If you have accidentally changed the configuration of your AZERTY keyboard to QUERTY or vice versa and you don’t know how to change it, you should know that the method to follow is very simple.
You just need to know it. In this short tutorial, we explain how to change your keyboard to QWERTY or AZERTY under Windows 10 and Windows 11.
After having seen how to put accents on capital letters, we propose you a new tutorial: how to switch a keyboard to QWERTY or AZERTY.
You may have already found yourself with a key layout that does not usually correspond to the one on your keyboard. Because of a bad manipulation or simply after a new computer purchase.
WHY CHANGE THE LANGUAGE OF A KEYBOARD?
The QWERTY keyboard is intended for English-speaking countries, while the AZERTY keyboard was designed for French-speaking countries.
That said, the differences between these two types of keyboards can quickly become quite confusing for someone who is not used to them.
It can be useful to know how to switch from one keyboard layout to another in several cases.
For example, if you travel and want to stay in touch with your relatives back home, or if you are working abroad.
There are many situations in which it is good to know how to switch a keyboard to AZERTY or QWERTY.
The other case, much more frequent, is the one where you have accidentally made a wrong manipulation and your AZERTY keyboard has unexpectedly changed to QWERTY.
Here are the steps to follow so that you know how to put things back in the right order.
HOW TO SWITCH FROM QWERTY TO AZERTY UNDER WINDOWS ?
- BY USING A KEYBOARD SHORTCUT
In order to change the language configuration of a keyboard in Windows, it is very simple. A simple keyboard shortcut is enough.
Press the SHIFT + ALT keys simultaneously. If you have other language packs installed on your version of Windows, repeating this keyboard shortcut allows you to switch from one input language to another.
You should then see the selected language displayed at the bottom right of the screen. For example ENG for English and FR for French.
- THROUGH THE LANGUAGE PREFERENCE SETTINGS
Another method that is just as effective, but this time it is through the language preference settings.
On your screen, in the lower right-hand corner, to the left of the date and time, click on FRA if the keyboard is currently in French and then select ENG from the list to change the language to English. Do the same to switch from one language to another.
You can also access these settings in the following way: click on the Windows button and then on the Settings cogwheel. Then click successively on Time and Language and Region and Language.
In this menu, in the Language > Keyboard section, you have the option of selecting French or English. To validate your choice, click on Set as default language.
Now you know how to switch from an AZERTY keyboard to a QWERTY keyboard and vice versa in Windows.
WHY TWO DIFFERENT KEYBOARDS?
If there are two types of keyboards, it is not by chance. The QWERTY layout, patented by its inventor Christopher Latham Sholes in 1878, was originally designed to avoid the criss-crossing of typewriter stems.
The QWERTY layout is mainly used in English-speaking countries but also sometimes in Spain, Norway, Portugal or Sweden.
The AZERTY layout is used in French-speaking countries such as France and Belgium, and is better adapted to the words of the French language.
