issue with half of my keyboard

Maybe mouse-keys mode is active? Use your keyboard like a mouse with Mac - Apple Support

Tom Gewecke wrote:

Old Toad wrote:

You can get in and out of the Mouse Keys by pressing the ⌘ (Command) key three times quickly.

That doesn't work for me in Sequoia -- it is still 5 x Option as in the past. Something new in Tahoe?

It’s usually the quintuple (5 times) press on the option key, when that shortcut is enabled.

Or use the mouse or mouse keys to select the menus and turn it off, which isn’t dependent on the shortcut.

Use the mouse, or mouse keys, and this: “Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, click Accessibility  in the sidebar, click Pointer Control, then turn on “Alternate pointer actions.” (You may need to scroll down.) “

How about if you go to System Settings > Accessibility > Pointer Control > Alternative Control Methods and turn on mouse keys there? When it is on, the cursor should move up when you press 8 continually (it could be very slow).

You can get in and out of the Mouse Keys by pressing the ⌘ (Command) key three times quickly.

Old Toad wrote:

You can get in and out of the Mouse Keys by pressing the ⌘ (Command) key three times quickly.

That doesn't work for me in Sequoia -- it is still 5 x Option as in the past. Something new in Tahoe?

Fix for 789uiojkl keys or numeric keypad … - Apple Community

I'm running Sequoia 15.7.1 on a Mac Mini M4. For me it's ⌘ three times. 'Tis a puzzlement. I use a Matias Backlit Wireless Keyboard. I tried it with a wired Apple keyboard and it was the same - 3 ⌘'s.

Old Toad wrote:

I'm running Sequoia 15.7.1 on a Mac Mini M4. For me it's ⌘ three times. 'Tis a puzzlement. I use a Matias Backlit Wireless Keyboard. I tried it with a wired Apple keyboard and it was the same - 3 ⌘'s.

Very strange! Does option 5 times also work? Does the part of system settings (as shown in dialabrain's post) on your machine look the same as his?

I don't have the Mouse Keys turned on in the System Settings. However, the ⌘ x 3 is working to kill my keyboard and I can't get the cursor to move no matter what key or set of keys I use. The keyboard just seems to be disconnected.

Actually, after some testing ⌘x3 and ⌘x2 does the same and can be interchangeable. They both just disconnect the keyboard except of those 3 keys, ⌘, 2 and 3. So it's not invoking Mouse Keys since I can't get the cursor to move.

In fact I can't activate Mouse Keys. When I slide the switch to On the next window clicking on the "Use Mouse Keys" button doesn't work.

So there's something else going on here.

Old Toad wrote:

In fact I can't activate Mouse Keys. When I slide the switch to On the next window clicking on the "Use Mouse Keys" button doesn't work.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/181f5c55-8753-4025-90b0-d56defbbffb7

So there's something else going on here.

Did you use the keyboard Mouse Keys to click the checkbox to finish enabling Mouse Keys mode?

Pressing the option key 5 times is the same in Sequoia & Tahoe on my Macs.

Option-5 does not work for me. It has no effect of the keyboard.

I must have a ghost in my machine.

Old Toad wrote:

Option-5 does not work for me. It has no effect of the keyboard.

I believe Tom meant pressing the option key 5 times.

No, I used the mouse to click on it to enable Mouse Keys. I don't use Mouse Keys just tried to see if I could do it for this discussion. Guess I can't.