Language change on my keyboard

SA 0 Reputation points
2026-08-28T16:33:21.2+00:00

I want my keyboard to type European characters and symbols as needed.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Input and language
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest

  1. AI answer

    2026-08-28T16:33:36.4433333+00:00

    To type European characters and symbols in Windows 10, add the keyboard layout that matches the language or character set needed, then switch between layouts when typing.

    1. Open Settings > Time & Language > Language & Region.
    2. Under Preferred languages, select the language in use, then choose Options.
    3. Under Keyboards, add the keyboard layout needed.
    4. Switch between installed keyboard layouts with Windows key + Spacebar.

    If multiple layouts are installed and keys start producing unexpected characters, the active layout is usually the cause. For example, when @ and " appear swapped, the keyboard language/layout is set incorrectly for the physical keyboard.

    For typing accented and special European characters in Word or Outlook, these shortcuts are available:

    • CTRL+? No
    • Grave accents like à, è, ì, ò, ù: CTRL+`, then the letter
    • Acute accents like á, é, í, ó, ú: CTRL+', then the letter
    • Circumflex like â, ê, î, ô, û: CTRL+SHIFT+^, then the letter
    • Umlaut like ä, ë, ï, ö, ü: CTRL+SHIFT+:, then the letter
    • æ, Æ: CTRL+SHIFT+&, then a or A
    • œ, Œ: CTRL+SHIFT+&, then o or O
    • ç, Ç: CTRL+, then c or C
    • Unicode character entry: type the hexadecimal code, then press ALT+X in Word/Outlook
    • ANSI character entry: hold ALT and type the numeric code on the numeric keypad

    For common symbols in Windows, Alt codes include:

    • Euro €: Alt+0128
    • Pound £: Alt+0163
    • Yen ¥: Alt+0165
    • Cent ¢: Alt+0162
    • Copyright ©: Alt+0169
    • Registered ®: Alt+0174

    If French AZERTY is needed, the French Standard AZERTY layout includes built-in access to additional European characters, ligatures, symbols, and Greek letters.

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

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. John Jefferson Doyon 87,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-28T17:07:57.14+00:00

    Hi, @SA

    If you mainly want to type characters such as é, è, ñ, ü, ç, or € while keeping an English keyboard, try adding the United States-International keyboard layout.

    Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language > select your language > Options > Add a keyboard > United States-International.

    You can then switch keyboard layouts using Windows + Space.

    To help narrow this down:

    1. Which European language or specific characters do you need to type?
    2. Do you want to keep the normal English keyboard layout, or change to another layout such as French, German, or Spanish?

    Click "Add comment" to let me know.

    Thanks!

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.