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Is there any way to set keyboard shortcuts to quickly change to a different language/keyboard layout? The old shortcuts still seem to work (when set back in Windows 7), but I can't seem to find anything to change it in Windows 10.

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12 Answers 12

Reset to default
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Go to Control Panel → Clock, Language, and Region → Change input methods (under Language) → Advanced settings → Change language bar hot keys.

"Control Panel → Clock, Language, and Region → Language → Advanced settings" and "Text Services and Input Languages"

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    Yay, found it, for english users, it is in Control Panel -> Clock, Language, and Region -> Language -> Advanced Settings -> Change language hotbar keys (under Switching input methods). Thanks!
    – 8176135
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 1:08
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    I keep hitting one of these default shortcuts without realising it and before I know it I'm typing random nonsense all over 🙄 Is it possible to change the WinKey + Space shortcut somewhere as well?
    – Toby
    Commented Sep 27, 2016 at 15:11
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    Later update win10 1803 removed this panel, cannot set hotkey anymore. Don't update to 1803.
    – Til
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 7:35
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    @POW, 1803 just moved this panel. BTW, 1809 moved it again.
    – i3v
    Commented Oct 20, 2018 at 19:55
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    This is outdated, I could not find it. Why didn't anyone edit it to put the right path to it?
    – Leonardo Alves Machado
    Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 12:31
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In Windows 10 version 1809 (also versions 1903, 1909, 2004, 20H2), the setting described in the accepted answer is here:

Settings -> Time & Language -> Language -> Spelling, typing, & keyboard settings -> Advanced keyboard settings -> Language bar options -> Advanced Key Settings.

Step-by-step screenshots.

Known issues

These hotkeys are quite buggy since 2012 or so. They may disappear (the setting is cleared or simply not working) after a windows update, after an RDP session, after logout/login, or even without any obvious reason.

There's one well-known workaround, that usually helps:

Settings -> Time & Language -> Language -> Administrative language settings -> Copy settings... -> tick both checkboxes -> OK.

If you ran into this, you may want to upvote some of these items on the FeedbackHub:

As a regular (non-insider) user:

  1. Input language hotkeys keep being reset every time Windows starts

  2. language bar hot keys are not reliable: a) sometimes they disappear ...

  3. Language bar hotkeys get erased after every RDP session

  4. Language bar hot key setting keeps resetting back to default I'm using 3 languages input

  5. When I set up language bar 'hot key' shortcuts to switch to keyboards with other alphabets, they are deleted whenever Windows restarts!

  6. Language hotkeys keep disappeared by itself every time the system was rebooted.

  7. Language hotkeys keep getting erased

  8. Windows auto reset language input hotkey in every reboot after I make changes to the setting.

As insider:

  1. Keyboard layout switching shortcuts disappear and do not work
  2. Hot keys for input languages getting erased on each windows feature update
  3. Keyboard layout changes randomly
  4. Windows keeps switching the language and keyboard input methods
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    Great answer! But where do your obfuscated links go? I don't trust that they're safe if I can't resolve the destination address.
    – CJ Dennis
    Commented Apr 17, 2019 at 1:19
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    @CJDennis, they are Feedback Hub share links, not web pages. I you'd like FH links to look more human-readable, you can vote for this my suggestion: as normal user, as insider.
    – i3v
    Commented Apr 24, 2019 at 22:29
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    Only answer that helped me. Insanely hidden setting in this crazy GUI!
    – wim
    Commented Jun 27, 2019 at 16:51
  • Another step-by-step that is outdated. Following the screenshots on the link, we just can't find step 4 when we have English system and Portuguese keyboard.
    – Leonardo Alves Machado
    Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 12:20
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    It's absolutely bizzare why MS chose to hide this menu in such an obscure spot...
    – cyqsimon
    Commented May 19, 2020 at 8:28
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The menu in the accepted answer does not exist in Control Panel anymore on Windows 10 version 1803 (not sure about 1709 and older).

But the same setting is accessible from Modern Settings app → Time & Language → Region and Language → Advanced keyboard settings (from the Related settings section) → Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings tab.

Update: Windows 10 version 1809 moved this setting again. see i3v's answer.

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  • 3
    Thank you, you saved me. What a slap from Microsoft again.
    – Youda008
    Commented Oct 29, 2018 at 12:17
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    Yes, this should be the accepted answer now!
    – antimirov
    Commented Jan 20, 2019 at 0:23
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    This seems to be outdated - at least I could not find it (there is no Region and Language option, and the related options seems to vary depending on system). Why didn't anyone edit it to put the right path to it?
    – Leonardo Alves Machado
    Commented Jul 1, 2019 at 12:35
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    They are using good coke in MS headquarters - change this shit every year
    – Toolkit
    Commented Aug 23, 2019 at 12:13
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Windows key + Space is the new shortcut for switching keyboard layout!

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    Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Commented Dec 1, 2016 at 12:22
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    On my system switching layouts does not work correctly using language switching. The question is asking for switching layouts, not languages.
    – arkod
    Commented Dec 1, 2016 at 12:34
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    OP is asking how to change the shortcuts and remove existing ones. Your answer does not address that.
    – DavidPostill ♦
    Commented Dec 1, 2016 at 12:37
  • If you know how to change the shortcut for changing layout please let me know. Windows key + space is the way to change layout.
    – arkod
    Commented Dec 1, 2016 at 13:06
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    @arkod - Please read the question again carefully. Your answer does not answer the original question. "I still want to find a way to at least remove the current shortcuts set up" Notice your suggestion, was suggested, over a year ago and the author indicated it didn't answer this question.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Dec 1, 2016 at 14:48
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None of the answers work for me as of date; right now, to open "Text Services and Input Languages" one has to run the following:

Rundll32 Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL input.dll,,{C07337D3-DB2C-4D0B-9A93-B722A6C106E2}

Reference: https://winaero.com/blog/text-services-input-languages-shortcut-windows-10/

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    You can open "Text Services and Input Languages" without a shortcut: 1. In the start menu search, type in "Advanced keyboard settings" and open it. 2. Press "Language bar options" to open "Text Services and Input Languages". All relevant hotkey settings are under the "Advanced Key settings" tab.
    – Pillowcase
    Commented Apr 6, 2020 at 11:02
  • That was the solution at one point, but unfortunately now that link is broken for me; by clicking "Language bar options" an error message showed up.
    – Hsien-Chih Chang 張顯之
    Commented Apr 6, 2020 at 13:43
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Unfortunately this has changed in the latest Windows 10 update. You now need to go to 'Languages' and then 'Advanced settings' in Control panel, and choose 'Change language bar hot keys':

enter image description here

Which will then bring up this dialogue from which you can change the hot key by clicking 'Change Key Sequence...'

enter image description here

enter image description here

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    In the current Windows, i can't even easily get to the plain old Control Panel, and when i do, there is no more a 'Language' item.
    – Youda008
    Commented Oct 29, 2018 at 12:22
  • @Youda008 in Windows 10 just type "language" in the start menu and open "Language settings" then select "keyboard" and there'll be a "language bar options" menu item
    – phuclv
    Commented Aug 17, 2020 at 3:59
  • Could you please specify the Windows 10 version this answer is about? Maybe "latest Windows 10 update" was true in 2017 but not now.
    – i3v
    Commented Jan 22, 2021 at 19:42
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For the latest Windows version since late 2018/ early 2019, Microsoft has changed this:

  1. select "Language Preferences" from the Task Bar/ Language options control (docked language bar)
  2. Select "Spelling, typing, & keyboard settings" under "Related Settings" at the top right.
  3. Scroll down to the bottom, then under "More keyboard settings", select "Advanced keyboard settings".
  4. Under "Switching input methods", select "Language bar options".
  5. Choose the "Advanced Key Settings" tab.
  6. Press the button at the bottom of the window: "Change Key Sequence…"

I hope Microsoft will not leave these vital settings in such an obscure place, in the long term (that they will at least give more convenient alternative ways of adjusting these settings!) The default settings are infuriating: I am forever accidentally pressing CTRL+SHIFT and accidentally switching between keyboard layouts…

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Just wanted to add to the accepted answer. I am using an Apple keyboard on Windows 10 here and the best way for me to switch input languages is to turn off the shortcut "Between input languages" completely and instead set individual shortcuts for each input language, for example:

  • Left Alt + Shift + 1(US Keyboard)
  • Left Alt + Shift + 2(UK Keyboard)
  • Left Alt + Shift + 3(Any other input language)
  • Left Alt + Shift + ...
  • Left Alt + Shift + 0(10th input language)

I find this setting the only one that doesn't disturb my work all the time as occasionally pressing Alt + Shift changes language when it is not needed. Also if to remove all shortcuts from the settings then holding WIN (CMD on Apple keyboard) followed by [space](press multiple times to iterate the list) or [1,2,3..] or [Select with mouse] works well too.

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I'm running Windows Server 2019 at work and the setting is (again) in a different spot. Since any and all tooling you might use on a Server uses hotkeys, many of which start with the Ctrl + Shift or Left Alt + Shift that trigger the language switch, the only reasonable setting is to have those turned off.

Here's how:

Settings → Devices → Typing (left panel) → Advanced keyboard settings (right panel, bottom) → Language bar options → Advanced Key Settings (the right-most tab in the new window) → Change Key Sequence... (button at the bottom) → Not Assigned (top option)

The Win + Space hot-key still works after turning the above setting to Not Assigned, so you can still switch easily without switching accidentally.

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    This works on Windows 10 version 1903 build 18362.295.
    – Zdeněk Gromnica
    Commented Aug 31, 2019 at 23:15
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  • Settings
  • Type advanced keyboard settings, select it from the dropdown menu
  • Click Input language hot keys
  • Change key sequence in the dialog box that appears.
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an easier way to do it is:

  • hold left Alt
  • press Shift once (keep holding Alt)

a small menu should appear on the right side of the screen with your language
options

  • press 1, 2, etc. to select the option you want
  • release Alt
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1

For Windows 10 version 1803 I found the option in this location, they had moved it from the control panel to settings.

  1. Open up "Settings" by searching for it in the windows menu.

    Step 1 picture

  2. Go to "Region & language" on the left hand side and click "Advanced keyboard setting" on the right hand side.

    Step 2 picture

  3. Here you can find the "Language bar option"

    Step 3 picture

  4. Change the hotkey by pressing "Change Key Sequence"

    Step 4 picture

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  • Welcome to StackOverflow! Given the number of similar answers to this question, this answer would be more helpful if you specified which Windows version and build you are using. As a new contributor, you will find that you will have a better experience if you take moment to take the Stack Overflow tour. If you follow the norms of the Stack Overflow community and approach it with an attitude of helping others too, it will serve you well.
    – Rey Juna
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 22:33
  • Welcome to Super User. Unfortunately, your answer duplicates content from several other answers. The intention is that each answer should contribute something new.
    – fixer1234
    Commented Dec 5, 2018 at 22:43

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