How to add a language or keyboard to Win8.1/rt 8.1

Add language

To change your Windows display language or add a keyboard to type, first add a language to the list of languages.

Swipe from the right edge of the screen to the middle, click "Settings" and click "Change Computer Settings". (If you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change Computer Settings.) )

Click or click Time and language, regional and language, and add languages.

Browse to the language you want, and then click or click it and add it to your list of languages.

Downloading and installing language packs

If you want to use a language as your Windows display language (which is the language you often see in Windows and applications), you need to download a language pack.

Swipe from the right edge of the screen to the middle, click "Settings" and click "Change Computer Settings". (If you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change Computer Settings.) )

Click or click Time and language, and then click or click Regional and language.

Tap or click the available language packs below, and then click or click Options.

Click or click "Download". The download process may take a while, depending on the size of your computer and language pack.

If you want to use the language as a display language, see the next section, "Change the Windows display language."

Change the Windows display language

To change the Windows display language (which is the language you often see in Windows and applications), first add a language, download and install the language pack, and then follow these steps.

Swipe from the right edge of the screen to the middle, click "Settings" and click "Change Computer Settings". (If you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change Computer Settings.) )

Click or click Time and language, and then click or click Regional and language.

Click or click the language you want to set as the display language.

Click or click Set as main language to move the language to the top of the list. If the language can be your Windows display language, you will see that "the next logon will be the display language" is displayed in that language.

Log off and log back on to complete.

Switch between keyboard or IME

When you add a language to the list of languages, you add a keyboard or input method at the same time so that you can type the content in that language. You can type by switching the input method using any keyboard you add. To switch between keyboard or IME:

On the standard keyboard, press the Windows logo key + SPACEBAR.

On the touchscreen, click or click the Touch Keyboard icon in the desktop taskbar, click or click the language abbreviation, and then click or click the keyboard you want to switch to.

Touch the language abbreviation button in the keyboard

On the desktop taskbar, click or click the language abbreviation in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar, and then click or click the keyboard you want to switch to.

Language abbreviation button in the desktop taskbar

Add a keyboard layout for a language

If you want to use a different keyboard than the keyboard that comes with the language, you can add a keyboard layout to the language.

To add a keyboard layout for a language

Swipe from the right edge of the screen to the middle, click "Settings" and click "Change Computer Settings". (If you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, and then move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change Computer Settings.) )

Click or click Time and language, and then click or click Regional and language.

Click or click the language you want to add the keyboard to, and then click or click Options.

Click or click Add Keyboard, browse to the list of input methods for the keyboard layout you want to use, and then click or click the keyboard layout you want to use.

To set the keyboard as the default keyboard

To set the keyboard as the default keyboard so that you do not have to switch input methods when you use the keyboard to enter text, follow these steps:

Open the language in Control Panel in the following ways: Swipe from the right edge of the screen, click "Search" (if you use the mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, then move the mouse pointer down, click Search), enter add language in the search box, and then choose Add Language.

Click or click Advanced Settings.

Under override default Input method, select the keyboard layout you want to set as the default keyboard, and then click or click Save.