Whether you work with international clients or just want to make a good impression on friends, you may sometimes need to type in another language. Don't worry: on Windows 11, switching between keyboard layouts and typing in the language you want is quick and easy.
How to change your keyboard language
During Windows 11 setup, you are asked to choose your preferred keyboard language. This becomes the primary language for your system. However, you can easily add other keyboard languages and switch between them through the Windows Settings app.
To add a new keyboard language, first press Windows+i to open the Settings app.
Select "Time & Language" from the left sidebar, then click "Language & Region" in the right pane.
Click the "Add a Language" button.
Choose the language you want to install, then click the "Next" button.
Click "Install" to start the installation.
Once the new language is installed, you will see it listed under Languages. From there, you can click the language icon on the taskbar and pick the language you want to use.
You can also press Windows+ Spacebar or Alt+Shift to switch languages quickly on your Windows computer.
How to change the keyboard layout
When you install a language, the keyboard layout automatically changes to match it. The default layout may not be the best fit for you, though, since each language has a different layout.
In that case, you can choose from the different layouts available for the language and install the one that best matches your typing habits. To install another layout for your language, open the "Settings" app and go to Time & Language > Language & Region.
Click the three dots next to your language and choose "Language Options" from the menu that appears.
Click the "Add a Keyboard" button next to Installed keyboards.
Choose the layout to install. You can use the on-screen keyboard to see how the selected layout will work in practice.
How to remove a keyboard language or layout
If you no longer need an added keyboard language, you can remove it to avoid switching to it by accident. To remove a keyboard language, launch the Settings app and go to Time & Language > Language & Region.
Click the three dots next to the language you want to remove, then choose "Remove" from the menu that appears.
A prompt will ask you to confirm that you want to remove the selected language. Click "Yes" to confirm.
To remove a language layout, click the three dots next to the language whose layout you want to remove and choose "Language Options" from the menu.
Under Keyboards, click the three dots next to the layout you want to remove and choose "Remove" from the pop-up menu.
Just repeat the process above for each keyboard layout you want to remove.
Good luck!
