PC help: different languages

How to switch between languages in Windows

I want to use my notebook PC and printer to write letters in French and English. Can I use the two alphabets with Windows?

Michael Zammit

Windows is happy to switch between languages and their own keyboard layouts. It is simple to set up several languages and switch between them. It is harder to change the physical layout of a keyboard but if you are happy to touch type in the different languages this is not a problem. Click on the Start Button and then on Control Panel.

Left-click on the View in Classic mode option and then double-click on the Regional and Language settings icon. Click on the Languages tab and then on the Details button. The next window shows all the languages that are installed. Click on the Add button and select French (France) from the dropdown menu. Leave the Keyboard layout as it is and click on OK.

Click on the Apply button and then on the Key Settings button. If there is no shortcut key set up for the new language, double-click where it says (None). Click in the small box labelled Enable Key Sequence, select a shortcut that you can easily remember and click on OK. Note that pressing the left Alt key and shift together will cycle through the installed languages.

A more helpful way to change the language is to use the Language bar. Left-click on the Language Bar button. Select the option Show the Language bar on the desktop and click on OK.