106
17
Is there any way to set keyboard shortcuts to quickly change to a different language/keyboard layout? The old shortcuts still seem to work (when set back in Windows 7), but I can't seem to find anything to change it in Windows 10.
106
17
Is there any way to set keyboard shortcuts to quickly change to a different language/keyboard layout? The old shortcuts still seem to work (when set back in Windows 7), but I can't seem to find anything to change it in Windows 10.
118
3Yay, found it, for english users, it is in Control Panel -> Clock, Language, and Region -> Language -> Advanced Settings -> Change language hotbar keys (under Switching input methods)
. Thanks! – Prime_Aqasix – 2015-12-11T01:08:15.870
3I keep hitting one of these default shortcuts without realising it and before I know it I'm typing random nonsense all over Is it possible to change the WinKey + Space shortcut somewhere as well? – Toby – 2016-09-27T15:11:29.430
1This seems to have changed in some recent update to Windows 10. The interface is rather different, but this answer still helped me fix the situation. The update apparently cleared all the settings I had made before (in Windows 7 before upgrade to Windows 10)! In addition, the previous default was that the change worked on a per-window basis; now you need to check the checkbox for allowing different application windows to use different keyboard layouts. – Jukka K. Korpela – 2017-01-28T18:05:32.320
It's worth mentioning that there is a very limited set of pre-defined key sequences to choose from. I have the same shortcut, ctrl+right arrow, set up for toggling keyboard layout on two Macs and two Linux desktops. Nothing wrong with the answer, but a bad/sloppy design choice of Microsoft to restrict in this way. – Betamos – 2018-03-22T07:59:10.603
3Later update win10 1803 removed this panel, cannot set hotkey anymore. Don't update to 1803. – Tiw – 2018-05-08T07:35:28.807
@Betamos: After choosing a pre-defined key sequence, you can then change it to any possible key sequence by entering the VirtualKey code and the KeyModifier code directly into the registry, here (note that reboot is required to put it into effect): HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Input Method\Hot Keys\0000xxxx – Avi Shmidman – 2018-07-11T19:00:37.390
1This is outdated, I could not find it. Why didn't anyone edit it to put the right path to it? – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T12:31:23.690
52
The menu in the accepted answer does not exist in Control Panel anymore on Windows 10 version 1803 (not sure about 1709 and older).
But the same setting is accessible from Modern Settings app → Time & Language → Region and Language → Advanced keyboard settings (from the Related settings section) → Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings tab.
Update: Windows 10 version 1809 moved this setting again. see i3v's answer.
2Thank you, you saved me. What a slap from Microsoft again. – Youda008 – 2018-10-29T12:17:43.723
1Yes, this should be the accepted answer now! – antimirov – 2019-01-20T00:23:35.843
1This seems to be outdated - at least I could not find it (there is no Region and Language option, and the related options seems to vary depending on system). Why didn't anyone edit it to put the right path to it? – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T12:35:39.313
2They are using good coke in MS headquarters - change this shit every year – Toolkit – 2019-08-23T12:13:37.790
45
In Windows 10 version 1809 (also versions 1903 and 1909), the setting described in the accepted answer is here:
Settings -> Time & Language -> Language -> Spelling, typing, & keyboard settings -> Advanced keyboard settings -> Language bar options -> Advanced Key Settings.
These hotkeys are quite buggy since 2012 or so. They may disappear (the setting is cleared or simply not working) after a windows update, after an RDP session, after logout/login, or even without any obvious reason.
There's one well-known workaround, that usually helps:
Settings -> Time & Language -> Language -> Administrative language settings -> Copy settings... -> tick both checkboxes -> OK.
If you ran into this, you may want to upvote some of these items on the FeedbackHub:
As a regular (non-insider) user:
Input language hotkeys keep being reset every time Windows starts
language bar hot keys are not reliable: a) sometimes they disappear ...
Language bar hot key setting keeps resetting back to default I'm using 3 languages input
Language hotkeys keep disappeared by itself every time the system was rebooted.
Windows auto reset language input hotkey in every reboot after I make changes to the setting.
As insider:
2Great answer! But where do your obfuscated links go? I don't trust that they're safe if I can't resolve the destination address. – CJ Dennis – 2019-04-17T01:19:49.050
1
@CJDennis, they are Feedback Hub share links, not web pages. I you'd like FH links to look more human-readable, you can vote for this my suggestion: as normal user, as insider.
– i3v – 2019-04-24T22:29:14.3771Only answer that helped me. Insanely hidden setting in this crazy GUI! – wim – 2019-06-27T16:51:17.963
Another step-by-step that is outdated. Following the screenshots on the link, we just can't find step 4 when we have English system and Portuguese keyboard. – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T12:20:52.813
@LeonardoAlvesMachado, what's your windows 10 version? – i3v – 2019-07-01T16:09:26.757
Just checked the version, and I found out that this Windows 10 is personalized for my company. Maybe that's why some of the options seems to be absent (or maybe they have different labels). – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T16:41:57.370
@LeonardoAlvesMachado, Windows 10 Enterprise might be heavily customized, but still there should be a build number (and a version number) in Settings->System->About
and in winver
. Usually, corporate users avoid deploying bleeding-edge builds, so I doubt your version is newer than 1903. But it might be older than 1809.
The version is 1809 – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T16:55:45.083
@LeonardoAlvesMachado quite weird then. – i3v – 2019-07-02T20:19:53.027
Thanks. I’d love to upvote the bugs because I’ve been suffering from them for years, but none of your regular user links work. The first 4 show a web page saying “This content is available only in the Feedback Hub app on Windows 10”, the last one actually opens the feedback hub, with a message “your account doesn’t have access to this feedback”. – Soonts – 2019-09-19T15:46:39.163
@Soonts, thanks for noticing! This seem to be yet another MS bug. I've also reported it here (insider/non-insider). Interestingly, initially, I saw “your account doesn’t have access to this feedback” for link #5 too, after clicking ~3 times it works now... I've added non-insider-FH links #6..#8 and marked #1..#4 as broken.
– i3v – 2019-10-13T18:35:33.547This method is no longer available; the advanced keyboard settings link has been removed. – Hsien-Chih Chang 張顯之 – 2020-01-22T19:07:05.833
@Hsien-ChihChang張顯之, I've just checked version 1909 - it works. Which version do you have? – i3v – 2020-01-22T20:13:24.320
Ah, I was on version 1903; after updating to 1909 everything is back to normal. – Hsien-Chih Chang 張顯之 – 2020-01-23T03:41:54.223
32
Windows key + Space is the new shortcut for switching keyboard layout!
12Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question. – DavidPostill – 2016-12-01T12:22:15.547
2On my system switching layouts does not work correctly using language switching. The question is asking for switching layouts, not languages. – arkod – 2016-12-01T12:34:10.990
1OP is asking how to change the shortcuts and remove existing ones. Your answer does not address that. – DavidPostill – 2016-12-01T12:37:44.803
If you know how to change the shortcut for changing layout please let me know. Windows key + space is the way to change layout. – arkod – 2016-12-01T13:06:24.630
1@arkod - Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question. "I still want to find a way to at least remove the current shortcuts set up" Notice your suggestion, was suggested, over a year ago and the author indicated it didn't answer this question. – Ramhound – 2016-12-01T14:48:52.757
Might not be a complete one, but it is a very useful answer - better than the others the were upvoted that does not exists anymore. – Leonardo Alves Machado – 2019-07-01T12:13:14.253
4
Just wanted to add to accepted answer. I am using Apple keyboard on Windows 10 here and the best way for me to switch input language is to turn off shortcut "Between input languages" completely and instead set individual shortcuts for each input language, for example:
I find this setting the only one that doesn't disturb my work all the time as occasionally pressing Alt + Shift changes language when it is not needed. Also if to remove all shortcuts from the settings then holding WIN(CMD on apple keyboard) followed by [space](press multiple times to iterate the list) or [1,2,3..] or [Select with mouse] works well too.
4
Unfortunately this has changed in the latest Windows 10 update. You now need to go to 'Languages' and then 'Advanced settings' in Control panel, and choose 'Change language bar hot keys':
Which will then bring up this dialogue from which you can change the hot key by clicking 'Change Key Sequence...'
3In the current Windows, i can't even easily get to the plain old Control Panel, and when i do, there is no more a 'Language' item. – Youda008 – 2018-10-29T12:22:19.083
3
For the latest Windows version since late 2018/ early 2019, Microsoft has changed this:
I hope Microsoft will not leave these vital settings in such an obscure place, in the long term (that they will at least give more convenient alternative ways of adjusting these settings!) The default settings are infuriating: I am forever accidentally pressing CTRL+SHIFT and accidentally switching between keyboard layouts…
2
For Windows 10 version 1803 I found the option in this location, they had moved it from the control panel to settings.
Welcome to StackOverflow! Given the number of similar answers to this question, this answer would be more helpful if you specified which Windows version and build you are using. As a new contributor, you will find that you will have a better experience if you take moment to take the Stack Overflow [tour]. If you follow the norms of the Stack Overflow community and approach it with an attitude of helping others too, it will serve you well. – Rey Juna – 2018-12-05T22:33:38.657
Welcome to Super User. Unfortunately, your answer duplicates content from several other answers. The intention is that each answer should contribute something new. – fixer1234 – 2018-12-05T22:43:09.497
1
I'm running Windows Server 2019 at work and the setting is (again) in a different spot. Since any and all tooling you might use on a Server uses hotkeys, many of which start with the Ctrl + Shift or Left Alt + Shift that trigger the language switch, the only reasonable setting is to have those turned off.
Here's how:
Settings → Devices → Typing (left panel) → Advanced keyboard settings (right panel, bottom) → Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings (the right-most tab in the new window) → Change Key Sequence... (button at the bottom) → Not Assigned (top option)
The Win + Space hot-key still works after turning the above setting to Not Assigned, so you can still switch easily without switching accidentally.
1This works on Windows 10 version 1903 build 18362.295. – Zdeněk Gromnica – 2019-08-31T23:15:44.387
0
an easier way to do it is:
- hold left Alt
- press Shift once (keep holding Alt)
a small menu should appear on the right side of the screen with your language
options
- press 1, 2, etc. to select the option you want
- release Alt
2
This seems to be basically the same as Constantin Zagorsky’s answer (posted 2½ years ago), with at least some overlap with Jack Aidley’s answer (posted 1½ years ago).
– Scott – 2019-06-20T15:09:55.0230
None of the answers work for me as of date; right now, to open "Text Services and Input Languages" one has to run the following:
Rundll32 Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL input.dll,,{C07337D3-DB2C-4D0B-9A93-B722A6C106E2}
Reference: https://winaero.com/blog/text-services-input-languages-shortcut-windows-10/
8Is Win+Space not good enough? or not what you are looking for? – Peter Hahndorf – 2015-08-18T07:36:35.133
2@Huh... never realized that function existed.. thanks! But I still want to find a way to at least remove the current shortcuts set up – Prime_Aqasix – 2015-08-19T04:50:07.217
1
Possible duplicate of How to disable Ctrl+Shift keyboard layout switch (for the same input language) in Windows?
– Tobias Kienzler – 2016-12-02T06:59:36.137