Top Guide to Fix the Ctrl + D Not Working Problem on Windows

If you find the Ctrl + D not working on your computer, you will find it affects different software, including Google Sheets, Microsoft Word, Internet browsers, and so on. Please read on and try the following methods to try to fix this problem.

Bluetooth Keyboard Paired but Not Working: 3 Ways to Solve

Why is your Bluetooth keyboard paired but not working? How to make it work normally? This is the right place for you to get solutions.

Read More

Fix 1: Set English as the Keyboard Layout

At the very beginning, you need to check whether your keyboard layout is set to English. The keyboard layout determines the language it outputs on Windows. Setting the keyboard layout to English ensures the correct function of the keyboard combinations.

Step 1: Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to Time & Languages > Language.

Step 3: Check If the English is set as the Windows display language on your computer.

Step 4: Scroll down and find the Preferred languages section on the right pane. You need to check whether there is an English option. If not, you should click on Add a language to add it.

After this setting, you can try the Ctrl + D shortcut to see if it works properly. If not, you should move on to the next methods to figure out if this problem is caused by the keyboard problem.

Fix 2: Run the Keyboard Troubleshooter

You can first try the Windows built-in troubleshooter to detect and fix the keyboard problem.

Step 1: Press Win + I to open Windows Settings.

Step 2: Go to Update & Security > Troubleshoot, then you should click on Additional troubleshooters.

Step 3: Find and click on the Keyboard option, then choose Run the troubleshooter.

Wait for the process to complete. If there are any found problems, you can choose to fix them with on-screen instructions.

Fix 3: Update the Keyboard Drivers

Another method is to update or reinstall the keyboard driver. The driver connects the device and the computer. Thus, you can consider it as the cause if the device doesn’t work properly.

Step 1: Press Win + X and choose Device Manager from the WinX menu.

Step 2: Find and expand the Keyboards option.

Step 3: Right-click on the keyboard device and choose Update driver from the context menu.

Step 4: Choose Search automatically for driver in the prompt window.

Your computer will find the latest compatible driver and install it for you automatically. If updating the keyboard driver doesn’t work, you can try the Uninstall device option to reinstall the driver. Then, restart your computer to fully apply the change.

Fix 4: Reset Keyboard Settings

The last method is to reset your keyboard settings. Since you might modify settings to fit your requirements, some functions are possibly interfered leading to improper functions. You can set the keyboard to default settings to see if this helps solve your problem.

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows icon at the bottom left corner.

Step 2: Choose Device Manager from the context menu.

Step 3: Expand the Keyboards choice, select the keyboard you want to uninstall, and click on the X button at the top toolbar.

Step 4: After that, click on the Scan for hardware changes option to reinstall the keyboard driver.

What Does Ctrl + D Do?

As I said at the beginning, the Ctrl + D combination works in many situations. In this section, I will explain it to you in detail.

• In an Internet browser: Quickly add the current page as a new bookmark or favorite.
• In Google Sheets: Fill or overwrite the content of the current cell with the content above it.
• In Microsoft Word: Open the Font preference window.
• In Microsoft PowerPoint: Duplicate the selected slide.
• If you choose a file on the Desktop, this shortcut will delete this file.

If you delete important files using the Ctrl + D shortcut, you can first check the Recycle Bin to recover files. But if the deleted files are too large for Recycle Bin, you will be unable to get them back from Recycle. Now, please try the reliable data recovery software, MiniTool Power Data Recovery. It can recover missing files from OneDrive, USB drives, SD cards, and other devices.

The free edition supports you to recover 1GB of files and experience other powerful functions, like Preview, Filter, and Search.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Final Words

When the Ctrl + D fails on your keyboard, you can try the four methods explained in this post. Hope one of them can assist you in resolving the problem.