Keyboard Typing the Wrong Characters in Windows? Fix the @ and " Swap and US vs UK Layout

You press a key and a different character appears — the @ and " are swapped, # comes out as £, or the symbols above the number row are all wrong.

Why: The character you get is decided by the keyboard layout Windows is using, not the letters printed on your keys. If Windows is set to a US layout but you have a UK keyboard (or vice versa), the symbols won’t line up. Microsoft’s own fix is to make the input language match your physical keyboard. The most common offender is a stray United States-International layout, whose “dead keys” turn ' and " into accent marks.

Fix 1: Switch to the right layout with Win + Space

Windows often has more than one layout installed, and you may have switched by accident.

1. Press and hold the Windows logo key, then tap Spacebar. A small panel shows every installed layout.
2. Keep tapping Space (while holding Windows) to cycle until the highlighted layout matches your keyboard — e.g. English (United Kingdom) for a UK keyboard.
3. Release and test: type @ and " (Shift+2 and Shift+’) to confirm they’re correct.

This is the fastest fix and usually solves an accidental swap immediately.

Fix 2: Add the correct layout if it isn’t listed

If Win + Space only offers the wrong layout, add the right one:

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Click your language (e.g. English), then Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, click Add a keyboard and pick the layout that matches your hardware — for a UK keyboard choose United Kingdom; for a US keyboard choose US.
4. Use Win + Space to switch to it, then remove the wrong layout: click it, then the three dots (…) > Remove.

Fix 3: Confirm input language matches display language

Microsoft’s troubleshooting for “what I type doesn’t match the screen” is to align the two:

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Make sure the input language (your keyboard) matches the Windows display language. If they differ, the symbols can drift.
3. Set the correct layout as the one you use, then sign out and back in so it applies everywhere, including the lock screen.

Fix 4: Turn off United States-International if quotes become accents

If typing ' or " does nothing until you press another key (then adds an accent like é or ü), you’re on the US-International layout with dead keys.

• Press Win + Space and switch to plain US or United Kingdom.
• Or remove US-International: Settings > Time & language > Language & region > [language] > Language options > click United States-International, then (…) > Remove.
• Tip while you’re stuck on it: to type a literal quote, press ’ then Spacebar.

FAQ

Why does my keyboard keep switching back on its own? A hotkey (often Ctrl+Shift or Left Alt+Shift) cycles layouts. See a second language keeps switching.

The letters are fine but @ and ” are swapped — is my keyboard broken? No. That’s the classic US-vs-UK layout mismatch. Switch to the layout that matches your keyboard (Fix 1).

Sources: Microsoft Support — Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows, Microsoft Support — Troubleshoot wired keyboards that don’t respond or type wrong characters