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Change Keyboard Language Shortcut on Windows 10/11: Easy Guide

On Windows, you can install additional keyboard languages to type in the language you want. When you want to switch to a specific keyboard language, you can change the keyboard language using a keyboard shortcut or the language bar icon on the taskbar. The default keyboard shortcut to change keyboard language is “Windows logo key + Spacebar” and “Left Alt key + Shift key.”

If you want to change it for any reason, you can set a different keyboard shortcut to change the keyboard layout in Windows 10 & 11. For example, the default keyboard shortcut is hard to press or prone to accidental presses.

In this quick and easy guide, let me show you how to change the keyboard language shortcut on Windows. To make things easier, I’m showing separate steps for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Depending on your operating system version, follow the relevant steps.

Table of contents:

  1. How to change keyboard language shortcut on Windows 10
  2. How to change keyboard language shortcut on Windows 11
  3. Set a keyboard shortcut to switch to a specific keyboard language
  4. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
  5. Conclusion

How to change keyboard language shortcut on Windows 10

You can use the language bar options via the Settings app to change the keyboard language shortcut.

Here’s how to change the keyboard language shortcut on Windows 10:

  1. Open the settings app on Windows 10.
  2. Click on the “Devices” option.
  3. On the “Devices” page, go to the “Typing” tab.
  4. Click on the “Advanced Keyboard Settings” link under the “More Keyboard Settings” section.
  5. Click on the “Language Bar Options” link under the “Switching Input Methods” section.
  6. Go to the “Advanced Key Settings” tab.
  7. Select “Between Input Languages” under the “Hot Keys for Input Languages” section.
  8. Click the “Change Key Sequence” button.
  9. Choose the keyboard shortcut of your choice under the “Switch Input Language” section and click “Ok.”
  10. Click “Apply” and “Ok” in the main window to save changes.

Steps with more details:

First, open the settings app by pressing the keyboard shortcut “Windows logo key + I.” You can also search for the settings app in the start menu. Once the Settings app opens, click on the “Devices” option.

Go to Devices in Windows 10 Settings app

Go to the “Typing” tab on the left panel of the “Devices” page. Next, scroll down in the right panel, find the “Advanced Keyboard Settings” link under the “More Keyboard Settings” section, and click on it.

Click on Advanced Keyboard Settings link

The above action opens the Advanced Keyboard Settings page. Here, find the “Language Bar Options” link under the “Switching Input Methods” section and click on it.

Click on Language Bar Options link

In the “Text Services and Input Languages” window, go to the “Advanced Key Settings” tab, select the “Between Input Languages” option under Hot Keys for Input Languages, and click on the “Change Key Sequence” button.

Click Change Key Sequence

In the Change Key Sequence window, select the keyboard shortcut of your choice under the “Switch Input Language” section and click on the “Ok” button to save changes. If you are wondering, you can only choose from the predefined shortcuts; you cannot set a custom shortcut. If you want, you can remap the shortcuts using PowerToys.

change keyboard language shortcut

Click on the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons on the main window, and you are good to go.

That is all. It is that simple to change the keyboard language shortcut on Windows 10.

How to change keyboard language shortcut on Windows 11

Windows 11 users can change the keyboard language shortcut from the Setting app. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Launch the Windows 11 Settings app with “Windows key + I.”
  2. Select “Time & language” on the sidebar.
  3. Go to the “Typing” page in the “Time & language” page.
  4. Click and open the “Advanced keyboard settings” page.
  5. Click on the “Input language hot keys” link.
  6. Select the “Between input languages” option.
  7. Click the “Change Key Sequence” button.
  8. Select a keyboard shortcut under the “Switch Input Language” section.
  9. Click the “Ok” button in this and the main windows.
  10. With that, you changed the shortcut to switch keyboard language.

Steps with more details:

First, use the “Windows key + I” hotkey to open the Windows 11 Settings app. You can also find the Settings app in the Start menu and open it that way. In the Settings app, select the “Time & language” option on the sidebar.

On the “Time & language” page, go to the “Typing” tab. Here, you’ll find various options to customize your keyboard. Scroll down the “Typing” page and find the “Advanced keyboard settings” link under the “More Keyboard Settings” section. Click on it to open the advanced keyboard settings page.

open the typing page in Windows 11 settings app

On the advanced keyboard settings page, find the “Language Bar Options” link under the “Switching Input Methods” section. Click on it to open the “Text Services and Input Languages” window.

open advanced keyboard settings

Go to the “Advanced Key Settings” tab. Here, select the “Between Input Languages” option under the “Hot Keys for Input Languages” section and click the “Change Key Sequence” button to change the current keyboard shortcut to switch between keyboard languages.

click on input language hot keys link

Windows 11 will now show you a list of keyboard shortcuts you can use to switch between keyboard languages. Choose the one you prefer and click the “Ok” button to save the changes. Unfortunately, you can only choose from the predefined shortcuts; you cannot choose a custom shortcut.

change keyboard language shortcut

Click the “Apply” button in the main window and then the “Ok” button to confirm the changes.

That’s it; you have successfully changed the keyboard shortcut to switch between keyboard languages in Windows 11.

Set a keyboard shortcut to switch to a specific keyboard language

If you are switching to a specific keyboard language often, you can assign a dedicated hotkey to change to that keyboard language. That way, you don’t have to cycle through all the available keyboard languages before selecting the one you want to use. This is especially useful if you have installed more than two keyboard languages.

Here’s how to set a keyboard shortcut to switch to a specific keyboard language:

  1. Open the Settings app with “Windows key + I.”
  2. Select “Time & language” on the sidebar.
  3. Go to the “Typing” page in the “Time & language” page.
  4. Click and open the “Advanced keyboard settings” page.
  5. Click on the “Input language hot keys” link.
  6. Select the keyboard language of your choice.
  7. Click the “Change Key Sequence” button.
  8. Select the “Enable Key Sequence” checkbox.
  9. Set the shortcut of your choice using dropdowns.
  10. Click the “Ok” button.
  11. Click the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons.
  12. You’ve successfully set a keyboard shortcut to switch to a specific keyboard language.
Change keyboard language shortcut 06

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Here are a few frequently asked questions about the keyboard language shortcut on Windows:

What is the default keyboard shortcut to change keyboard languages?

The default keyboard shortcut to change keyboard languages on Windows is “Left Alt + Shift” and “Windows key + Spacebar.” The first shortcut lets you switch between different languages while ignoring other layouts of the same language, whereas the second shortcut allows you to cycle through all the available layouts and select the keyboard language of your choice.

What’s the difference between the “Switch Input Language” and “Switch Keyboard Layout” options?

Switch Input Language allows you to set the keyboard shortcut to switch between different languages while ignoring other layouts of the same language. Switch Keyboard Layout allows you to set a keyboard shortcut to switch between layouts of the same language — for example, English (US) & English (UK).

How do I change the keyboard language in Windows 10/11?

You can change the keyboard language using the “Windows key + Spacebar” keyboard shortcut or by clicking on the language bar option on the taskbar.

Can I set different keyboard shortcuts for each keyboard language I have installed?

Yes, you can set different keyboard shortcuts for each keyboard language you have installed. You will find out how to do it above.

Is it possible to switch between keyboard languages using the touch screen in Windows?

Yes, it is possible to switch between keyboard languages using the touch screen in Windows. Tap on the language bar icon on the taskbar and select the keyboard language of your choice from the list.

What should I do if the keyboard shortcut to switch between languages is not working?

If the keyboard shortcut to switch between keyboard languages is not working, there are a few things you can try:
-> Check if the language you want to switch to is installed.
-> Restart Windows and try the shortcut again.
-> Open the Settings app and check if the correct keyboard language is selected.
-> Check if the keyboard language is enabled on the language options page in the Windows Settings app.

Changing keyboard language shortcut on Windows – Conclusion

As you can see, changing the keyboard language shortcut is pretty easy. Though Windows forces you to choose from a limited set of hotkeys, you can use free software like PowerToys to remap the keyboard shortcut to the one you want to use. Additionally, you can also set a custom keyboard shortcut to switch to a specific keyboard language. If you encounter any issues while trying to change the shortcut, refer to the FAQs.

That is all. It is that simple to change the keyboard language shortcut on Windows 10 and 11.

I hope this simple Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.

If you like this article, check out how to change the display language from Chinese to English and sticky notes keyboard shortcuts.

6 thoughts on “Change Keyboard Language Shortcut on Windows 10/11: Easy Guide”

    1. Avatar for Gago

      you need to sign-out from your account and sign-in again after that they’ll start to work as you assigned, although if you look at menu again it might show your hotkeys unassigned, but still work in way you assigned

  1. Avatar for Christoph

    The shortcuts for switching to specific languages work for me for a while. But if my computer goes to sleep the shortcuts no longer work after it wakes back up, and indeed have to be set up all over again.

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