Forum Discussion
When Did My Keyboard Switch to Another Language?
My keyboard suddenly started typing in a different language, even though I don't remember changing any settings. Some keys now produce unexpected characters, making it difficult to type normally. I've tried checking the language settings, but I can't figure out what triggered the switch or how to prevent it from happening again.
1 Reply
You may have accidentally hit Win + Space or Alt + Shift, which can switch between installed keyboard layouts.
Press Win + Space and select your usual layout. Make sure it matches the physical keyboard—English US and English UK, for example, put some symbols on different keys.
To stop it happening again, remove layouts you don’t use:
- Windows 11: Settings > Time & language > Language & region > the three dots beside your language > Language options > Keyboards.
- Windows 10: Settings > Time & Language > Language > select your language > Options > Keyboards.
If you need multiple layouts, search Settings for Advanced keyboard settings, open Input language hot keys, and change the switching shortcuts to Not Assigned. That disables the older language-switch shortcuts; Win + Space will still work.
There’s no need to reinstall the keyboard driver if switching back restores the correct characters.
