Finding out how to change the keyboard language isn’t the most difficult job, but it isn’t immediately apparent how to go about doing it.
As a multilingual person who frequently uses the keyboard on my laptop for business and for personal reasons, I find myself switching between languages on my keyboard layout on a very regular basis. So if you’re attempting to accomplish the same thing, we’ll take you through the whole procedure from start to finish.
In the section below, we’ll walk you through the process of changing your keyboard language on both Windows and macOS. Adding your chosen languages will just take a few minutes of your time, and once you’ve done so, you won’t have to go through the setup procedure again.
We’ll even demonstrate a keyboard shortcut that allows you to switch between languages in a second. Ready? Let’s get this party started.
How to change keyboard language in Windows
step 1
Move your mouse cursor to the left end of your taskbar (which is located at the bottom of your screen) and press the Start button. Alternatively, you may press the Windows key to bring up the full Start menu instead. Then, on the left-hand side of the menu, click on the Settings symbol, which should bring up the Settings window for you.
step 2
Following that, choose “Time & Language” from the drop-down menu as seen in the picture below.
step 3
Proceed to the Language tab, which should appear on the left-hand side of the window once you have clicked on it.
step 4
Select the “Add a language” option, which should show under the category “Preferred languages,” as you scroll down the page.
step 5
Fill in the blanks with your chosen language or choose from the drop-down menu. Once you’ve completed this step, go to the next step by clicking Next.
step 6
You should now be able to proceed with installing the language pack you choose. At this point, you may also select whether or not you want this language to be set as the default display language for your Windows system. This implies that functions such as Settings and the File Explorer will show in the newly chosen language after the language option has been selected.
To complete the installation procedure, click “Install.”
step 7
Everything has been completed! If you look to the right-hand side of the taskbar, you should be able to switch between your keyboard languages by clicking the Language icon. Alternatively, the key combination Shift + Alt may be used.
How to change keyboard language in macOS
step 1
To begin, find your taskbar at the top of your Mac’s screen and click on the Apple symbol to the right of it. To proceed, choose “System Preferences” from the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.
step 2
Select the Keyboard icon from the drop-down menu in the new window.
step 3
Then, at the top of the window, click on the “Input Sources” tab, which should be at the top of the window.
step 4
Proceed to click on the “+” plus icon, which can be seen in the picture below.
step 5
Either enter in your chosen language or choose from the drop-down menu that appears. Once you’ve completed this step, go to the next step and click Add to complete the procedure.
Congratulations! You’ve completed your task. Now, you should be able to switch between languages by clicking on the flag symbol located on the right-hand side of the toolbar at the top of your computer screen.
Alternately, you may create a keyboard shortcut to do the same thing. It’s possible to enable this shortcut by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Input Sources and checking the first box titled “Select the previous input source.” Once you’ve enabled this shortcut, you should be able to switch between your keyboard languages by pressing the Ctrl + Space keyboard shortcut.
