If you regularly use a desktop keyboard with a dedicated numeric keypad or a large laptop equipped with a tenkey pad, having to press the Num Lock key manually every time your computer boots can quickly become an annoyance. Windows 11 frequently defaults to leaving the numeric keypad disabled on the sign-in screen, causing PIN entries or numerical inputs to fail until you remember to toggle the key on.
Windows determines keyboard lock states during pre-boot and user logon through a specific configuration string in the Windows Registry. By adjusting this value and configuring Windows Fast Startup behaviour, you can ensure that NumLock is automatically engaged the moment your lock screen appears.
Step 1: Adjust the InitialKeyboardIndicators Registry Value
The core setting controlling the state of NumLock, CapsLock, and ScrollLock on the Windows sign-in screen is stored inside the Windows Registry. Modifying this key takes only a minute:
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type
regeditand press Enter. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrator privileges. - In the Registry Editor address bar at the top, paste the following path and press Enter:
HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard- In the right-hand pane, locate the string value named InitialKeyboardIndicators.
- Double-click InitialKeyboardIndicators to open its editing dialogue.
- Under “Value data”, note the existing number. Windows often sets this to
2147483648(which disables keyboard lock overrides) or0(all locks disabled). - Change the value to 2 (which turns NumLock ON) or 2147483650 (which turns NumLock ON while preserving hardware state tracking across updates). In most modern Windows 11 releases, setting the value to
2provides the most reliable result. - Click OK to save the modification.
Step 2: Update Current User Settings (Optional but Recommended)
To ensure NumLock remains active even after logging into your desktop environment, repeat the check for your current user profile:
- In Registry Editor, navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Keyboard- Check the InitialKeyboardIndicators value in this directory. If it is set to
0, double-click it and change it to 2 as well. - Close the Registry Editor.
Step 3: Check Fast Startup Settings
In certain hardware configurations, Windows 11 Fast Startup (hybrid sleep) can bypass the Registry initialisation sequence, restoring whatever power state the keyboard had before the previous shutdown. If your NumLock state still fails to persist across reboots, disable Fast Startup temporarily to test persistence:
- Press Windows + R, type
control, and press Enter to launch the legacy Control Panel. - Set the “View by” menu in the top right to Large icons, then click Power Options.
- In the left-hand menu, click Choose what the power buttons do.
- Click the link near the top labelled Change settings that are currently unavailable (requires administrative rights).
- Scroll down to the “Shutdown settings” group.
- Untick the checkbox labelled Turn on fast startup (recommended).
- Click Save changes.
Modern NVMe SSDs boot into Windows 11 in mere seconds without Fast Startup, and disabling it resolves many persistent keyboard and peripheral initialisation anomalies.
Verifying the BIOS/UEFI NumLock Setting
Some desktop motherboards (particularly ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte) include an independent hardware-level NumLock toggle in their firmware setup. If your motherboard has “Bootup NumLock State” disabled in the BIOS, it may override Windows software settings:
- Restart your PC and press Del or F2 repeatedly during the manufacturer boot logo to enter UEFI/BIOS setup.
- Navigate to the Boot or Advanced menu.
- Look for an option labelled Bootup NumLock State or NumLock Key at Boot.
- Ensure this option is set to Enabled or On.
- Press F10 to save changes and restart into Windows.
Combining the Registry configuration with verified BIOS settings ensures that your numeric keypad is active and ready for input immediately upon system power-up.