How to change keyboard language Windows 11: key shortcuts

Changing the keyboard language in Windows 11 takes two steps: install the right layout, then switch to it. Settings handles the installation, Windows + Space and a few other shortcuts handle the switching, and a couple of options stop Windows from changing layout on its own. The legends printed on multilingual keycaps, by contrast, never change the layout Windows actually uses.

Add a keyboard layout or input language in Windows 11

To change keyboard language behaviour, you first need the right layout installed. Sometimes that just means adding a layout to a language Windows already has. Other times it means installing a whole new input language. Either way, the work happens in the same place: Time & language, under Language & region.

Add a layout to an installed language

The quickest route applies when the language you need is already listed. In that case, the missing piece is usually just the keyboard layout in Windows, not a whole language pack.

• Open the page: go to Start → Settings → Time & language → Language & region.
• Pick the language: under Preferred languages, open the three-dot menu next to the language and select Language options.
• Check Keyboards: see whether the layout you need is already listed.
• Add it if missing: select Add a keyboard and choose the layout.

If the layout you want appears under a language you already have, you don't need a separate language pack. As a result, a UK user who needs a second Latin layout may be able to avoid a full language pack.

Add another input language

Sometimes the layout only comes with a language you haven't installed yet. In Language & region, select Add a language beside Preferred languages, search for the language, select it and choose Next. Look through the optional features. Leave Set as my Windows display language unchecked unless you want the Windows interface to change as well, then select Install.

Downloading the language pack needs an internet connection and may take a few minutes. Once it finishes, open the new language's options to check its keyboard layout or add one. A keyboard layout changes what the keys type without changing the interface language. That's why the Windows 11 Home Single Language restriction applies to display languages, not to keyboard layouts.

Match the layout to your keyboard legends

Windows' software layout decides which characters you get, while keycap legends only show what's printed on the keys. The difference comes down to placement: a UK layout puts £ on Shift + 3, while a US layout normally puts @ on Shift + 2. After changing layouts, test @, ", £, # and \ in a text editor.

Kromekeycaps offers customisable black PBT keycaps whose legends you can match to your chosen layout. This 161-key set comes in Cherry, OEM and XDA profiles and fits most 60%, 65%, 75%, 80%, 96% and 100% keyboards. Its custom PBT keycaps in international layouts come in both ANSI and ISO formats. Kromekeycaps recommends checking your keyboard's physical layout, profile compatibility and spacebar size before you choose a set. For bilingual typists, the UK and Korean dual-language keycaps pair backlit US legends with non-backlit UK and Hangul legends. This OEM-profile set has 104 or 105 keys. It is made for 60%, TKL and 100% keyboards with a 6.25U spacebar and north-facing switches.

Switch keyboard languages with Windows 11 shortcuts

Once more than one layout is installed, switching between them takes a single keyboard shortcut. Windows offers several, and each one behaves a little differently. Knowing those differences explains why a shortcut sometimes lands on a layout you didn't expect.

Use Windows + Space

Learning how to switch between keyboard languages in Windows 11 starts with the Windows key and the spacebar:

• Hold Windows: keep it pressed the whole time to bring up the list of installed layouts.
• Tap Space: each tap moves to the next installed layout.
• Release Windows: let go when the layout you want is highlighted.

This shortcut only moves between layouts that are already installed. It never adds one. If only one layout is installed, there's nothing else to choose. With several, you may need more than one tap to reach the one you want.

The switch takes effect straight away, so you can test the new layout in whatever window is open.

Use other shortcuts or the taskbar

Left Alt + Shift jumps to the first available layout of the next input language and skips any extra layouts for the same language. That's why it may not land on the layout you expect. In contrast, Ctrl + Shift switches between layouts within the current language. It only works when that language has multiple keyboard layouts installed.

The taskbar offers a mouse-based alternative. Its input-language indicator shows which layout is active, and you can select it to pick another installed layout. Its exact label depends on how your system is set up.

Change an input-language shortcut

Windows + Space is built into Windows 11, but you can change the other switching shortcuts. Changing the key sequence happens in three steps:

• Open the hot keys: in Settings, go to Time & language → Advanced keyboard settings → Input language hot keys.
• Select the action: choose Between Input Languages, then Change Key Sequence.
• Confirm: under Switch Input Language, pick an available shortcut and select OK.

Depending on your system, the options for this keyboard language shortcut can include Ctrl + Shift, Left Alt + Shift or the grave accent (`). You can also set separate shortcut keys for specific input languages, which is worth considering when you switch between several.

Stop unwanted keyboard language changes in Windows 11

A layout that changes unexpectedly can have a simple cause. Either an unused layout is still installed, or Windows is keeping a separate layout for each window. These issues can be fixed in Settings without reinstalling anything.

Remove an unwanted keyboard layout

To remove a keyboard you don't use, go to Settings → Time & language → Language & region. Then open the language's three-dot menu, choose Language options and remove the layout under Keyboards. As a result, it also disappears from the Windows + Space list.

• Check other languages: the unwanted layout may be listed under a different installed language than you'd expect.
• Remove greyed out: this can happen when the layout is the only keyboard for that language.
• Workaround: add another layout to that language first, then remove the unwanted one.
• Protected language: you may not be able to remove a language that's set as the display language, but you can still remove its unwanted layout.

Set a default across app windows

Once the list is cleaned up, the next step is choosing a default keyboard. Go to Settings → Time & language → Typing → Advanced keyboard settings. If the option is there, pick your preferred layout under Override for default input method.

On the same page, Let me use a different input method for each app window changes how switching works. With it turned on, Windows + Space only changes the layout in the window you're using.

For the same layout in every window, choose a default input method and turn the per-window option off if it's there.

Check why the layout seems to shift

Reordering Preferred languages mainly affects Microsoft Store apps and websites. It can affect the layout used at startup, but it doesn't reliably replace setting the default input method.

Changing the display language can also change your keyboard layout. If your password seems wrong at sign-in, check the input-language indicator before you reset it. Also, removing a language pack isn't the same as removing a layout: a misplaced symbol may only need a layout change.

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