Chromebooks come with a default keyboard layout, which is the layout that is used when the Chromebook is first turned on. You can change the keyboard layout on a Chromebook by going to Settings and selecting Keyboard. There are three options for changing the keyboard layout: English (US), French, and Spanish. The English (US) keyboard layout is the default keyboardlayout on a Chromebook. This keyboardlayout is used in North America and most of Europe. The French keyboardlayout is used in France and some parts of Europe. The Spanish keyboardlayout is used in Spain and some parts of Europe. If you want to use a different keyboardlayout on your Chromebook, you can do so by going to Settings and selecting Keyboard again and then select Change Keyboard Layout from the drop-down list. There are four different keyboardslayers available: US, French, Spanish, Italian, and German.
Chrome OS offers a variety of keyboard layouts for its on-screen keyboard, also known as the software keyboard or touch keyboard. If you’d prefer the layout for another region or language, here’s how to change it.
This is also particularly useful if you can’t see the Ctrl and Alt keys on the software keyboard and need to enable them, which is a problem some Chromebook users have reported.
First, click on the clock to open the system menu and notification tray; then click on the Settings icon.
Scroll to the bottom and click “Advanced.”
Scroll a little bit further until you see the “Language and Input” section. Click on “Input Method” to expand it, then click on “Manage Input Methods.”
Locate the keyboard you want to use and check the box to its right to install the keyboard settings. For example, if the Ctrl and Alt keys don’t appear on your Chromebook’s current on-screen keyboard, click the “US Extended Keyboard” box to enable it.
Now, when you open the on-screen keyboard, tap or click the language input icon to the left of the Space bar, and select the keyboard you want to use from the list.
Your keyboard’s layout will change immediately—you don’t have to restart anything.
Chromebooks don’t support third-party software keyboards, as Android does. Google does say it has plans to enable this in the future. Until Google allows the use of third-party keyboard apps on Chrome OS, however, the keyboard layouts included with Chrome OS are your only options.
RELATED: A Guide to Your Chromebook’s Accessibility Features
