To change keyboard settings back to normal on Windows 10, press the Windows logo key + Spacebar until your usual language and layout are selected. If the keys still act strangely, open Settings > Time & Language > Language to remove a layout you don’t use, then check Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard for Sticky Keys and Filter Keys.
Applies to: Windows 10. Checked against Microsoft Support on October 7, 2026.
Find out what changed first
Windows 10 has no single button that resets every keyboard setting. The fix depends on what the keyboard is doing, so match your symptom to the right section before you change anything.
| What you see | Likely cause | Where to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Symbols are in the wrong place, for example @ and ” are swapped, or Y and Z are swapped | A different keyboard layout or input language is active | Switch the layout back, then remove the extra layout |
| Keys respond slowly, or short presses are ignored | Filter Keys is on | Ease of Access keyboard settings |
| Shift, Ctrl or Alt seem to stay pressed | Sticky Keys is on | Ease of Access keyboard settings |
| The PC beeps when you press Caps lock or Num lock | Toggle Keys is on | Ease of Access keyboard settings |
| Some keys do nothing in every app | Connection, battery, dirt or driver problem | Hardware and driver checks |
Switch the keyboard layout back
A keyboard layout tells Windows which character each key types. If more than one layout is installed, a shortcut pressed by accident can switch to another one, and the keys suddenly type different symbols. Switching back takes a few seconds.
- Hold the Windows logo key and press the Spacebar. Microsoft lists this shortcut as the way to switch forward through input languages and keyboard layouts.
- Keep holding the Windows logo key and press the Spacebar again until the language and layout you normally use are selected, then let go.
- Look at the language icon on the taskbar, near the clock. It shows the language of the active keyboard layout. You can also click that icon and pick your language from the list.
- Open any app and type a few of the keys that were wrong, such as @, ” and #, to check that they are back in the right place.
Two other shortcuts can change the layout, which is how it often happens by accident. Microsoft documents Ctrl + Shift as switching the keyboard layout when more than one is available, and Alt + Shift as switching between keyboard layouts. Both are easy to hit while typing or playing a game. If your layout keeps changing, removing the layouts you don’t use is the lasting fix.
Remove a layout you don’t use in Settings
If only one layout is installed, the shortcuts above have nothing to switch to, so the keyboard stays the way you expect.
- Press the Windows logo key + I to open Settings.
- Select Time & Language, then select Language.
- Look under Preferred languages. Every language listed here adds at least one keyboard layout to the switching list.
- Select the language you actually type in and open its options. The options page lists the keyboards installed for that language.
- Select a keyboard you don’t use and select Remove. If the layout you need is missing, select Add a keyboard and pick it from the list. For most keyboards sold in the United States, that is the US layout.
- Go back to Preferred languages and remove any language you never use, so its keyboard no longer appears when you press the Windows logo key + Spacebar.
Microsoft notes that when Remove is greyed out for a keyboard, it is the only layout installed for that language. Add the layout you want first, then remove the old one. Microsoft’s own steps are in Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows.
If you need to put a language back later, select Add a language under Preferred languages, choose the language, select Next, pick the features you want under Install language features, and select Install.
Turn off Sticky Keys, Filter Keys and Toggle Keys
These three accessibility features change how the keyboard responds, and each has a shortcut that can switch it on without you noticing. Turn one off only if you don’t rely on it.
- Select the Start button, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard. The shortcut Windows logo key + U also opens the accessibility settings.
- Turn off the toggle under Sticky Keys. Sticky Keys lets you press shortcuts such as Ctrl + S one key at a time, which can make modifier keys seem stuck.
- Turn off the toggle under Filter Keys. Filter Keys makes the keyboard ignore brief or repeated keystrokes, so typing feels slow or keys seem dead.
- Turn off the toggle under Toggle Keys if you don’t want a sound each time you press Caps lock, Num lock or Scroll lock.
The shortcuts that turn these features on and off are worth knowing, because they explain how the change happened:
| Feature | Shortcut that turns it on or off |
|---|---|
| Sticky Keys | Press Shift five times |
| Filter Keys | Hold the right Shift key for eight seconds |
| Toggle Keys | Hold Num lock for five seconds |
Microsoft lists them in Windows keyboard shortcuts for accessibility.
Type with the On-Screen Keyboard while you fix it
If the physical keyboard is too unreliable to type a password or search for a setting, use the On-Screen Keyboard and click the keys with the mouse.
- Select Start, then select Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard.
- Turn on the toggle under Use the On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard appears on the screen and stays there until you close it.
The shortcut Windows logo key + Ctrl + O also turns the On-Screen Keyboard on. On the sign-in screen, select the Ease of Access button in the lower-right corner and choose On-Screen Keyboard. It is also a useful test: if the On-Screen Keyboard types the right characters and the physical keyboard doesn’t, the layout is fine and the problem is in the keyboard itself or its driver.
Check the keyboard hardware and driver
When the layout and accessibility settings are correct but keys still fail, work through Microsoft’s basic checks for input devices:
- Unplug a USB keyboard, wait a little while, and plug it back in. Try a different USB port on the PC.
- If the keyboard goes through a USB hub, make sure the hub has power, or plug the keyboard straight into the PC.
- Check that the cable isn’t damaged and that no dirt is blocking the keys.
- For a wireless keyboard, charge it or fit fresh batteries. If it uses a USB receiver, unplug the receiver, wait about 10 seconds, and plug it back in. Some wireless keyboards have a reset button on the bottom for reconnecting.
- Connect the keyboard to another PC. If it misbehaves there too, the keyboard is faulty rather than Windows.
If the keyboard works on another PC, reinstall its driver. A driver is the software Windows uses to talk to a device.
- Save your work and close your apps.
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
- Select the arrow next to the keyboards category to expand it.
- Right-click your keyboard and select Uninstall device, then select Uninstall to confirm. The keyboard may stop responding at this point, so keep the mouse handy.
- Select Start > Shut down or sign out > Restart. Windows tries to reinstall the driver when it starts again.
To look for a newer driver instead, right-click the keyboard in Device Manager, select Update driver, and choose Search automatically for updated driver software. Microsoft covers both in Update drivers manually in Windows.
If no key works at all, follow our steps to unlock the keyboard in Windows 10. If you turned off a laptop keyboard on purpose and want it back, see how to disable a laptop keyboard in Windows 10, which also covers turning it back on.
How to confirm the keyboard is back to normal
- The language icon near the clock shows the language you normally type in.
- Holding the Windows logo key and pressing the Spacebar shows only the layouts you chose to keep.
- Typing @, “, # and the letters Y and Z in a document gives the characters printed on the keys.
- Holding a letter key repeats it without a long delay, and Shift, Ctrl and Alt only act while you hold them.
None of these changes is permanent. You can add a removed layout again with Add a keyboard, and you can turn Sticky Keys, Filter Keys or Toggle Keys back on from the same Ease of Access > Keyboard page.
Troubleshooting
The layout changes back after a while
More than one layout is still installed, and a shortcut such as Ctrl + Shift or Alt + Shift is switching between them. Open Settings > Time & Language > Language and remove every keyboard and language you don’t type in.
Remove is greyed out
The keyboard you selected is the only one installed for that language. Add the layout you want first, then remove the unwanted one.
The top row changes volume and brightness instead of F1 to F12
That is a function lock on the keyboard, not a Windows keyboard setting, and the key combination differs by manufacturer. Our guide on turning off Fn Lock explains the common ones. The same keys apply on a Windows 10 laptop because the lock is built into the keyboard.
Letters on a laptop type numbers
Some compact laptop keyboards place a number pad on the letter keys, controlled by the Num lock key. Press Num lock once and try again. Check your laptop maker’s support site for the exact key if your keyboard has no separate Num lock key.
Keys were remapped by an app
Software from a keyboard maker, or a key remapping tool, can assign new actions to keys. Windows language settings don’t control those changes. Open that app and restore its default profile, or uninstall the app if you no longer use it.
The settings are locked on a work or school PC
Your organization may manage language and accessibility settings. If a control is missing or can’t be changed, ask your IT administrator rather than trying to work around it.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my keyboard suddenly start typing the wrong symbols?
The most common reason is that the keyboard layout switched. The Windows logo key + Spacebar, Ctrl + Shift and Alt + Shift shortcuts all change the layout when more than one is installed. Press the Windows logo key + Spacebar to switch back.
Is there a reset button for keyboard settings in Windows 10?
No. Microsoft’s documentation describes separate settings for layouts, accessibility features and drivers, and each one is put back on its own page. The sections above cover them in the order that fixes most problems.
How do I get the @ key back in the right place?
If @ and ” have swapped, Windows is probably using a United Kingdom layout with a US keyboard, or the other way round. Switch layouts with the Windows logo key + Spacebar, then remove the layout that doesn’t match your keyboard. If you meant to move to the UK layout, see how to change a keyboard from US to UK.
Does reinstalling the keyboard driver change my layout?
No. The driver handles the connection between the keyboard and Windows. The layout is a language setting, and it stays as it was after the driver is reinstalled.
Is Windows 10 still supported?
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. A Windows 10 PC still works, but it no longer receives security fixes or technical support from Microsoft. If you have moved to a newer PC, see how to change the keyboard layout in Windows 11, where the settings have different names.
Start with the Windows logo key + Spacebar shortcut, and remove any layout you don’t need so it can’t switch again. For other input problems, Microsoft’s mouse and keyboard troubleshooting page lists further checks.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.