Setting the default input method for the Windows 10 login screen

Question

I use an english version of Windows 10, but I have set the keyboard layout to German (Switzerland). This works fine if I am logged in with my user. The only keyboard available is my German(Switzerland) keyboard, which is exactly what I want.

On the login screen on the other hand there are three keyboards available (which would be okay too), but German (Germany) is the default. Since most of the special characters are on different keys, logging in is difficult, unless I switch the keyboard every time.

How can I change the default input method / keyboard layout for the login screen in Windows 10?

Answer 1

I had the same question but with French being the default on Windows 10 rather than the one I wanted so I ended up here.

HoD is very close. I was able to use his suggestion to find the solution for me. This solution uses your current display and input language to change the Welcome screen and possible for new user accounts if you want. So make sure you have the display and input settings while logged in that you want to apply to the login screen before doing the steps:

1. Click the language on the Taskbar.
2. Then click Language preferences.
3. At the bottom under "Related settings," click "additional date, time, & regional settings" which opens the control panel
4. Click the "Region" option
5. Then go to the far right tab "Administrative". (HoD's step 2)
6. In the "Welcome screen and new user accounts" click copy settings. (HoD's step 3)
7. Tick "Welcome screen and system accounts" (and "new user accounts" if you want it to be applied to those as well). (HoD's step 4)
8. Click Ok. (HoD's step 5)

I was able to use HoD's suggestion to find the solution here. It's for Windows 8.1, but works on 10 so far.

Hope it will help you, too!

Answer 2

I'm on Win7 so I will check again tonight on Win10 to see if this is still correct. So first set up your own settings (language, keyboard etc) they way you want it. Then do this:

1. Open Control Panel and open "Change Keyboard or other input methods"
2. Open the tab 'Administrative'
3. Click on "Copy settings..."
4. Tick "Welcome screen and system accounts" and "new user accounts" if you feel like it.
5. Click Apply and then OK

Answer 3

The accepted solution from user Ender might not work because it lacks a final step.

As the answer from user Alexander Davidenko states, there is another option that will automatically revert the changes you just made if you only follow Ender's answer.

To counter this automatic reversion:

1. Do every step from Ender's solution (8 steps)
2. Type Windows key + R to open the "Run" window.
3. Input "gpedit.msc" and hit enter to open "Local Group Policy Editor".
4. In the left tree view, select Local Group Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates
5. On the right pane, open System > Local Services
6. Modify the setting "Disallow copying of user input methods to the system account for sign-in" to Enabled.

You should finally be able to use your current keyboard layout as a default input method in the Welcome screen!

Answer 4

Win-X (or right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar)
Settings
Region & language
Related settings - Additional date, time & regional settings
Language - Change input methods
 If necessary, Options (to Add an input method)
Advanced settings
Override for default input method -> select desired main input language
Save
then follow the steps to save it to Welcome screen and/or New user

Answer 5

I am using Group Policy Registry settings to setup en-US welcome screen input language by default on domain computers. There are only two registry values in single key:

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload]
"1"="00000409"
"2"="00000419"

I am sure that default input language is EN on welcome screen. It is very usable because usernames are also English.

But this policy doesn't work on Win10 by default, "from box". And that's why.

There is undocumented feature in Windows 8/8.1/10. It performs automatically copying user language settings to login screen. This feature can be disabled by Local or Domain GPO here:

Computer configuration/Administrative Templates/System/Locale Services/
Disallow copying of user input methods to the system account for sign-in

"This policy prevents automatic copying of user input methods to the system account for use on the sign-in screen. The user is restricted to the set of input methods that are enabled in the system account. Note this does not affect the availability of user input methods on the lock screen or with the UAC prompt. If the policy is Enabled, then the user will get input methods enabled for the system account on the sign-in page. If the policy is Disabled or Not Configured, then the user will be able to use input methods enabled for their user account on the sign-in page."

Just enable it, and you can control input language on welcome screen by only two registry values.

Answer 6

If you use on windows 7 / server 2003 registry key

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload]

for set keyboard layout for password prompting screen and this layout was not default for system, now on windows 10 / server 2012-2016 you must add another key for doing such thing:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\International]

Example: (for Russian user)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Keyboard Layout\Preload]
"1"="00000409"
"2"="00000419"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\International]
"BlockUserInputMethodsForSignIn"=dword:00000001

Save this as .reg file and start on every system, where you login.