How to Change Your Keyboard Language to English in Windows 11

Keyboard Language vs Display Language

Windows treats these as two separate settings, and mixing them up is the most common reason people end up with the wrong result.

• Keyboard language (also called the input method) decides which characters appear when you press a key. It controls the layout, such as US or United Kingdom, and where symbols like @ and ” sit.
• Windows display language decides the language of menus, Settings, and system messages.

You can have an English keyboard and a non-English display language, or the reverse. The main steps below change the keyboard. A later section covers the display language.

Before You Start

Check these points first so you do not stall partway through:

• Internet connection: Adding a language downloads language features from Microsoft. Without a connection, the install can sit at “Waiting” or fail.
• Which English you need: English (United States) gives you the US layout. English (United Kingdom) gives you the UK layout. The letters match, but symbols such as @, “, £, #, and the backslash sit on different keys. Pick the one that matches the printed keys on your keyboard.
• Administrator rights: Adding a keyboard for your own account does not need them. Applying English to the sign-in screen does, and that step is flagged below.

How to Add an English Keyboard in 🪟 Windows 11

This is the main method. It adds English as a language, and Windows adds the matching keyboard layout with it.

Step 1Open Language & region settings

This page lists every language and keyboard on your PC.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Settings.

   

2. Select Time & language in the left pane.

   

3. Select Language & region.

   

You should see a Preferred languages list. Each entry shows the language name and small icons for the features installed for it.

Step 2Add English as a language

This step downloads English and installs its keyboard.

1. Next to Preferred languages, select Add a language.

   

2. In the search box, type English.

   

3. Select the version you want, for example English (United States) or English (United Kingdom).
4. Select Next.

A screen titled Install language features appears with several checkboxes.

Step 3Choose the install options

Windows offers optional extras here. For a keyboard change, you only need the language pack.

1. Leave Install language pack ticked.
2. Clear the Set as my Windows display language checkbox if you want to keep your current menus and Settings language. Leave it ticked if you want Windows itself to switch to English. This option signs you out later.
3. Tick or clear the other features, such as handwriting and speech recognition, as you need them.
4. Select Install.

When the download finishes, the indicator disappears. Wait for it to clear before you continue, because the keyboard may not be usable until the install completes.

If the install stalls or shows an error, check your internet connection, then select the three dots (...) next to English and look for a retry option. If the language still will not install, restart the PC and repeat Step 2.

How to Switch to the English Keyboard

Once you have more than one keyboard, Windows lets you switch between them at any time. You have three ways to do it.

Switch with the taskbar indicator

The indicator sits in the system tray near the clock and shows a short code, such as ENG for English.

1. Select the language code in the taskbar, near the clock.
2. Select English in the list that opens.

The code in the taskbar changes to ENG, and the next key you press uses the English layout. If the indicator is missing, see the troubleshooting section below.

Switch with the keyboard shortcut

The fastest method is a shortcut that works in any app.

1. Hold the Windows key and tap Spacebar.
2. Keep the Windows key held and tap Spacebar again until English is highlighted.
3. Release both keys.

A small pop-up lists your installed keyboards while you hold the Windows key. Release both keys to select the highlighted one. Note: Depending on your setup, Left Alt + Shift also cycles through keyboards.

Change the switching shortcut

If Alt + Shift triggers by accident while you type, you can change or disable it.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Typing
2. Select Advanced keyboard settings.

   

3. Select Input language hotkeys. A dialog titled Text Services and Input Languages opens.
4. On the Advanced Key Settings tab, select Change Key Sequence.
5. Choose a different sequence, or select Not Assigned, then select OK.

The Windows key + Spacebar shortcut is separate and keeps working.

How to Add Only the English Keyboard Layout to an Existing Language

If you only want English typing and do not want a second language pack, add the English layout to the language you already have. This is useful when you type mostly in another language and need a US layout for programming, gaming, or passwords.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. In Preferred languages, select the three dots (...) next to your current language.
3. Select Language options.

   

4. Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard.

   

5. Select US (or United Kingdom) from the list.

The new layout appears under Keyboards and in the taskbar switcher. The taskbar code still shows your original language, but the keys follow the layout you chose. Check which keyboard is active by opening the taskbar switcher — the name shown under the language code tells you which layout is active.

How to Fix the Wrong English Layout

If English is already installed but characters come out wrong, the layout is the likely cause. The typical signs are @ and " swapped, or # and £ appearing where you expect something else.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. Select the three dots (...) next to English, then select Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, select Add a keyboard and add the layout that matches your physical keyboard, for example US or United Kingdom.
4. Select the three dots (...) next to the layout you do not want, then select Remove.

Open a text editor such as Notepad and press the symbol keys to confirm the output now matches the key labels.

How to Make English Apply on the Sign-In Screen

The sign-in screen and new user accounts use their own settings separately, so a password with symbols can fail if the layout differs. At the sign-in screen, you can pick a keyboard with the language button near the bottom-right corner before you type the password.

To copy your settings to the sign-in screen and new accounts permanently, use Administrative language settings. This step requires administrator privileges.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. Scroll down and select Administrative language settings. The Region dialog opens on the Administrative tab.
3. Select Copy settings. Approve the User Account Control prompt if one appears.
4. Under Copy your current settings to, tick Welcome screen and system accounts. Tick New user accounts if you want new profiles to start with the same settings.
5. Select OK.

Windows may ask you to restart. Restart when prompted, and the sign-in screen then uses the same language settings as your account.

If Copy settings is greyed out, you are not signed in as an administrator. Sign in with an administrator account and repeat the steps.

How to Change the Windows Display Language to English

Skip this section if you only need to type in English. Use it if menus, Settings, and system messages should also appear in English.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. If English is not in Preferred languages, add it using the steps earlier in this guide and tick Set as my Windows display language.
3. If English is already installed, open the Windows display language drop-down and select English.
4. Select Sign out when Windows prompts you.
5. Sign back in.

Menus, Settings, and the Start menu now appear in English after you sign back in. Some apps change the next time you open them.

How to Remove a Keyboard or Language You No Longer Need

Removing a layout also undoes the change if you added the wrong one. The removal only affects your account.

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region
2. To remove a whole language, select the three dots (...) next to it, then select Remove.
3. To remove a single layout, select the three dots next to the language, select Language options, then select the three dots next to the layout under Keyboards and select Remove.

Windows does not let you remove the language it uses as the display language. Change the display language first, then remove the language you no longer want. The taskbar indicator disappears when only one keyboard remains.

Troubleshooting

The language indicator is missing from the taskbar

Windows shows the indicator only when two or more keyboards are installed. If you have just one, it stays hidden. Add a second keyboard, and the indicator appears. You can also check Settings › Personalization › Taskbar › System tray icons if it was hidden.

Add a language is greyed out or a message says settings are managed by your organization

On a work or school PC, an administrator can restrict language changes. Contact your IT department. You cannot override this from your account.

The language installs but will not become the display language

Some Windows 11 editions, such as Windows 11 Home Single Language, are limited in which display languages they allow. Keyboard layouts are a separate setting, so adding an English keyboard layout to your existing language still works. If you need the display language itself changed, check your Windows edition under Settings › System › About

The keyboard changes by itself between apps

Windows can remember a different keyboard for each app window. To control this, open Settings › Time & language › Typing › Advanced keyboard settings. Tick or clear Let me use a different input method for each app window. The exact wording of this option can vary between Windows 11 builds, so look for the one that mentions a different input method per app window.

What to Do Next

If a layout is still wrong after you remove and re-add it, restart the PC and check Language options again for any leftover keyboards you did not intend to keep. Windows updates and new user profiles can bring back default keyboards, so open Language & region after a feature update to confirm your setup is unchanged. To type in another language alongside English, repeat the Add a language steps and use Windows key + Spacebar to move between them.