What is a virtual keyboard?

A virtual keyboard is an on-screen software-based keyboard that allows users to type text by clicking or tapping keys with a mouse, touchscreen, or other pointing device. Unlike physical keyboards, virtual keyboards display all keys visually on the screen, making them accessible without requiring specialized hardware.

Virtual keyboards were originally developed for touchscreen devices and accessibility purposes, but they've become essential tools for many different use cases—from typing in foreign scripts to protecting against keyloggers and helping users with physical disabilities interact with computers.

How do virtual keyboards work?

When you click a key on a virtual keyboard, the software captures that click event and translates it into the corresponding character. The keyboard maintains awareness of modifier keys like Shift and Caps Lock to determine whether to output uppercase letters or special characters. This process mimics exactly how a physical keyboard communicates with your computer, but entirely through software.

Tool description

This English Virtual Keyboard Typer provides a fully functional on-screen QWERTY keyboard that you can use to type text by clicking keys with your mouse. The tool displays the standard ANSI Windows keyboard layout and outputs typed characters to a text area that you can edit and copy.

The keyboard responds to Shift clicks for uppercase letters and special characters, and includes Caps Lock functionality for continuous uppercase typing. All typed text appears in real-time in the output area above the keyboard.

Features

  • Full QWERTY layout - Standard ANSI Windows keyboard layout with all alphanumeric keys, punctuation, and special characters
  • Shift and Caps Lock support - Click Shift before a key for uppercase/special characters, or toggle Caps Lock for continuous uppercase
  • Visual key feedback - Keys highlight when pressed, providing clear visual confirmation of your input
  • Editable output - The text area is fully editable, allowing you to make corrections directly
  • Copy to clipboard - Quickly copy your typed text with a single click

Use cases

  • Accessibility - Type text when a physical keyboard is unavailable, broken, or difficult to use due to mobility limitations
  • Security - Avoid keyloggers that capture physical keyboard input by using mouse clicks instead, useful when entering sensitive information on untrusted computers
  • Touchscreen devices - Type on devices without physical keyboards, such as tablets, kiosks, or all-in-one computers
  • Learning keyboard layouts - Visualize the standard QWERTY keyboard layout to learn key positions and practice typing
  • Remote desktop sessions - Type reliably when physical keyboard input doesn't translate correctly through remote connections