How to fix keys swapping on my keyboard

Ruth Agyapong 0 Reputation points
2026-05-23T09:17:23.2566667+00:00

Hi, I have a UK qwerty keyboard but the characters ? and _ have been swapped on my keyboard. There are quite a number of them have been swapped as well but this is only to mention one. The rest are quite mixed up.17795277323542241454556677167432

This is what my keyboard looks like

Windows for home | Other | Input and language
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  1. DaveM121 932.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-23T09:52:36.5233333+00:00

    1

    Open Command Prompt, then paste in this command and press Enter:

    msdt.exe -id KeyboardDiagnostic

    Run that Keyboard Troubleshooter to see if that can solve the problem.

    2

    If that does not resolve this for you

    Open Device Manager

    Expand the Keyboards section

    Right click your keyboard and choose 'Uninstall'

    Then restart your PC

    3

    If that does not resolve the problem, open the Settings App.

    Go to Time and Language - Region and Language.

    Is your keyboard language is set to English (UK), if there is any other language visible in there also, delete it.

    If no other keyboard language is visible in there, add the English (US) keyboard, make it the default and delete the English (UK) keyboard.

    Wait a few seconds, add back the English (UK) keyboard and delete the English (US) keyboard.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-23T09:17:41.05+00:00

    The keys are swapped because the active keyboard layout in Windows does not match the physical keyboard layout. Set Windows to use the correct layout for the keyboard.

    1. Open Start > Settings > Time & language > Region & language.
    2. Under Language, select the language that matches the keyboard (for example, English (United Kingdom)).
    3. Ensure the keyboard/input layout for that language matches the physical keyboard (for example, a UK layout such as United Kingdom Keyboard or United Kingdom Extended Keyboard). If a different layout is selected, change it to the correct one.
    4. Remove any extra keyboard layouts that do not match the physical keyboard so they are not selected accidentally.
    5. Test typing ? and _ again; they should now match the printed keys.

    If the problem persists even with the correct layout selected, check whether any key‑remapping software (such as utilities that change key functions) is installed and disable or reset its mappings.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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