Change Z and Y on an English keyboard on Win 10 w/o buying software

Hez guzs... or I mean, hey guys! Ugh!

All I want is to have an English keyboard with Z and Y swapped. Why is it so hard to do? I do not want to buy a software just to have this little tweak going on. I want the change to be permanent, I do not want to be toggling it in any way. Just have an English keyboard layout with Z and Y swapped.

Sometimes I need to switch to English (because OneNote is a moron and has the worst language proofing settings I have ever seen - you have to use your mouse to change proofing language. Or use a LOT of keyboard) in order to have my text corrected as an english text. However, I switch to a different keyboard, which has Z and Y swapped and I am used to typing that my whole life and I refuse to change.

Can't I just make it work somehow?

edit: AutoHotKey is an issue. I need the switch to work only in a specific keyboard layout without performance drops and I need my current scripts to continue working.

Ev0oD

Posted 2017-02-08T17:28:21.437

Reputation: 459

If this is a language issue, you should be able to add the German keyboard layout (that's the only one I'm aware of that swaps Y and Z) to your system through the Language and Internationalization control panel (or whatever they've changed the name to in Windows 10 - I don't have my WinTen box handy at the moment to check). Then, when you need to type in German, Ctrl-Alt-F1 will switch to the German layout, and Ctrl-Alt-F2 back to English (or maybe vice-versa). – Jeff Zeitlin – 2017-02-08T17:41:30.103

No. I use Slovak with ZY swapped and an English one. And I use both, I change them frequently. Thing is, I want to have the English keyboard with QWERTZ layout too. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:51:02.650

1I think you need to put in the question that you refuse to to press a single extra key to make this happen, but I think this is an XY question problem: you are asking for the wrong solution. Focus on Onenote (such as using the free version of Onetastic to make a one-key macro to change proofing) – Yorik – 2017-02-08T19:16:17.377

Did not realize Onetastic is that powerful. Thanks for pointing me in that direction. However, I thought the initial question is not saying anything about toggling, so why would I explicitly say I do not want to press toggle button to do it, when I did not ask for it in the first place? I want to have Z and Y changed on an English keyboard. No problem with the change being permanent, actually I want that. No toggling. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-09T08:46:50.690

@JeffZeitlin: All former Yugoslavia countries' (Croatia, Slovenia, ...) keyboard layouts are QWERTZ too and this is the only layout which works well for using in Croatia (the<> labels are missing from , and . keys, these can be typed both by using AltGr or by directly pressing the key next to the left Shift). However, AltGr has to be used to type [ ] { } \ | which is not too suitable for typing code so UK layout with swapped Y and Z would be useful.

– Chupo_cro – 2019-07-19T17:09:48.250

@Yorik: There are some other reasons for using UK layout with swapped Y and Z too, take a look at my reply to Jeff. – Chupo_cro – 2019-07-19T17:15:35.977

@Ev0oD I found something pretty interesting. Microsoft has a tool that allows you to create your own custom keyboard layout. Check out my answer, hope it helps. – David Dai – 2019-09-09T08:41:27.653

Answers

It seems you can create your own variant of the standard QWERTY layout using a microsoft provided tool Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator

I haven't had time to go through the whole process of creating a custom layout, sorry about that. You can use file -> load existing keyboard to load the default keyboard then make your modifications. Hope this helps.

Here's a screenshot I took just now when I was trying it:

David Dai

Posted 2017-02-08T17:28:21.437

Reputation: 2 833

This does not create an English keyboard with QWERTZ layout, unfortunately, but it is a workaround for the OneNote thing, if anyone would need it.

You can have a "language" setting in Windows with a keyboard of a completely different language.

So my situation now is, that I have:

Slovak language (with Slovak QWERTZ keyboard)
English language (with Slovak QWERTZ keyboard)

Now I can type with English language (Slovak keyboard) in OneNote, which forces English proofing language and then when I type in Slovak I can switch to Slovak language (with Slovak keyboard) and have Slovak proofing language.

The problem with this is that I do not have the benefit of an English keyboard this way, I only have two Slovak keyboards like this (with different localizations)

Ev0oD

Posted 2017-02-08T17:28:21.437

Reputation: 459

-1

You can use an AutoHotKey script with

y::z z::y

I will create a script soon and post a link to both the script and an exe of it after I test it

DanHolli

Posted 2017-02-08T17:28:21.437

Reputation: 621

I should have mentioned it. I tried. It is quite difficult. I did not manage to build a script that would see what my language is and based on it replace the characters. Remember, I need to switch languages. Not have zy replaced where it was originally correct. Plus I need the change not to mess up my current scripts.. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:37:26.793

I can make a toggle, it will take more work, and for the startup you could open the run diolougue (Win+R) and enter in shell:startup and copy the exe file there – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:41:31.113

@Ev0oD, what would you like the toggle to be? – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:45:56.000

What is the toggle supposed to do? I am not sure what you are offering me. My problem proposition is clear above, I guess... – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:48:25.517

toggle the script on and off so it won't affect both keyboards only when you press the toggle – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:51:26.453

It's odd typing, I have the script on and I'm used to qwerty – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:52:32.490

So you would have me toggling a script everytime I would switch keyboards? That doesn't sound like something I wanna do. And of course it is odd for you, since you are not used to it. But I type with all ten fingers by memory quite fast, but my brain is calibrated for qwertz. so yeah. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:53:26.873

@Ev0oD, that's great for you, I have the script working with the toggle being f12, Do you want it to be something else before I compile it and give the link? – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:55:01.293

Look, I appreciate your big efforts @DanHolli but this is not the thing I wanted. I do NOT want to have to press another key everytime I switch the language, to have the effect present only then. Plus I am afraid it would affect the behaviour of my other AHK scripts. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:56:29.740

it shouldn't I make another script to test it, and I could make it so the toggle isn't something you usually use, say, scroll lock – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T17:57:59.057

How can you make sure it would not interfere with my scripts when you do not test all the cases I have? :D I am sorry Dan, just drop it, I do not want to use AHK for this for 90%. And if I wanted it would have to know the language I have, I repeat, I do not want to be toggling it everytime I change language. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T17:59:19.727

if you were, what WOULD you want the toggle to be? – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T18:01:28.570

:D :D :D :D why would that matter? I would pick any key combination I have free. – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T18:03:52.517

I just also remapped y to 7, no matter what y gives 7 and z still gives y – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T18:04:55.143

o.O slowly backs away – Ev0oD – 2017-02-08T18:05:28.083

so I believe that your other scripts will still work the same – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T18:06:00.130

my key board is now a qwert7 keyboard :P – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T18:07:54.933

@Ev0oD, what would you like it to be? – DanHolli – 2017-02-08T18:12:47.247