Possible keyboard mapping bug in Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition VM (UK keyboard layout via Azure Bastion using Entra ID authentication)

Question

Possible keyboard mapping bug in Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition VM (UK keyboard layout via Azure Bastion using Entra ID authentication)

NITIN GUPTA 1

Hello,

I’m seeing what appears to be a keyboard mapping issue on an Azure VM running Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition. Wondering if others also facing the same issue and have any fix.

Environment : Azure VM

OS: Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition

UK language pack installed

UK keyboard layout configured

Connecting via Azure Bastion using Entra ID authentication from a UK laptop using a physical UK keyboard

Issue

Two keys near the Enter key appear to be swapped when connected to the VM through Bastion:

Pressing Shift + @ produces ¬

Pressing Shift + # produces @

This is opposite to the behaviour on the local UK laptop keyboard.

Additional observations

The On-Screen Keyboard inside the VM displays the correct UK layout

Clicking the keys using the On-Screen Keyboard produces the correct characters

The issue only occurs when typing from the physical keyboard through the Bastion session.

Troubleshooting already attempted

Verified UK keyboard layout is selected in Windows settings

Removed/re-added UK keyboard

Confirmed local laptop keyboard works correctly outside Bastion.

Restarted the VM/session

Has anyone seen this behaviour specifically with Windows Server 2025 Azure Edition VMs or RDP keyboard mapping?

Is there a known issue or recommended fix for UK keyboard layouts in this OS version?

Thanks

Thanmayi Godithi 11,825 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-18T02:09:23.5666667+00:00
Hi NITIN GUPTA,

Thanks for the clarification — that helps narrow this down further.

As per Microsoft guidance, for Azure Bastion sessions, correct key mapping requires that both the local machine and the VM use the same keyboard layout and that the layout is correctly synchronised at session start.

However, in your case, even with both sides aligned, the behaviour:

Shift + @ → ¬

Shift + # → @

indicates that the remote session is misinterpreting certain UK key mappings, while still displaying the correct layout internally (as seen with the On-Screen Keyboard).

This points to a keyboard input translation issue at the Bastion/RDP session layer, rather than a local or VM keyboard configuration problem.

Suggested next steps:

Does the same issue occur when connecting using the native RDP client instead of Azure Bastion?

Is the issue reproducible across different browsers (Edge/Chrome)?

Is the VM fully updated with the latest Windows Server 2025 patches?

Does the behaviour occur only when using Azure Bastion with Entra ID authentication?

This information will help determine whether the behaviour is specific to Bastion session handling or related to the underlying OS build.
NITIN GUPTA 1 Reputation point

2026-05-18T17:19:42.9166667+00:00

Hello @Thanmayi Godithi

Thanks for the reply.

Does the same issue occur when connecting using the native RDP client instead of Azure Bastion? -

-With Remote Desktop client, there's different issue, continuous pressing # button randomly write 33333######33###. However this was fixed by selecting "on this computer" in Local resources of RDP client.

Is the issue reproducible across different browsers (Edge/Chrome)?

-I was using Chrome however i will try in other browsers and revert.

Is the VM fully updated with the latest Windows Server 2025 patches?

-Yes

Does the behaviour occur only when using Azure Bastion with Entra ID authentication?

-Yes in browser

3 answers

Your answer

Thanmayi Godithi 11,825 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-18T02:09:23.5666667+00:00

Hi NITIN GUPTA,

Thanks for the clarification — that helps narrow this down further.

As per Microsoft guidance, for Azure Bastion sessions, correct key mapping requires that both the local machine and the VM use the same keyboard layout and that the layout is correctly synchronised at session start.

However, in your case, even with both sides aligned, the behaviour:

Shift + @ → ¬

Shift + # → @

indicates that the remote session is misinterpreting certain UK key mappings, while still displaying the correct layout internally (as seen with the On-Screen Keyboard).

This points to a keyboard input translation issue at the Bastion/RDP session layer, rather than a local or VM keyboard configuration problem.

Suggested next steps:

Does the same issue occur when connecting using the native RDP client instead of Azure Bastion?

Is the issue reproducible across different browsers (Edge/Chrome)?

Is the VM fully updated with the latest Windows Server 2025 patches?

Does the behaviour occur only when using Azure Bastion with Entra ID authentication?

This information will help determine whether the behaviour is specific to Bastion session handling or related to the underlying OS build.
NITIN GUPTA 1 Reputation point

2026-05-18T17:19:42.9166667+00:00

Hello @Thanmayi Godithi

Thanks for the reply.

Does the same issue occur when connecting using the native RDP client instead of Azure Bastion? -

-With Remote Desktop client, there's different issue, continuous pressing # button randomly write 33333######33###. However this was fixed by selecting "on this computer" in Local resources of RDP client.

Is the issue reproducible across different browsers (Edge/Chrome)?

-I was using Chrome however i will try in other browsers and revert.

Is the VM fully updated with the latest Windows Server 2025 patches?

-Yes

Does the behaviour occur only when using Azure Bastion with Entra ID authentication?

-Yes in browser

Answer 1

NITIN GUPTA 1

I found the fix

SHIFT + ALT will swap the backtick key to the one before Esc and @ and # will work again in UK keyboard.

kagiyama yutaka 5,410 Reputation points

2026-05-18T14:36:22.57+00:00

thanks for the update — and thx for sharing the fix. Shift + Alt flipping the active layout explains the @ / # swap. glad it’s stable now.
NITIN GUPTA 1 Reputation point

2026-05-18T16:27:19.5333333+00:00

Thanks for your help too

Also another solution is Change client laptop keyboard to US and Azure VM keyboard to UK. This also fixed the issue.

Answer 2

kagiyama yutaka 5,410

I think the issue comes from RDP using ur client‑side layout, not the server 2025 VM. on ur local Windows keep only English (UK) in the keyboard list, sign‑out the RDP session once, then reconnect.

NITIN GUPTA 1 Reputation point

2026-05-16T23:06:22.3666667+00:00

I'm connecting from a UK laptop with UK layout and the key board works fine in laptop. I mentioned that "Confirmed local laptop keyboard works correctly outside RDP"
kagiyama yutaka 5,410 Reputation points

2026-05-17T00:29:26.27+00:00

thanks for the update — local keyboard being fine is normal. RDP does not rely on the physical keys, and uses the keyboard layouts listed on the client. if a US layout is still there, some symbols can map differently. keep only English (UK) on the client and sign out of the RDP session once before reconnecting.
NITIN GUPTA 1 Reputation point

2026-05-17T15:13:33.74+00:00

Thanks for your reply. i have removed US key board however the issue is with the UK keyboard and with 2 keys as below

Pressing Shift + @ produces ¬

Pressing Shift + # produces @
kagiyama yutaka 5,410 Reputation points

2026-05-18T08:03:31.9533333+00:00

I think if US is gone and it still swaps, the session kept old layout. fully sign‑out the VM once, then reconnect. check local advanced keyboard settings so only UK is active.

Answer 3

The described behavior matches a known class of keyboard/input issues introduced by recent Windows updates, including on Server 2025 builds, where keyboard handling in certain environments (WinRE, RDP, or specific builds) is incorrect until a fix is applied.

From the available information:

There is a confirmed input-related bug after the October 14, 2025 security update (KB5066835) where USB input devices misbehave in specific environments and are later fixed by an out-of-band update (KB5070773) and subsequent builds.
A similar keyboard/input bug in pre-release builds (26220.7070) was explicitly confirmed and then fixed in build 26220.7262.

Given this, the most reliable remediation path for the Azure Windows Server 2025 Datacenter: Azure Edition VM is:

Ensure the VM is fully updated
- Install all available Windows Updates on the VM, including any cumulative updates released after KB5066835.
- If applicable for the build in use, ensure the out-of-band update equivalent to KB5070773 (or later cumulative updates that supersede it) is installed, as these contain fixes for input/USB issues.
- After updates, restart the VM and re-test the RDP session with the UK keyboard.
Verify the RDP client and session settings
- Confirm the RDP client on the UK laptop is up to date.
- In the RDP client options, ensure keyboard input is configured to be applied on the remote computer (not locally), then reconnect and test.
Validate that the issue is build-specific
- If the problem persists even after installing the latest updates, compare behavior on another Windows Server 2025 (or different SKU) VM with the same UK layout and RDP client to confirm it is specific to the current build/edition.

If the VM is already on the latest cumulative update and the issue still reproduces, this most likely indicates an unresolved keyboard mapping bug in that specific Server 2025 Azure Edition build. In that case, the recommended next step is to open a support case so the issue can be captured as a regression (similar to the previously fixed keyboard/WinRE and Dev/Beta build issues) and addressed in a future update.

References: