In Windows, how can I configure my computer to use a non-English keyboard?

Microsoft Windows supports keyboards for various languages. You must be familiar with a particular country's keyboard layout in order to use it. For example, striking the  ;  (semicolon) key on the "English (United States)" keyboard will appear as the  ñ  character using the "Spanish (Traditional Sort)" keyboard layout.

Once you've added a keyboard, you may toggle between multiple keyboards by pressing the Alt and Shift keys on the left side of the keyboard simultaneously, or by clicking the icon in the Taskbar (that appears after adding the keyboard), and selecting the keyboard of choice.

To add a new keyboard layout, do the following:

Windows XP

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel. If the window has a "Pick a category" heading, look for and click the link that says Switch to Classic View.
   
   
2. Double-click Regional and Language Options, then click the Languages tab.
   
   
3. Click the Details... button, and beneath "Installed services", click the Add... button.
   
   
4. Under Keyboard layout/IME: , select the keyboard of choice from the drop-down menu, then click OK twice.

Windows NT and 2000

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click Keyboard, click the Input Locales tab, and then click the Add... button.
   
   
3. Select the keyboard of choice from the "Input locale:" drop-down menu, and click OK twice.

Windows 95 and 98

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click Keyboard, click the Language tab, and then click the Add... button.
   
   
3. Select the keyboard of choice from the "Language:" drop-down menu, then click OK twice.

Also see:

• In Windows, what are StickyKeys, and how do I enable them?
• What is the Dvorak keyboard layout, and how do I configure my computer to use it?
• In the Windows STCs, how do I change my keyboard settings to Chinese, Japanese, or Korean?