How to Turn On or Off Different Keyboard Layouts for Each App in Windows 11

Why Change Keyboard Layouts?

Keyboard layouts dictate which characters appear on screen when physical keys are pressed. German demands accented vowels like ä, while Spanish relies on tildes like ñ. Manual layout switching grants direct access to those missing characters.

Adding a new language to Windows automatically installs the associated keyboard layout. Additional input methods cater to specialized linguistic requirements.

Multiple active layouts allow quick transitions via the taskbar 🖥️ language icon or pressing Win + Spacebar.

Global input remains the default behavior across all applications unless configured otherwise. Windows accepts specific instructions to maintain independent keyboard profiles for separate app windows.

How to Turn On or Off Different Keyboard Layouts for Each App Using Settings

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing Win + I.
2. Click Time & language on the left side.
3. Click Typing on the right side.
4. Scroll down and click Advanced keyboard settings.
5. Look for Let me use a different input method for each app window and check it to turn on this feature. Uncheck it to turn it off.
6. You can now close Settings.

Visual reference indicates the exact configuration panel:

Direct access to Typing settings comes through this link: Open Typing settings

How to Turn On or Off Different Keyboard Layouts for Each App Using PowerShell

PowerShell execution handles command-line configuration for terminal enthusiasts:

1. Open Windows Terminal (right-click the Start button and choose it), then select Windows PowerShell.
2. Copy and paste one of the commands below and press Enter.

Turn On Different Keyboard Layouts for Each App

Activation without the desktop language bar requires this specific syntax:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacySwitchMode

Activation alongside the desktop language bar uses the following command:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacyLanguageBar -UseLegacySwitchMode

Turn Off Different Keyboard Layouts for Each App (Default)

Deactivation while hiding the desktop language bar runs this string:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption

Deactivation while keeping the desktop language bar visible utilizes this command:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacyLanguageBar

Windows Terminal closes safely once execution finishes.

Summary

• You can change your keyboard layout to type in different languages.
• Windows 11 lets you use different keyboard layouts for each app window to make typing easier.
• You can turn this feature on or off in Settings or by using PowerShell commands.
• This feature is helpful if you switch languages often while working in different apps.
• Make sure your keyboard layouts are set up well to get the best typing experience.

Further reading on managing input methods appears in this companion guide: Add or Remove Keyboard Layouts in Windows 11