How to Disable Double Tap Space Bar Period Insertion in Windows 11 Typing

Open Windows Settings

Settings is where Windows 11 keeps typing preferences, device options and account controls. You don’t need the old Control Panel for this change.

1. Press Win+I on your keyboard. The Settings ⚙️ window opens with a list of categories in the left sidebar.

   

2. If the shortcut doesn’t work, click the Start button and select the gear-shaped Settings icon pinned to the menu.

Press Win+R to open the Run dialog, type ms-settings:typing and press Enter. Settings opens directly on the Typing page. If you do this, you can skip ahead to the section where you switch the option off, because you will already be on the right page.

Otherwise, look at the left sidebar for the category you need next.

Navigate to Time & Language Settings

The Time & language category holds your keyboard layouts, regional formats, speech settings and typing correction rules. The Typing page lives inside it.

1. Click Time & language in the left sidebar of the Settings ⚙️ window. If your window is narrow or short, scroll down the list to find it.

   

The main pane now shows options such as Date & time, Language & region and Typing. You want Typing.

Access Typing Settings

The Typing page controls text suggestions, autocorrect and touch keyboard behavior.

1. Click Typing in the main Time & language pane.

   

You should now see a list of toggle switches covering text suggestions, autocorrect and touch keyboard options. Scroll through it to find the spacebar setting.

Disable the Double-Tap Period Shortcut

This is the setting that stops Windows inserting a dot when you hit the space bar twice quickly while writing emails, documents or web searches.

1. Find the option for adding a period after double-tapping the space bar. It sits under the Touch keyboard section of the Typing page. The exact wording can differ slightly between Windows 11 builds, for example “Add a period after pressing the spacebar twice”.

   

2. Click the toggle switch next to it. The status changes from On to Off.
3. Close the Settings ⚙️ app. Windows saves the change automatically, and you don’t need to restart.

To undo it later, come back to the same page and switch the toggle back to On. If you can’t find the option, scroll the whole page, including any collapsed sections. Some builds or devices show fewer touch keyboard options, especially when no touch screen is present.

Test Your Changes in Notepad

Test the change in Notepad to confirm that fast typing no longer adds a period.

1. Press the Win, type Notepad, and press Enter. A blank Notepad window opens.
2. Type a short sentence, press the space bar twice quickly, and type another word.
3. Check the result. You should see two plain spaces between the words, with no period inserted.

If a period still appears, go on to the next sections.

Adjusting Hardware Keyboard vs Touch Keyboard Settings

Windows treats physical keyboards (USB, Bluetooth, or the one built into a laptop) differently from the on-screen touch keyboard. The setting you just changed mainly affects the touch keyboard, which is the virtual keyboard used on tablets and touch screens.

If a physical keyboard still inserts periods, go back to the Typing page and look for any other text suggestion or autocorrect options that might apply. Also check whether a third-party utility is responsible. Text expanders, clipboard tools and some keyboard drivers can add punctuation on their own.

Using Registry Editor to Force Typing Settings

Treat it as a last resort. A wrong edit in the registry can cause instability or crashes, so back up the registry or create a restore point before you start. Registry Editor also needs admin approval, and you may see a User Account Control prompt.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter. Approve the prompt if one appears, and Registry Editor opens.
3. Use the left sidebar tree to go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
4. Right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Do this only if a policy override is required in your enterprise environment.

Name and set the new value exactly as your organization's documentation or IT team specifies. I can't confirm a standard value name for this setting, so don't guess one. To undo the change, right-click the value you created and select Delete.

If this didn't work

If unwanted punctuation still appears, restart your computer. This clears cached keyboard input and restarts the background text services.

If it still happens after the restart, check any manufacturer utilities installed on the machine, such as laptop companion apps. Some of these apply their own typing corrections, independent of the Windows setting. Also check whether a work or school policy manages the PC, because a policy can override the toggle on the Typing page.