- How To Change Keyboard Layout Windows 8.1
- How To Reset Keyboard Settings Windows 8
- Change Keyboard Layout Windows 10
- How To Change Keyboard Layout Windows 8.0
- Custom Keyboard Layout Windows 10
Use the following steps to change your keyboard layout in Windows 8.1. Press the Windows key + C to open your Charms.; Select the Settings charm, and then click Change PC settings.; Click Time and language, then select Region and language.; On the right, select your language and the click Options.; Click Add a keyboard and then select the keyboard you want from the list. Loading the keyboard layout, please wait. Fortunately, starting with Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8, there is a built-in cmdlet to do this. The Set-WinUserLanguageList cmdlet can be used to set the keyboard layout. This cmdlet is available in the International module. Changing Keyboard Layout in Windows 8 The first thing we need to do is launch the classic Control Panel. You can do this by pressing the Win + R keyboard combination and selecting Control Panel from the context menu. To save a few clicks, switch to the Small icons view. To get started, press the Windows Key + X on your keyboard to open Windows 8 Tools Menu. When it opens, select ‘Control Panel. Next, click ‘Change input methods’ Then on the language preferences screen, click ‘Add a language’ Next, select the language you wish to add and click ‘Add’.
How to use Keyboard Layout section of Control Panel to activate Russian keyboard
for Windows 7,8,10/Vista and XP/2003
This page is a part of my site's Chapter
Keyboard layout specifies how letters and symbols are located on the keyboard buttons for a given
For example, when Input Language is English (shows as 'EN' in the taskbar), Windows offers a set of layouts to choose from:
- US English
- Dvorak
- ...
That is, for a given Input Language, system could offer several different layouts (different location of letters and symbols).
Here is Microsoft page that shows the layouts for each and every Input Language in the OOB system: http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/reference/keyboards.mspx
Here is Microsoft page that shows the layouts for each and every Input Language in the OOB system: http://www.microsoft.com/globaldev/reference/keyboards.mspx
A user opens Keyboard Layouts section of Control Panel if there is a need to add a layout or to check that desired layout is selected as active for an Input Language
(for example, check if it's 'US English' and not'British English' for 'EN' if errouneously Shift-2 gives a quote instead of '@')
(for example, check if it's 'US English' and not
Also, if user finds that say something is wrong/strange in the typing, s/he may want to visit that section to make sure that only one layout is selected for the Input Language.
The system must be presented with only one active layout per language otherwise how Windows would know what symbol to show when a button is pressed(quote or '@' as in example below)? .
The system must be presented with only one active layout per language otherwise how Windows would know what symbol to show when a button is pressed
The steps needed to access Keyboard Layout section of Control Panel do vary from one Windows version to another and all variants are listed below. The steps use standard Russian Keyboard layout as an example ('RU' becomes available in the taskbar via Alt+Shift switch from 'EN'), but they are the same for any other European language.
Note. Windows offers two Russian keyboard layouts in OOB system (as you can see on Microsoft page mentioned above): - standard, regular one called 'Russian'
- alternative - 'Russian, Typewriter' where digits are typed via Shift as on old mechanical typewriters in USSR.
Here is how standard, regular Russian keyboard layout looks like (location of letters and symbols - in red):
How to activate standard Russian Keyboard layout
- for Windows 10
- for Windows 8
- for Windows 7 or Vista
- for Windows XP or Windows 2003
Russian layout for Windows XP/2003
- Start / Control Panel
(or if it's Classic View - Start / Settings / Control Panel) - click Regional and Language Options
- open Languages section
- click Details in the 'Text Services and Input Languages' frame
- click Add in the 'Installed Services' frame
- find 'Russian' in the list of Input Languages and click OK
- place a check mark at the next option 'Keyboard layout' (now you can see the list of available layouts and see by yourself that there is another layout for
Russian - 'Russian (Typewriter)' )
Important! This is all you need to do to be able to type in Russian. You should not use
'make Default' option on that screen, that is, do not choose Russian layout as your default.As it was noted above, if you see not one but several layouts in the list of active layouts for Russian, then you must remove unneeded ones and leave only one layout active for Russian language. - place a check mark at the next option 'Keyboard layout'
- click Apply down below at the right and Windows finds a layout file of standard Russian
layout - kbdru.dll.The default method to switch keyboard from English typing ('EN') to Russian typing ('RU') is viaAlt+Shift (this key combination is listed on the same Layouts screen, just click on'Key Settings' to see all available combinations. - Click OK
Now you can switch your keybord to 'RU' and start typing Russian Cyrillic!
But you can type Russian even if you are in the businees center of a hotel and computer there does not allow any tune-up:
there are Web pages with so called 'Virtual Russian Keyboard' that emulates your 'home' input to let you type as you got used to.
See the information at the #v1 of this page.
Russiant keyboard layout for Windows 7 or Vista
- Start / Control Panel / Clock, Language, Region
(or if it's Classic View - Start / Settings / Control Panel) - double-click on Regional and Language Options
- find 'Keyboard and Languages' tab there
- click 'Change Keyboard'
- click Add (
- find 'Russian' in the list of languages and click '+' to see the list of the layouts to choose from for 'RU'
- click on 'Russian' in that list of layouts (it's standard, regular Russian layout) to add this layout as active for 'RU'
Important! This is all you need to do to be able to type in Russian. You should not use
'make Default' option on that screen, that is, do not choose Russian layout as your default.As it was noted above, if you see not one but several layouts in the list of active layouts for Russian, then you must remove unneeded ones and leave only one layout active for Russian language. - click Apply down below at the right and Windows finds a layout file of standard Russian
layout - kbdru.dll.The default method to switch keyboard from English typing ('EN') to Russian typing ('RU') is viaAlt+Shift (this key combination is listed on the same Layouts screen, just click on'Advanced Key Settings' to see all available combinations. - Click OK as many times as needed to leave Control Panel
Now you can switch your keybord to 'RU' and start typing Russian Cyrillic!
But you can type Russian even if you are in the businees center of a hotel and computer there does not allow any tune-up:
there are Web pages with so called 'Virtual Russian Keyboard' that emulates your 'home' input to let you type as you got used to.
See the information at the #v2 of this page.
Russiant keyboard layout for Windows 8
- Control Panel - Language
- click 'Add language'
- find Russian ('русский') in the list of languages anden click on that 'square' to select. Then click 'Add' down below that screen.
- now you are back to the screen with the list of active Input Languages and
Russian ('Русский') is now also in that list (where 'English' is at the top of the list).When you add Russian Input Language, the system automatically, by default, selected standard, regular Russian keyboard layout to be used for 'RU'.
To see other available Russian keyboard layouts, click 'Options' at the right
Important! This is all you need to do to be able to type in Russian. You should not use'make Default' option on that screen, that is, do not choose Russian layout as your default.
As it was noted above, if you see not one but several layouts in the list of active layouts for Russian, then you must remove unneeded ones and leave only one layout active for Russian language.
The way to switch keyboard from English typing ('EN') to Russian typing ('RU') is to press Alt+Shift or to press pressing Windows logo button + space bar.
Now you can switch your keybord to 'RU' and start typing Russian Cyrillic!
Note. The steps above are for your own computer where you can perform such tune-up.But you can type Russian even if you are in the businees center of a hotel and computer there does not allow any tune-up:
there are Web pages with so called 'Virtual Russian Keyboard' that emulates your 'home' input to let you type as you got used to.
See the information at the #v4 of this page.
Russiant keyboard layout for Windows 10
- Open the Start Menu and click on 'Settings.' Within 'Settings,' click on 'Time & language.'
- Within 'Time & language,' click on 'Region & language' in the left sidebar. In the main part of the screen, click 'Add a language.'
- This will bring up a list of all the languages you can install on your system. Scroll to the right until you find 'Russian.' Once you click on it, you’re done with the installation
Important! This is all you need to do to be able to type in Russian. You should not use'make Default' option on that screen, that is, do not choose Russian layout as your default.
As it was noted above, if you see not one but several layouts in the list of active layouts for Russian, then you must remove unneeded ones and leave only one layout active for Russian language.
The way to switch keyboard from English typing ('EN') to Russian typing ('RU') is to press Alt+Shift or to press pressing Windows logo button + space bar.
Now you can switch your keybord to 'RU' and start typing Russian Cyrillic!
Note.How To Change Keyboard Layout Windows 8.1
The steps above are for your own computer where you can perform such tune-up.But you can type Russian even if you are in the businees center of a hotel and computer there does not allow any tune-up:
there are Web pages with so called 'Virtual Russian Keyboard' that emulates your 'home' input to let you type as you got used to.
See the information at the #v5 of this page.
Typing Russian when system tune-up cannot be done:
at work or in a hotel's business center Windows or Mac computer
If you need to write in Russian, but you are not using your own PC, say you are in an Internet-cafe or in the library, where you can read Russian but can not
you can use special Web page with a Virtual Keyboard where you can input Cyrillic text (using mouse or physical keyboard) and then copy it to the place where you need it.
That is, even in that case you should not send a transliteration, latin text such as 'privet' or 'schast'ye' that will bother the readers of that message - no, you can send normal Cyrillic text.
Virtual Keyboard allows you to input via regular keyboard (though mouse can be used, too) and - important! - you can type 'as at home', choosing, in the menu below the image, same layout that you use at home (Standard or Phonetic explained in a parent page of this one)
Please see for yourself: 'On-screen, virtual Russian keyboard'
How To Reset Keyboard Settings Windows 8
While in Internet-cafe, you can use a short address of that Virtual Keyboard:
- TypeRus.com (=http://winrus.com/keyboard.htm)
Obviously, it's not as handy as typing with regular Windows or Mac keyboard tools, so you should use such special Web page only in such 'corner case' as Internet-cafe or library (or if you need to type Russian not too often).
That is, if it's your own computer at home then you should spend 20 minutes - one time! - to read the instruction on this page, below - for regular Windows keyboard tools activation via Control Panel.
Accidentally, I have my MacBook (MC516) keyboard changed to Japanese layout after a water-pouring hazard happened to him. Keyboard layout switching work is automatic in OS X and easy to be done in Linux (KDE environment), but I had a little trouble in Windows 8 since there is no GUI options.
After reading this article:
Change Keyboard Layout Windows 10
I managed to get it switched:
How To Change Keyboard Layout Windows 8.0
- launch Device Management (Win+X, M);
- double click keyboard, select “Driver”-“Update Driver…”;
- select “Browse”-“Select from List”-Uncheck “Show Compatible Hardwars”-“(Standard Keyboard)”-“Japanese PS/2 Keyboard (106/109 Key)”-“Next”-“Yes”;
- reboot;
- launch regedit (Win+R, regedit);
- navigate to “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlKeyboard Layouts”;
- select “00000804”, change “Layout File” from “KBDUS.DLL” to “KBDJPN.DLL”;
- select other keyboard layouts ends with “0804” (stands for Chinese), change “Layout File” from “KBDUS.DLL” to “KBDJPN.DLL”;
- reboot;
- everything is as cool as OS X and KDE now.
Custom Keyboard Layout Windows 10
Yeah, very straightforward.