then Delete, End and Page Down. These nine keys sit at the exposed front-right corner and fail first on a board that has been knocked off a desk.

  3. The arrow cluster

    Press all four arrows. On a TKL they form a proper inverted T with clear space around them, so a neighbouring key lighting instead of the one you meant is a real fault rather than a mis-press.

What to check on a tenkeyless board

Five checks aimed at where TKL boards actually fail.

Everything about this layout

The shape, the trade-offs and what to watch for when testing it.

What tenkeyless means

The name refers to the ten digit keys of the number pad, though the block that is actually removed holds seventeen keys in total. TKL is sometimes called 80%, because the board is roughly four-fifths the width of a full-size one.

Crucially, a TKL is not a compact layout in the way a 75% or 65% board is. Nothing has been folded onto a Fn layer and nothing has been shrunk — the six-key navigation cluster and the arrow keys keep their normal size, spacing and gaps. Everything you can reach on a full-size board except the number pad, you reach on a TKL exactly the same way.

That makes it a straightforward board to test: 87 keys on ANSI, 88 on ISO, every one of them reportable, and a working board reaches 100%.

Why TKL is the most common gaming layout

Removing the number pad moves your mouse hand closer to your keyboard hand, which lets you keep a low mouse sensitivity without running out of desk. That is the entire ergonomic argument, and for anyone who plays at low DPI it is a real one.

It also keeps the keys that games actually bind: the full function row for quick-slots and menus, the dedicated arrows, and Insert through Page Down for everything else. A 65% board gives up the function row and pushes those bindings onto Fn combinations, which is where compact layouts start to cost you.

If you bought a TKL expecting a number pad, that is worth knowing before you conclude a key is dead. There is no hidden number pad layer on a standard TKL — those keys simply are not there.

Testing a TKL properly

Move left to right along each row rather than jumping around. Start with Esc and the function row, then the number row, then the three letter rows, then the bottom row with both Ctrl, both Alt, both Windows keys and Menu.

Finish with the block above the arrows: Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause on the top row, then Insert, Home and Page Up, then Delete, End and Page Down. Those nine keys are the ones people skip, and they are also the ones that fail most often on a board that has been knocked off a desk, because they sit at the exposed corner.

Then press all four arrow keys. On a TKL they form a proper inverted T with a gap around them, so a neighbouring key lighting up instead of the one you meant is a genuine fault rather than a mis-press.

Common TKL faults

Doubled keypresses — one press producing two characters — are a switch problem called chatter, and they will not show up as a missing key here. Watch for the key flickering rather than staying lit, or check in a text field.

A whole row failing at once usually means a ribbon connector inside the case has worked loose, which is common on boards that get carried to events. A whole side failing usually means the controller.

Single dead keys scattered around the board with no pattern almost always mean debris or worn switches rather than electronics. On a hot-swap TKL you can move a switch from a key you never use to the one that failed and confirm the diagnosis in under a minute.

TKL against its neighbours

What separates a tenkeyless board from the layouts either side of it.

Testable key count and features by layout
LayoutTestable keysFunction rowArrow keysNumber pad
Full size (100%)104YesDedicatedYes
Tenkeyless (TKL)87YesDedicatedNo
75% compact83YesIntegratedNo
65% compact67NoIntegratedNo

A TKL keeps the gaps around the navigation and arrow clusters. A 75% removes those gaps to save about 20 mm, which is the real difference between the two.

Fixing a tenkeyless keyboard

Three faults that show up most on boards this size.

All four arrows stop working

On the test:The arrow cluster stays blank while the rest of the board lights normally.

  1. Confirm here that the arrows send nothing, rather than an application ignoring them.
  2. Note that all four failing together points at a shared connection, not four dead switches.
  3. Reseat the internal ribbon connector, which works loose on boards carried between home and an office.
  4. Test on a second computer to rule out a stuck modifier remapping the arrows.
A key types twice from one press

On the test:The cap flickers rather than holding its colour.

  1. Type the key once into a text field and count the characters.
  2. Clean the switch with compressed air aimed across the stem rather than down into it.
  3. Replace the switch on a hot-swap board. Chatter is debounce failing, and cleaning fixes it only sometimes.
  4. Check your firmware for a debounce setting if the board runs QMK or VIA.
WASD feels less responsive than the rest

On the test:Those keys register, but need a firmer press than neighbouring keys.

  1. Press each of W, A, S and D ten times and count how many of the ten register.
  2. Swap the WASD switches with four from the number row, on a hot-swap board.
  3. Expect this on any board used mainly for games. Those four switches take most of the wear.

Frequently asked questions

How many keys does a TKL keyboard have?
87 on US ANSI and 88 on European ISO. That is a full-size board minus the 17-key number pad.
Is TKL the same as 80%?
Yes — two names for one layout. TKL refers to losing the ten-key pad; 80% refers to the board being roughly four-fifths the width of a full-size one.
Can I still type numbers on a TKL?
Yes, using the number row above the letters. What you lose is the separate pad, which matters for fast data entry and for applications that bind the pad specifically. There is no Fn layer number pad on a standard TKL.
Why do my arrow keys not respond?
First confirm here that they are genuinely not reporting, rather than your application ignoring them. If they really are dead, note that the arrow cluster sits at the front-right corner of a TKL, which is the part of the board most likely to take an impact. A loose internal ribbon is the usual cause when all four fail together.
Does a TKL reach 100% on this test?
Yes. Every key on a standard TKL can be reported by a browser, so a fully working board scores 100%.

Every layout below opens with its own board ready to test.

See all keyboard layouts

Test all 87 keys now

The board above is already set to a tenkeyless layout. Work through the three blocks and watch the score reach 87.

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