How to Keep the Touch Keyboard Layout Set for Every User on Windows 11

When you change the touch keyboard layout on Windows 11, that setting applies only to your current user account. Other users on the same device must configure their own layout preference. This happens because Windows 11 stores the touch keyboard layout per user in the registry, not as a system-wide setting. This article explains how to apply a touch keyboard layout to every user on a Windows 11 device using Group Policy or a Registry edit.

How Windows 11 Stores Touch Keyboard Layouts Per User

Windows 11 saves the touch keyboard layout in the registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload. This key contains the language and layout identifier for the current user. When a new user signs in, Windows 11 uses the default input language set during the Out-of-Box Experience. If no default is configured, the system falls back to the language that matches the user’s account language or the system display language. This per-user storage means that changing the layout for one account does not affect others. To enforce a consistent layout, you must write the setting to the machine-wide registry location or use Group Policy. Both methods require the target language pack to be installed on the device.

Prerequisites Before Setting a System-Wide Touch Keyboard Layout

Before you apply a default layout to all users, complete these steps:

• Install the language pack that contains the keyboard layout you want to enforce. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & region and add the language. For example, to use the US English touch keyboard layout, add the “English United States” language pack.
• Obtain the Language Identifier (LCID) and Keyboard Layout Identifier (KLID) for the layout. You can find these values in the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts. Each subfolder represents a layout; the folder name is the KLID, and the value “Layout Display Name” shows the language.
• Sign in with an administrator account to make changes to Group Policy or the registry.

Method 1: Use Group Policy to Set a Default Touch Keyboard Layout

This method works on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions that are joined to a domain. The Group Policy setting overrides the per-user layout at sign-in.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor
   Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the input language policy
   Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options.
3. Enable the policy
   Double-click Set a default input language. Select Enabled.
4. Enter the default input language identifier
   In the Default Input Language field, type the LCID and KLID for your layout. For the US English touch keyboard, use 0409:00000409. The format is LCID:KLID.
5. Apply and restart
   Click OK. Restart the device or run gpupdate /force in an elevated Command Prompt. Every user who signs in afterward will see the specified layout as the default.

Method 2: Use Registry Editor to Set a Default Touch Keyboard Layout

This method works on any edition of Windows 11, including Windows 11 Home. It applies the layout system-wide without requiring Group Policy.

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
2. Create the International policy key
   Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\International. If the International key does not exist, right-click Control Panel, select New > Key, and name it International.
3. Create the DefaultInputLanguage value
   Right-click the International key, select New > String Value, and name it DefaultInputLanguage.
4. Set the value data
   Double-click DefaultInputLanguage. In the Value data field, enter the LCID:KLID combination. For US English, enter 0409:00000409. Click OK.
5. Restart the device
   Close Registry Editor and restart Windows 11. The touch keyboard layout will now apply to all users.

Verifying the System-Wide Touch Keyboard Layout

After applying either method, sign in with a different user account to confirm the layout is set correctly.

1. Sign in with a test user account
   Create or use an account that has not manually changed the touch keyboard layout.
2. Open the touch keyboard
   Right-click the taskbar and select Show touch keyboard button. Click the keyboard icon in the system tray.
3. Check the layout
   The default layout should match the one you specified. If it does not, verify that the language pack is installed and that the LCID:KLID values are correct.

Common Issues When Setting a Default Touch Keyboard Layout

The touch keyboard still shows the previous layout after the registry change

This usually happens because the language pack for the target layout is not installed. Windows 11 cannot apply a layout whose language pack is missing. Go to Settings > Time & Language > Language & region and confirm the language is listed under Preferred languages. If it is not, click Add a language and install it.

The Group Policy setting does not apply to existing user accounts

Group Policy applies to users who sign in after the policy is set. Users who are already signed in must sign out and sign back in to see the change. If the policy still does not apply, run gpresult /h gpresult.html in an elevated Command Prompt and open the generated HTML file to check whether the policy is listed under Applied Group Policy Objects.

The registry value is reset after a Windows update

Windows updates do not remove the DefaultInputLanguage registry value because it resides in the Policies key. However, if you used a different registry location, such as HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts, an update can overwrite it. Always use the Policies path to ensure persistence.

Per-User Layout vs System-Wide Layout: Key Differences

Item	Per-User Layout (Default)	System-Wide Layout (Policy/Registry)
Storage location	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Control Panel\International
Applies to	Only the current user account	All users who sign in after the change
Requires language pack	No, uses the user’s existing language	Yes, the target language pack must be installed
Can be overridden by the user	Yes, the user can change the layout at any time	Yes, but the policy resets it at next sign-in
Edition support	All Windows 11 editions	Group Policy: Pro, Enterprise, Education; Registry: all editions

You can now enforce a single touch keyboard layout across all user accounts on a Windows 11 device. The Group Policy method is best for domain-joined devices because it is centrally managed and survives user changes. The registry method works on every edition and is simpler to deploy on a single machine. After setting the layout, consider configuring the touch keyboard to show the text suggestions bar by going to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Touch keyboard and enabling Show the touch keyboard when not in tablet mode and there’s no keyboard attached. This ensures the layout is visible immediately when users tap a text field.