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How to Add a Secondary Language Keyboard Layout in Windows 11 Language and Region Settings

By Freedom251 Team · · 2 min read

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To add a second typing layout in Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region, select the language that contains the layout you want under Preferred languages, open its Options, and choose Add a keyboard under Keyboards. Check the installed layouts first, because the layout you need may already be there.

Add the layout step by step

  1. Open Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
  2. Under Preferred languages, select the language that matches the layout you want, then select Options. Microsoft’s Windows 11 guidance on language and keyboard settings describes this same flow: pick the language that contains the keyboard, then open its options.
  3. In the language options page, look under Keyboards and confirm the layout is not already installed. Installing a duplicate adds nothing useful.
  4. If the layout is missing, select Add a keyboard and choose the layout from the menu. It appears in the Keyboards list immediately.

When the layout is not listed

Sometimes the layout you want does not appear under the language you opened. Microsoft’s documentation notes that a full language pack matching a layout is not always required, because the current display language may offer layouts for other languages. Work through these checks in order:

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  • Check the matching language. Go back to Preferred languages and open Options for the language that corresponds to the layout (for example, a Swiss French layout belongs under French).
  • Add that language if it is missing. Select Add a language under Preferred languages, install it, and then add the layout under its Keyboards section.
  • Confirm the display language. Some layouts are only offered for languages that match the current Windows display language. If the layout still does not show, check the display language before assuming the layout is unavailable.

Switch between layouts

After installation, you can change layouts in two ways:

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  • Select the input language indicator in the taskbar and choose the layout you want.
  • Press Windows + Space to cycle through the installed layouts.

If the shortcut does nothing, Windows has only one layout installed. Add a second layout first, then the shortcut will switch between them.

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Keyboard layout is not the display language

A keyboard layout changes which characters a key press produces. It does not change the Windows display language, so Settings, File Explorer, and menus stay in the language they are already using. To change the interface language, use the display language setting in the same Language & region page.

Scope of this guide

These steps follow Microsoft Support’s article Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows, which covers adding, switching, and removing layouts. Microsoft’s Windows 11 instructions for language settings confirm the same route through Language & region, language Options, and Add a keyboard. The menu labels can shift slightly between Windows 11 builds, so if a label differs on your PC, look for the same option within the language’s Options page.

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The Bottom Line

Add the layout from Settings > Time & language > Language & region under the matching language’s Options, then switch with the taskbar input indicator or Windows + Space.

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