Keyboard not working?
Basic checks
Try different cables. This is nearly always the answer. Some folks have had to try several cables to find one that works. The cable is very common, so it's very possible that a cable found in a random drawer may be poor quality or power-only which may not work reliably.
- Make sure the cable isn't loose at either end.
- Try a different USB port on the computer.
- Try a different computer.
See the home page for some cable suggestions. If shopping for a cable, a keyword to look for is "sync" which means the cable can carry a signal, avoid anything that says "charging only" or "power only". Generally most cables bought separately are probably fine. I've only run into issues with cheap quality cables that came bundled with something else.
A couple more things that don't hurt to try:
- Reboot the computer. This can solve a wide variety of problems and it doesn't always make sense.
- On the bottom of the keyboard is a hole, through which you can press a tiny button using something like a small screwdriver (or use the screwdriver to remove the screws and remove the bottom of the keyboard which will give easy access). With the keyboard plugged in, press the button. This puts the keyboard in "reset" mode for about 10 seconds, then goes back to "normal". This mode is used for setup, and it's not generally expected that you'd ever need this button.
Check for a light
Look for a light near the USB port, it may be red or green.
If there's no light, that's a bad sign. Still, the best thing to do is try some different cables just in case. If there's consistently no light, it may mean there's been some damage during shipping. Though it should be evident if that's the case.
If there is a light, that's good. That means the keyboard is likely still functional, it's just unable to communicate. Continue to try different cables.
Check if the keyboard is sending a signal
This is better explained via video. https://config.qmk.fm/#/test is the keyboard test site mentioned in the video.