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Windows 11 Keyboard Layout Switching: Set a Default or Choose Per Window

Set a default Windows 11 keyboard layout or use different input methods in separate app windows, then switch layouts from the taskbar or with Windows+Space.
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To make keyboard layout switching predictable in Windows 11, open Settings > Time & language > Typing > Advanced keyboard settings. Choose a default input method for consistent behavior, or enable the option to use a different input method in each app window. You can then switch layouts from the taskbar input indicator or with Windows+Space.

Choose a default layout or separate layouts by app window

On the Advanced keyboard settings page, use Override for default input method to choose the input method Windows should use by default. This is the simpler choice if you want the same layout across your windows.

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To use different layouts in different windows, enable Let me use a different input method for each app window. Activate a window, then select its layout using the taskbar input indicator or Windows+Space. Repeat for each window that needs a different input method. Windows provides this per-window option, but Microsoft’s guidance does not promise that a window’s selection will be restored after the app is closed and reopened.

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The exact labels or availability of these controls can vary with Windows build and installed input methods. These settings concern keyboard input methods, not the Windows display language: changing a keyboard layout changes how keys enter characters, but does not change the language of Windows menus and interface.

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Switch between installed layouts

  • Taskbar: Select the input-language icon and choose the layout you want.
  • Keyboard shortcut: Hold the Windows key and press Space to cycle through installed layouts. Microsoft Support describes each Spacebar press while holding the Windows logo key as cycling through the installed keyboard layouts. If Windows+Space does nothing, Microsoft says only one layout is installed.

Add a layout that is missing

  1. Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
  2. Find the language associated with the layout, select its ellipsis menu, then choose Language options.
  3. Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard and choose the layout.
  4. Return to the taskbar input indicator or press Windows+Space to select the newly installed layout.

A layout may be listed under a language different from the one you expected. If it does not appear under your current display language, check the language that matches the layout you want.

Choose the taskbar indicator or the desktop Language bar

In Advanced keyboard settings, the option Use the desktop language bar when it’s available controls which interface Windows shows for switching input methods. Select it to use the legacy desktop Language bar; when enabled, the taskbar input icon is suppressed. Clear it to stop displaying the legacy bar and make the taskbar input icon available. Choose the interface that is easier to see and use.

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Do not assume Alt+Shift is the Windows 11 default

Microsoft’s separate Language bar guidance discusses Alt+Shift in contexts centered on older Windows versions and Office. That is not enough to treat Alt+Shift as the confirmed default shortcut for switching layouts in Windows 11. For a documented Windows 11 workflow, use the taskbar indicator or Windows+Space.

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Logitech K120 Full Size Wired Keyboard USB Plug-and-Play Windows - Black
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Logitech K270 Full Size Wireless Keyboard for Windows - Black | Full-size keyboard with number pad, 8 multimedia keys, includes USB-A receiver, 2-year battery, compatible with PC, laptop
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Plastic parts in K270 include 38% certified post-consumer recycled plastic; Eight hot keys: For instant access to the Internet, e-mail, music volume and more
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Logitech K120 Full Size Wired Keyboard USB Plug-and-Play Windows - Black
  • All-day Comfort: The design of this standard keyboard creates a comfortable typing experience thanks to the deep-profile keys and full-size standard layout with F-keys and number pad
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