# How to Fix a Keyboard Typing Wrong Characters in Windows 11

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-keyboard-typing-wrong-characters-windows-11/
Published: 2026-09-24 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, Keyboard, Peripherals, Fix
Summary: Keyboard types @ instead of ", numbers instead of letters, or wrong symbols on Windows 11? Fix keyboard layout, language hotkeys, Num Lock, and Fn lock.
Recommended app: PC-Troubleshooter — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/ (Microsoft Store: https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9N7RWKW8SP24?hl=en-us&cid=mytechnician-web). Optional; every step below uses built-in Windows tools.

## The Problem
You press **Shift + 2** expecting **@** and get **"** instead. Or the **#** key types **£**, the **\\** key types something odd, or letters on a laptop suddenly type numbers. The keyboard is not broken — every key works — but Windows is translating the keys into the wrong characters.

Nearly every case is one of four things: the wrong **keyboard layout** is active, a **hotkey** switched layouts behind your back, **Num Lock** is turning part of a laptop keyboard into a number pad, or an accessibility feature like **Sticky Keys** is on.

> **Keys not typing anything at all?** That is a different problem — see [fix keyboard not typing](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-keyboard-not-typing-windows-11/).

## Symptoms
* **@** and **"** are swapped (a UK layout on a US keyboard, or the reverse).
* **Y** and **Z** are swapped (a German layout).
* Letters like **U**, **I**, **O**, **J**, **K**, **L** type **4**, **5**, **6**, **1**, **2**, **3** on a laptop.
* Characters change after you press **Alt + Shift** or **Win + Space** by accident.
* Shift, Ctrl, or Alt seem to stay held down.

## Quick Checks
1. Look at the right side of the taskbar near the clock for a language code like **ENG US**, **ENG UK**, or **DEU**. If it shows two letters or codes you did not expect, the layout is wrong.
2. Press **Num Lock** once (on laptops, often **Fn + Num Lock**, **Fn + F11**, or **Fn + Insert**) and test typing again.
3. Open Notepad and test there, so autocorrect in Word or a browser is not involved.

## The Fix: Step-by-Step

### Step 1: Switch to the Correct Layout
1. Click the language code on the taskbar (**ENG US**, **ENG UK**, etc.).
2. Choose the layout that matches the keys printed on your keyboard.

You can also cycle layouts with `Win + Space`. If typing is correct afterwards, go to Step 2 so it does not happen again.

### Step 2: Remove Layouts You Do Not Use
Windows often adds an extra layout during setup — for example, both **English (United States)** and **English (United Kingdom)**.

1. **Settings** → **Time & language** → **Language & region**.
2. Next to your language, click **⋯** → **Language options**.
3. Under **Keyboards**, remove any layout that does not match your keyboard: click **⋯** → **Remove**.
4. If a second language is listed under **Preferred languages** and you do not need it, remove it too — it brings its own keyboard layout with it.

With a single layout left, the language indicator disappears from the taskbar and cannot be switched by accident.

### Step 3: Turn Off the Layout-Switching Hotkey
If you need more than one layout, stop **Left Alt + Shift** from changing it every time you use a shortcut.

1. **Settings** → **Time & language** → **Typing** → **Advanced keyboard settings**.
2. Click **Input language hot keys**.
3. Select **Between input languages** → **Change Key Sequence**.
4. Set both **Switch Input Language** and **Switch Keyboard Layout** to **Not Assigned** → **OK**.

On the same **Advanced keyboard settings** page, set **Override for default input method** to the layout you want.

### Step 4: Fix Num Lock on a Laptop
Laptops without a separate number pad overlay one onto the letter keys. With **Num Lock** on, **U I O J K L M** type numbers.

1. Press **Num Lock**, or the laptop's shortcut (often printed in a different colour on **F11**, **F12**, **Insert**, or **ScrLk**) along with **Fn**.
2. If the problem returns at every startup, check the BIOS for a **Num Lock on boot** or **NumLock State** option and turn it off: [how to enter BIOS/UEFI](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enter-bios-uefi-windows-11/).

### Step 5: Turn Off Sticky Keys and Filter Keys
Pressing **Shift** five times turns on Sticky Keys, which makes modifier keys stay held.

1. **Settings** → **Accessibility** → **Keyboard**.
2. Turn off **Sticky keys**, **Filter keys**, and **Toggle keys**.
3. Click into each one and turn off its keyboard shortcut so it cannot come back.

### Step 6: Check Fn Lock
If **F1–F12** change volume or brightness instead of acting as function keys (or the reverse), **Fn Lock** is toggled. Most laptops toggle it with **Fn + Esc**. Some manufacturers set the default in the BIOS under **Hotkey Mode** or **Action Keys Mode**.

### Step 7: Apply the Layout to the Sign-In Screen and New Users
If the password field on the sign-in screen types wrong characters, the fix above only applied to your account.

1. **Settings** → **Time & language** → **Language & region** → **Administrative language settings**.
2. Click **Copy settings**.
3. Tick **Welcome screen and system accounts** and **New user accounts** → **OK**.

### Step 8: Check Remapping Software
**PowerToys Keyboard Manager**, **AutoHotkey** scripts, gaming keyboard software (Razer Synapse, Logitech G Hub, Corsair iCUE), and some remote-desktop tools can remap keys. Quit them from the system tray and test in Notepad. If typing is correct, change the mapping inside that tool.

## What Not to Do
* **Don't install a "keyboard fixer" app.** The layout is a Windows setting and costs nothing to change.
* **Don't remove your only layout** or add layouts one after another trying to find the right one — look at the symbols printed on your keys and pick the matching country.
* **Don't reinstall Windows** for this. It is always a setting.

## Still Not Working?
If only specific keys type wrong characters and the layout is definitely correct, test the keyboard on another PC or use the **On-Screen Keyboard** (`Win + Ctrl + O`) to confirm Windows itself is fine. A keyboard that types extra or repeated characters needs cleaning or replacing: see [clean your laptop and devices safely](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/clean-laptop-and-devices-safely/).

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Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-keyboard-typing-wrong-characters-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
Related tool: PC-Troubleshooter (PC-Troubleshooter is a system diagnostic and repair tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11—hardware, drivers, network, and common fixes in one app.) — https://www.mytechnician.tech/apps/windows-troubleshooter/
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