Enabling the International Keyboard setting in Windows XP
- Go to your Start menu
- Select “Control Panel.” If “Control Panel” is not part of your Start Menu, you will have to highlight “Settings” first and then select “Control Panel” from the “Settings” menu.
- Open “Regional and Language Options;” the list should be alphabetized so look under “R.”
- Click on the “Languages” tab near the top of the window.
- Click on “Details” which will be a button on the right side of the window, near the top; this will open a new window.
- Click on “Add,” a button on the right side of the window. This will open another window.
- In the new window, check the white box titled “Keyboard layout/IME.” This will allow you to select from a drop-down menu. Open the menu and select “United States – International;” the languages are alphabetized so look under “U.”
- After “United States – International” is selected, hit “OK” at the bottom of that window. (Note: it is not necessary to click “Apply” before hitting “OK.”)
- Click “OK” in the “Text Services and Input Language” window. (Again, there is no need to click “Apply.”)
- Click “OK” at the bottom of the “Regional and Language Options” window.
- A small keyboard symbol will appear in the bottom right of your screen. This allows you to choose which keyboard layout you would like to use. Click on it and select “United States – International” to use the international keyboard setting. You can switch back to “English (United States)” at any time.
- It is important to note that in Windows, you must select the international keyboard for each program in which you would like to use it. For example, if you need to type a document in Word using the international keyboard, select “United States – International” from the keyboard icon at the bottom of your screen. If you then use the Internet, you must reselect “United States – International” to use that layout on the Internet.
Return to the International and Language Specific Keyboard Guide