How to check keyboard ghosting while gaming

You press forward, jump, and attack at once, but your character stops moving or one action fails. That can happen when a keyboard cannot register a particular combination of keys at the same time.

Test the exact combinations you use in your game with the Keyboard Test. It checks which keys register and how many keys work at once, so you can see whether the issue follows a key combination or happens only in the game.

Test the combinations you use in your game

1. Open the Keyboard Test on the computer you play on. Use the built-in keyboard if that is what you game with, or connect the external keyboard you want to check.
2. Press a few ordinary keys one at a time, such as W, A, S, and D. Confirm that each one registers on its own.
3. Hold the keys for a common game action together, such as W + Shift + Space. Try other combinations you actually use, including movement plus a weapon or ability key.
4. Keep the keys held, then add one more key. Repeat with different combinations and notice whether every key registers and how many the keyboard handles at once.
5. Try the same actions in the game. If the test registers every key but the game does not, check the game’s controls and input settings as well.

Use your normal playing posture and press the keys together as you would during a match. A keyboard can handle one combination but fail another, so testing only a large number of random keys may not reveal the problem you notice in the game.

What the result means

A key works alone but fails in one combination

This points to a limit in how the keyboard handles that particular group of keys. Some keyboards cannot report every simultaneous press in every area. Try moving one game action to a different key and test the new combination.

Extra keys appear to register

This is keyboard ghosting: a key you did not press is reported when certain other keys are held together. The keyboard’s internal key matrix can confuse particular combinations. Change the bindings to avoid that group of keys, or use a keyboard that handles the combination correctly.

Several keys stop registering together

This is usually called a rollover limit or key blocking. Rollover is the number of simultaneous key presses a keyboard can report. A keyboard may block a key rather than produce a false one. The limit can vary with the keys involved, not just with the total number pressed. For more on the number of keys a keyboard can register, see How to test N-key rollover on a gaming keyboard.

Every key registers in the test, but not in the game

The keyboard may be fine. The game could have a different binding, an input setting that changes how a key behaves, or an action that cannot be used while another action is active. Check the game’s controls, then test the same bindings in another game or a simple text field.

A key does not register even by itself

This is less likely to be ghosting. The key may be stuck, damaged, disabled by keyboard software, or affected by a connection problem. Test that key in another app and, if possible, on another computer.

How to fix it

1. Change the affected bindings. Move one action to a nearby key or a mouse button, then repeat the test with the new combination. This is the quickest workaround for a keyboard that blocks or ghosts only certain combinations.
2. Check the game’s control settings. Confirm that each action has the key you expect and that two important actions are not sharing a binding. If the game has an option for keyboard input or input mode, try its other setting.
3. Check accessibility settings. In Windows 11, open Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard and check Filter Keys and Sticky Keys. Filter Keys can ignore brief presses, while Sticky Keys changes how modifier keys work. On macOS, open System Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard and check Slow Keys and Sticky Keys. These settings do not remove a keyboard’s hardware rollover limit, but they can change how presses are handled.
4. Reconnect the keyboard. For a USB keyboard, try another USB port and connect it directly to the computer instead of through a hub. For a wireless keyboard, check its battery and reconnect its receiver or Bluetooth connection.
5. Check the keyboard’s supported mode. Some gaming keyboards offer a setting that changes how many simultaneous keys they report. Check the keyboard’s own controls or documentation, then test the same combination again. Do not assume a particular shortcut works on every model.
6. Test another keyboard. If a second keyboard handles the same game combination correctly on the same computer, the original keyboard is likely the limit. If both fail only in one game, focus on that game’s settings.

Why the browser test can differ from a game

A browser test is useful for checking key presses, but some keys and shortcuts are handled by the operating system or browser before a page can receive them. The Fn key never reaches the browser. The Windows key, Print Screen, and laptop keys for brightness, volume, or Wi-Fi are also usually handled by the operating system first.

Because of that, do not use those keys to judge rollover in the test. For a combination involving one of them, test it in the game itself. Also compare the same keyboard on the same computer, since a game’s bindings and input handling can affect the result.

If the same keys repeatedly fail together in the test and in more than one game, rebind the actions or consider a keyboard that supports the combinations you need.