# Why does my Shift button specifically not work with t?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 4, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654 "2022-06-04T03:00:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/1 "2022-06-04T03:00:45Z")
My Shift button on my keyboard is doing a weird thing: It will work properly with any other letter on the keyboard to create an uppercase letter…except t.
Shift + k = K.
Shift + p = P.
Shift + w = W.
No problem there. But somehow Shift + t = t. Nothing will get it to give me a capital t.
How could such a glitch work?
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### Author:  [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/2 "2022-06-04T03:02:20Z")
Does it work with neither of the shift keys?
What if you use cap lock and try?
If none of those work it’s got to be in the software somehow.
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### Author:  [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/3 "2022-06-04T03:02:21Z")
_Both_ shift buttons?
ETA: Ninja’d.
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/4 "2022-06-04T03:08:20Z")
> [@OldGuy](#):
>
> Does it work with neither of the shift keys?
> What if you use cap lock and try?
>
> If none of those work it’s got to be in the software somehow.
the left Shift button does not work with t, but the right Shift does it. the Caps Lock button also does it.
At first, I thought it was specifically that my left Shift button had quit working, but then found, no, it works with every other key.
It’s not a major nuisance or anything, I’m just academically curious because I can’t think of any logical explanation.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/5 "2022-06-04T03:16:48Z")
Do you have another keyboard you could try to isolate whether it’s a hardware or software issue?
If you don’t, I might try booting into Safe Mode to see if the problem still occurs there. If it does, it’s not really going to narrow anything down, but if it doesn’t, it gives us useful information.
What OS are you using?
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### Author:  [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/6 "2022-06-04T03:18:53Z")
Have you tried using the On-Screen Keyboard, or OSK?
> **[Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type - Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-the-on-screen-keyboard-osk-to-type-ecbb5e08-5b4e-d8c8-f794-81dbf896267a)**
>
> Learn how to use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) instead of a physical keyboard to type and enter text on your PC.
It’ll highlight what buttons are being pushed down at once.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/7 "2022-06-04T03:22:39Z")
Is it possible that another key is being held down due to some gunk?
Keyboards are subject to what’s called ghosting. Keys are wired in a matrix, and there isn’t a separate wire from each key to the controller. Because of this, certain combinations of keys can prevent others from being registered. For instance, I have a cheap keyboard that does not register a space if I am already holding down left-shift and W. A nicer keyboard does not have this problem, but there are still limits.
No keyboard is going to be so bad that it can’t register shift-T by itself. However, if another key is stuck down–perhaps something innocuous like a Fn key or something–then perhaps you are running into a ghosting effect. Try checking your other keys to see if there’s some crud keeping them depressed. Maybe bang on it a bit to shake stuff loose.
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### Author:  [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/8 "2022-06-04T03:42:29Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> Try checking your other keys to see if there’s some crud keeping them depressed. Maybe bang on it a bit to shake stuff loose.
Try not to do this:
> **[Keyboards are Disgusting](https://xkcd.com/237/)**
>
> Alternate method: convince them to pretend it's an Etch-a-Sketch and try to erase it.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/9 "2022-06-04T05:16:44Z")
When it got oldish, my last laptop keyboard had numerous problems. One was that shift-W from only one of the shift keys (I forget which one) did not work. IIRC, that was due to some small water spillage. The F5 key didn’t work either for the same reason, but I found ctrl-R did the same thing. I still use ctrl-R to reload a browser page instead of F5. (I found a number of keyboard workarounds with that computer.)
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/10 "2022-06-04T11:44:09Z")
You didn’t get Laurence Tureaud mad at you, by any chance, did you?
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### Author:  [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/11 "2022-06-04T12:06:47Z")
Or Marc Bolan.
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### Author:  [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/12 "2022-06-04T12:58:00Z")
In addition to the above useful replies, I wonder if something is wrong with the “T” key. Presumably, when you hold down the left shift key, you press the T key with your right hand, and vice versa. You might be pressing the T key differently in the two situations. Try prying off the T key and checking for any problems.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [June 4, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-my-shift-button-specifically-not-work-with-t/965654/13 "2022-06-04T14:11:22Z")
> [@Napier](#):
>
> You didn’t get Laurence Tureaud mad at you, by any chance, did you?
Or @BigT ?