Is there a way to keep the onscreen keyboard from opening automatically? When I am on my tablet with an external keyboard and am using Word 2013, every time I scroll through or click on the document, the on screen keyboard comes up. It was easy to disable in Windows 7, but I cannot figure out how to disable it in Windows 8. 

Thanks!

I disabled it with Windows Key + U (which opens ease of access), then choosing, "Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard" and uncheck the "Use on-screen keyboard" checkbox.

Report back if that does not solve it.

Windows Key + U
click, "Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard"
de-select the "Use on-screen keyboard" option
click OK
		
		

I'm running Windows 8 Pro on an Acer Aspire S7 touchscreen laptop. The "Use on-screen keyboard" option in Ease of Access is NOT checked.  But every time I use touch to perform an action that will next require typing, the on-screen keyboard appears.   For example, after rebooting, if I flick up to clear the splash screen and display the logon prompt, I get the on-screen keyboard. 

This is HUGELY annoying.  Is there another way to turn off the on-screen keyboard for touch-enabled devices? 

Same Problem here.

I think this is a major concern for all of us who do not only use a Surface RT. 
On a Surface RT it is working very well.

Moreover, the few hits I get googling for on-screen-keyboard or virtual keyboard on win 8 (<- eight) just tell, how to use the virtual keyboard on win 7. And the replies Sound as if nobody at Microsoft is using Windows 8 on a hybrid device at all. (Or they are all using the Surface.)

It is a Marketing issue as well: All my colleagues, even the non-IT ones, where immediately noticing this strange behaviour an my hybrid device.

So it would be nice to have some icon on the toolbar or something to switch manually at least.

Thanks, Frank

That works, if you consider a manual solution:

1) Starting and stoping the Win8 virtual keyboard, and only the keyboard:

I put two commands into two batch-files:

"net start TabletInputService"

"net stop TabletInputService"

2) Creating Shortcuts

I created two shortcuts and attached them to the taskbar

3) Playing tricks on the UAC

Now you are stuck with the UAC. You can create an elevated task in the task scheduler and call that, but its complicated. I personally used a software to create an "elevated shortcut" in step two. There are some out there, e.g. "Elevated Shortcut". But of course you would have to trust such a program. :-( I do. ;-|

This is not cool, but it works.

Problably you can check the  service's state and create a batch file toggling it. So there would be only on shortcut left. I did not try that, instead i wrapped that in a little C#-Programm.

Well, might be for my vaio duo 11, Sony itself should have provided such a program, because it is their keyboard. Microsoft did so for theirs' on the surface, as I mentioned above. Actually I don't know if there is a standard API to check if an perferred keyboard is in typing position. 

Greetings,
Frank

I found this suggestion at an other page, going through control panel in desktop, and now my on-scr keyboard is gone:

"Just go to the start screen, and then to Control Panel. In the search box for Control Panel, type Administrative Tools, or click it if you see it already. Scroll down to the Services shortcut and select that.

If you scroll down in the list of services to the 'T' area, you should see Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Service, or words to that effect. It is running, and on Automatic start type. Stop the service, then go into Properties and switch the startup type to Disabled. "

• Proposed as answer by Worajedt Sitthidumrong Thursday, June 20, 2013 11:59 PM

Thank you very much. That's help my case.

I'd like to post my scenario here for others may found useful.

1. I use Wacom Tablet along with Vaio Duo 11 (it has a touch screen with Pen also)
2. I've founded when I use MS Word (2013) with Wacom and use it in Tablet Mode (Wacom Setting). I always get virtual keyboard with or without check the mentioned option above.
3. This post help me but keep in mind that you'll have to enable it again when you have to use the virtual keyboard sometime. (In my case I won't since I'm not familiar with the layout)

Hope it useful!

Thanks. That worked.

Is this the same to enable it if I wanted to?

You can also prevent the TIP from being used by running the OSK (osk.exe).  So, instead of disabling the TIP you could try starting the OSK and minimizing it.

I'm on an HP touchscreen enabled laptop and my setting already has the "use on-screen keyboard" option de-selected.  The onscreen keyboard is such a pain! Never know when the stupid thing will pop up - sometimes in web browser, sometimes in Word.