keyboard issue

Hi srikanth aluru,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum. I understand how inconvenient this can be when your keyboard suddenly starts typing the wrong letters.

I can see that Q&A Assist has already suggested a few good steps, mainly around checking the keyboard layout and testing with the On‑Screen Keyboard. To keep things simple, I’ll briefly summarize those and add a couple of additional steps that often help fully reset the keyboard behavior in Windows:

Step 1: Check which keyboard layout is currently active

Windows can automatically switch keyboard layouts, which can make letters appear “swapped” or produce unexpected characters.

• Look at the language indicator in the bottom‑right corner of the screen (for example: ENG US, ENG IN).
• Click it and make sure the layout matches your physical keyboard.
• If you see multiple layouts, switch to the correct one and test typing.

Step 2: Remove extra keyboard layouts you don’t use

Having multiple keyboard layouts installed can cause Windows to switch between them unexpectedly.

• Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region
• Select your main language and click Language options
• Under Keyboards, keep only the layout you actually use and remove the others
• Restart the PC and test again

Step 3: Test with the On‑Screen Keyboard

This helps confirm whether the issue is related to Windows settings or the physical keyboard.

• Press Windows + R, type osk, and press Enter
• Try typing using the On‑Screen Keyboard
• If it types correctly, the issue is usually related to keyboard settings or drivers rather than Windows itself

Step 4: Reset the keyboard layout by re‑adding the language

This forces Windows to fully reload the keyboard configuration and often resolves stuck key combinations (such as Alt‑based shortcuts).

• Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region
• Click Add a language and temporarily add a different one (for example, English (United States))
• Move the temporary language to the top of the list and restart the PC
• After restart, move your original language back to the top and restart again
• Finally, remove the temporary language

Step 5: Check Accessibility keyboard settings Some accessibility features can change how keys behave.

• Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard
• Make sure Sticky Keys, Filter Keys and Toggle Keys are turned off
• Test typing again

Step 6: Test with an external keyboard

This helps determine whether the issue is software‑related or specific to the built‑in keyboard.

• Connect a USB keyboard and test typing
• If the external keyboard works normally, the issue may be limited to the built‑in keyboard
• If the same issue occurs, it strongly points back to Windows settings rather than hardware

If you’ve already tried some of these steps, feel free to let me know which ones and what you observed. I’m happy to help you narrow this down.

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On a new Surface Laptop, letters appearing “interchanged” is usually caused by the wrong keyboard layout or language being selected in Windows, not a hardware fault.

Change the keyboard layout so what is typed matches what appears on screen:

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Region & language.
2. Under Language, check which language and keyboard layout are in use.
3. Make sure the input language/keyboard layout matches the physical keyboard (for example, US, UK, Polish, etc.).
4. Remove any layouts not needed, or add the correct one and move it to the top.
5. Test typing again.

If the layout is correct and only some keys intermittently fail or behave oddly, test with another keyboard:

1. Connect an external USB or Bluetooth keyboard.
2. If the external keyboard works correctly, the built-in keyboard may have a hardware problem and may require service.

If the issue is intermittent on both keyboards, it can be software-related (for example, third-party apps or drivers). In that case, check for Windows updates and keyboard/mouse updates, and consider testing in Safe Mode to see if a third-party app is interfering.

References:

• Troubleshoot problems with your Surface mouse or keyboard
• Hardware and software keyboards
• keypad issue - Microsoft Q&A
• How to reset my keyboard? Combination of "Alt + L " gives weird characters and message is sent automatically. - Microsoft Q&A