How to Change the Keyboard Layout in Windows 11

Select the language icon (such as ENG) next to the clock on the taskbar, then pick a keyboard layout. You can also hold the Windows logo key and press Spacebar to switch. If the layout you want isn’t listed, add it in Settings > Time & language > Language & region. For Hindi, Tamil, Bangla and other Indian languages, Windows has Phonetic keyboards that turn English spellings into the script; see typing in Hindi and other Indian languages.

Applies to: Windows 11.

Switch between keyboard layouts

1. Select the language icon next to the clock, such as ENG US.
2. Pick the layout you want from the list.

Or hold the Windows logo key and press Spacebar to cycle through layouts. If nothing happens, you only have one layout.

Add a keyboard layout

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Select … (More options) next to your language, then select Language options.
3. Next to Installed keyboards, select Add a keyboard.
4. Choose the layout from the list.

If the layout you want isn’t in the list, it may belong to another language. Add that language first under Language & region > Add a language, then add its keyboard. The Bijoy layout used for Bangla in Bangladesh isn’t a built-in Windows layout; it comes from separate software covered in how to install Bijoy Bayanno, and Windows 11 support should be confirmed with the vendor first.

Remove a keyboard layout you don’t use

In Language options, select … next to the layout under Installed keyboards, then select Remove. If Remove is grayed out, it’s the only layout for that language, so add another one first. Switching a keyboard from US to UK is a worked example that adds one layout and removes the other.

Change the shortcut for switching layouts

Besides Windows key + Spacebar, Windows uses Left Alt + Shift to switch layouts, which is easy to press by accident. To change or turn it off:

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Typing > Advanced keyboard settings.
2. Select Input language hot keys.
3. On the Advanced Key Settings tab, select Between input languages, then Change Key Sequence.
4. Choose Ctrl + Shift, Grave Accent, or Not Assigned to turn it off, and select OK.

Set a default layout

On the same Advanced keyboard settings page, use Override for default input method to choose the layout Windows starts with. To keep a different layout in each app, such as French in Word and US English everywhere else, check Let me use a different input method for each app window.

Troubleshooting

• The layout keeps changing by itself. You’re probably pressing Left Alt + Shift while typing. Turn that shortcut off as shown above.
• A layout you never added keeps appearing. Add that same layout in Settings, then remove it. This clears a leftover entry Windows sometimes keeps after updates.
• The sign-in screen uses a different layout. Go to Time & language > Language & region > Administrative language settings, select Copy settings, and tick Welcome screen and system accounts.
• The language icon is missing from the taskbar. It only shows when you have more than one layout. Add a second one, or use Windows key + Spacebar.

Frequently asked questions

Why are my keys typing the wrong symbols?

You may have switched layouts by accident with Windows logo key + Spacebar or Alt + Shift. Check the language icon and switch back. Removing layouts you don’t use stops it from happening again.

Does this change the Windows display language?

No. The keyboard layout only changes what your keys type. The menus stay in the same language. Office apps have their own setting, for example changing the language in Excel.

Can I change the date and time format here too?

Those are on the same Language & region page, and changing the time format in Windows 11 shows where.

Does changing the layout match my keyboard’s printed keys?

Only if you pick the layout that matches the keyboard. For example, a UK keyboard needs the United Kingdom layout, or the @ and ” keys will be swapped.

Slash or question mark key suddenly typing é? Here’s how to get rid of é on your keyboard. There’s also a fix for when WASD and the arrow keys have swapped. To change what a single key does, remap keyboard keys in Windows 11.

All the language and keyboard settings are described in Microsoft’s Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows.