Choose between multiple keyboard layouts for different users in GDM3

Question

I am trying to set up a computer with multiple users each with different preferred keyboard layouts. The biggest sticking point right now is allowing each to log in comfortably.

GDM used to offer a way to choose keyboard layout, but I can't discover how to set this up in GDM3. All the solutions I found when Googling this problem suggest changing the keyboard layout in xorg.conf, but that only sets a different single layout and still does not seem to allow me to change the layout between multiple choices.

How can I allow multiple layouts when logging in?

Answer 1

A hard-disk failure caused me to re-install the OS on one of my machines. On this new install I was unable to get the layout selector to appear. I have a second machine which displays a layout selection menu on the GDM login screen, just to the right of the accessibility menu. Having verified that the two machines were running identical versions of gdm in the same OS, I was sure that it is possible ... but finding it was quite an oddysey, as none of the bazillion suggestions out on the interwebs solved my problem. Finally, the following worked for me:

• log in to some account via GDM
• open gnome-control-center a.k.a settings
• select 'Region & Language'
• click on the 'Login Screen' button near the top left of the 'Region and Language' panel
• add whatever languages you want

The last step will require authentication as a user with administration privileges (sudo group member, I guess): if the logged-in user does not qualify, a dialog appears.

The OS is Debian 9.3

I still have no idea where the GUI stored this information.