Setting up the keyboard in any computer system is one of the key factors affecting the provision of comfortable work. This is not just about typing or typing commands. Very often, certain keyboard keys are used in computer games to simplify the management of characters or actions performed by the player. But then we will dwell on the basic settings that are carried out directly in the operating system (on-screen keyboard, special features and drivers will not be considered).
Keyboard setup: main directions
Now we do not take into account the subtleties of setting keyboard parameters for passing games, since such settings are performed either in the game itself or using special game utilities.
The main directions in how to configure the keyboard are:
- installing, adding or removing languages;
- Configuring language or layout changes
- change of language switching order;
- setting the appearance of the language bar.
How to set up a keyboard in Windows 10: adding languages
Consider this type of settings on the example of Windows 10. In principle, they are the same for all versions of the system, however, in the tenth modification, the parameters are accessed in a slightly different way.
So, how to configure the keyboard in the "top ten"? Since it has two main settings panels, you can use either the parameter section, called from the Start menu with the choice of region and language settings, or the standard “Control Panel”, accessed in the simplest case through the Run console with by entering the Control command.
In the first case, on the right in the window where the installed languages are displayed, you just need to click the add new language button and select the desired one from the list.
In the second option, the “Language” menu is selected in the “Control Panel”, after which the add language item is used, which is located on the upper panel on the right. Again, the desired language and layout are simply selected from the list.
Note that language and language layout are not the same thing. For example, for English, the layout can be both classical English and American. The Russian layout can correspond to both Russian and Ukrainian languages, etc.
Nuances when installing a language change
Now, in the matter of how to configure the keyboard, it is worth paying attention to the sequence of switching languages, if more than two of them are installed in the system.
Most likely, many paid attention that when using any combination of language changes, switching occurs in a strictly defined way. For example, the first switch by Alt + Shift or Ctrl + Shift on the left corresponds to the English language setting, the second (also on the left) corresponds to another language. But what if the user wants to install at the first stage not English, but some other language installed in the system?
Windows 10 has an interesting ability to shift languages by priority of switching them. In the language section of the Control Panel, languages can be moved up and down, which changes the language of the first switch when using the left or combination. For example, if the first language is Russian, the second one is English, and the third one is any other, for this sequence the language will change in the specified order. By moving the third language to the place of English (in the second position), the user will receive its activation upon first switching from the left side of the keyboard and vice versa.
In addition, if you enter the parameters of each language, you can see several additional settings, including even spell checking when entering text with strict correspondence. Immediately, you can change the language of the operating system itself, configure handwriting, etc.
Change keyboard shortcuts
Now a few words about how to configure the keyboard language switching using button combinations. This is done in the language section of the usual “Control Panel”, where the transition to additional parameters is used, and in the settings window the hyperlink for changing the language bar key combinations is clicked.
After that, the user enters the standard settings window, which is present in all versions of Windows. Here, the button for changing combinations is pressed, the most convenient one (from both the language and the layout) is selected from the list, after which the changes made are simply saved. After that, the installed keys on the keyboard for a quick change will be activated automatically and without rebooting the system.
Display the language bar
The appearance of the language bar can also be configured for ease of use. This is done from the section that was described for changing keyboard shortcuts, but only on the tab "Language bar".
Most users prefer to use the pin option in the "Taskbar" (in this form, the language icon is displayed in the system tray next to the clock). However, you can place the language bar in any other place on the "Desktop" or even completely hide it. It is better to leave the display of language labels, but you can not use the display of additional icons or the use of transparency when the panel is inactive.
Possible malfunctions and methods of their elimination
Finally, in the matter of how to configure the keyboard, it is worth mentioning situations when the key assignments need to be changed (for example, when the buttons break or when the characters are changed arbitrarily or when the buttons are reassigned).
Without the use of third-party programs that allow reassignment, in Windows you can use only the registry. But without knowing the codes corresponding to each button or action, the procedure for creating string parameters and entering data, this will be quite problematic.
Therefore, in most cases, as a simpler solution, it is proposed to install special utilities like Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator, Media Key, SharpKeys or MapKeyboard. In such programs, you can reassign any key within a few seconds. As already clear, this is both easier and faster.