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Why is my keyboard typing è instead of apostrophe

Gail Frost 0 Reputation points
2026-05-14T22:05:47.7566667+00:00

My keyboard is now substituting accented letters for punctuation, i.e. apostrophe, quotation marks, question mark. How can I fix this.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Input and language
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  1. Vikki-T 5,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-15T07:08:32.2633333+00:00

    Hi Gail Frost, 

    I understand how frustrating it can be when the keys no longer type what you expect, especially when punctuation marks start turning into accented characters. 

    To narrow this down, could you please check and share the following? 

    • What keyboard layout is shown when you press Windows key + Spacebar? 
    • Did this start after adding another language, changing region settings, or after a recent Windows update? 
    • Are you using a standard US/English physical keyboard, or a keyboard from another region? 

    In the meantime, please try these steps: 

    • Press Windows key + Spacebar. 
    • Select a plain English layout, such as English (United States) - US. 
    • Test the apostrophe, quotation mark, and question mark keys again. 

    At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario.  

    While my initial response may not fully resolve the issue, I truly appreciate your cooperation as we work together toward identifying the most effective solution. Thank you so much for your understanding.  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-14T22:06:03.1233333+00:00

    The behavior comes from using a keyboard layout that treats ', ", ?, etc. as “dead keys” for accents. When such a layout is active, pressing ' followed by a vowel produces accented characters like è instead of a plain apostrophe.

    To fix this, switch back to a standard English keyboard layout (for example, “US” or “English (United States)”) and/or remove the accented layout that was added:

    1. Open Settings (Windows key + I).
    2. Go to Time & language > Language & region.
    3. Under Preferred languages, select the language in use (for example, English (United States)) and choose Language options.
    4. Under Keyboards, look for layouts such as US-International, or any layout for another language that uses accents.
    5. Either:
      • Add a plain US (or other non‑international) layout and set it as default, and/or
      • Remove the international/accented layout that is causing the issue.
    6. Use Win + Space to cycle keyboard layouts and leave it on the plain English layout.

    Once only a non‑international English layout is active, pressing apostrophe, quotes, and question mark will stop producing accented characters.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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