How to Enable or Disable Shift Lock on a Touch Keyboard in Windows 11

The Shift Lock Windows 11 feature toggles the Shift key on touchscreen devices, modifying every key you press. This setting enhances accessibility on interactive screens. However, disabling Shift Lock can also improve operations by minimizing keyboard-related issues and lowering support demand.

This guide explains how to enable or disable Shift Lock, things to consider before enterprise deployment, and commonly asked questions.

How to manage the Shift Lock keyboard in Windows 11

⚠️ Make sure you have all of the required prerequisites first.

There are three ways you can manage the Shift Lock keypad settings in Windows 11: changing Windows settings on touchscreen devices, directly modifying Registry values, or using PowerShell scripts that can configure your entire organization’s touch keyboard settings.

Method 1: Enable or Disable Shift Lock (Windows 11) via Settings

⚠️This only works on touchscreen devices with Windows 11 installed.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings.
2. Go to Time & Language > Typing.
3. Scroll down and select Touch keyboard.
4. Toggle Enable Shift key to act as Caps Lock.
   1. Select On to enable Shift Lock.
   2. Select Off to disable Shift Lock.

Method 2: Modify the Registry (per user)

⚠️This method requires administrator privileges and involves modifying Registry values. Before you start, prepare a backup.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. When prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.
3. Using the Registry’s address bar, navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7

4. In the right-hand pane, double-click on EnableShiftLock to modify its value.
   1. If you don’t see a DWORD value named EnableShiftLock, do the following:
      1. Right-click on an empty space in the right-hand pane.
      2. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) value.
      3. Name the new value EnableShiftLock.
5. In the Value field:
   1. Type 1 to enable Shift Lock.
   2. Type 0 to disable Shift Lock.
6. Click/tap OK.
7. Restart the device or log back in to apply changes.

Method 3: Deploy via PowerShell (for enterprise deployment)

⚠️This method requires administrator privileges.

PowerShell is a built-in command-line tool with automation capabilities you can leverage to reconfigure devices remotely.

1. Press Win + S, type powershell, and click Run as administrator.
2. When prompted by the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.
3. Run the following command to modify the Registry value responsible for Shift Lock.

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7" -Name "EnableShiftLock" -Value <x>

• • Replace <x> with 1 to enable Shift Lock.
  • Replace <x> with 0 to disable Shift Lock.

4. Additionally, you can run this code to check your touchscreen keyboard’s Shift Lock’s current configuration:

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7" -Name "EnableShiftLock"

5. Restart the device to apply changes.

Prerequisites for configuring the digital Shift Lock (Windows 11) feature

Here’s everything you need to get started on managing the touch keyboard’s Shift Lock feature.

A touchscreen keyboard

The most essential component for changing Shift Lock’s digital settings is having an on-screen keyboard you can physically operate. Certain Registry values and Windows Settings will not appear if your device isn’t built for touchscreen keyboards, which come with pre-made configurations.

Administrator privileges

Secure elevated permissions to access and modify system settings that affect all users on a device. Administrator rights are needed for policy changes. It also ensures that your Shift Lock Windows 11 changes are saved, staying on/off until you modify it again.

Additional Considerations for Shift Lock (Windows 11)

• Per-user scope – The Shift Lock Windows feature is user-specific and needs to be configured separately for each account since it exists in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) Registry hive, which stores user preferences.
• No native GPO – Shift Lock doesn’t have a built-in Group Policy Object (GPO) that directly alters its settings, so you’ll need to resort to Registry-based deployment methods.
• Touch devices only – Shift Lock settings are only relevant for touchscreen devices like tablets or a Surface Pro. Keyboard-only PCs won’t see a significant impact since touch-specific Registry changes aren’t utilized by physical keyboards.
• Deploying for enterprise environments – Use PowerShell scripts, login scripts, or MDM solutions to push Registry changes remotely. Alternatively, you can apply your Shift Lock changes to the Default User profile using the NTUSER.DAT file (C:\Users\Default), so your settings automatically apply when a new user logs in.

Adjust Shift Lock Windows keyboard settings to improve the user experience

Optimizing Shift Lock settings on touch keyboards improves ease of access and lets IT support use important hotkeys on touchscreen devices. Whether you’re optimizing kiosk setups or expanding your toolkit, Shift Lock can be easily configured via Windows Settings, a computer’s Registry Editor, or PowerShell.