Windows 10 keeps re-adding default keyboard layouts

Question

It's 2019, and the issue I've been reading about and experiencing for years is STILL THERE.

I use English and Russian keyboards. For both of them I use special custom typography layouts by Ilya Birman, which allow entering various special characters by using right Alt key.

After every few days or after every Windows update Windows 10 adds back its default keyboard layouts: English (US) and Russian (Russia). As a result I end up with four layouts instead of two. Moreover, look at this:

As you can I see, I have FOUR layouts in the actual language bar, but when I open the Keyboards menu, it DOESN'T EVEN SHOW THEM. Which is pretty clearly a bug. The only way for me to delete the unwanted layouts is to ADD them first (because, as you can see on the left, they're not there), and then delete them again.

And they will be again recreated after another system launch or so! 

I'm absolutely baffled by how this is an issue. Here's a list of things that DO NOT WORK:

* Creating a new profile

* Copying settings with the correct layouts using Administrative tab in the Language menu in control panel

* Disabling Location services

* Using IgnoreRemoteKeyboardLayout in the registry edtior — in fact, this option has nothing to do with this issue whatsoever

* Any kind of system checks, scans and other useless stuff

* anything else I've been able to find on the internet.

Does anyone have any better idea? In 1803 I had some luck by manually editing Registry key "Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload" (making sure Data shows values for my custom layouts, not the default layouts), then block the SYSTEM from editing this key. But in 1809 Windows manages to reinstate its control over editing Preload and re-adding the default layouts after every couple of restarts.

How do I stop this ridiculousness???

Answer 1

HI,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I understand how annoying it could be when Windows keeps adding features you do not use. I suggest you refer and follow the suggestions posted by Tiero Chi, dated May 5, 2018 on Unable to remove a language from Windows

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Peer Samie

Microsoft Community-Moderator

Answer 2

HI,

Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.

I understand how annoying it could be when Windows keeps adding features you do not use. I suggest you refer and follow the suggestions posted by Tiero Chi, dated May 5, 2018 on Unable to remove a language from Windows

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Peer Samie

Microsoft Community-Moderator

This method deals with languages. My problem is with keyboard layouts, not languages. The languages are indeed English-US and Russian-Russia as I want them to be. What I don't want is to receive extra keyboard layouts for the same languages, because I use different layouts.

Answer 3

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

You may try removing the additional keyboard layouts from the registry.

Disclaimer: The registry is a database in Windows that contains important information about system hardware, installed programs and settings, and profiles of each of the user accounts on the computer. Windows often reads and updates the information in the registry.

Normally, software programs make registry changes automatically. You should not make unnecessary changes to the registry. Changing registry files incorrectly can cause Windows to stop working or make Windows report the wrong information.

Please take a backup of the registry. Follow the steps given in the article below:

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

• Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key and the R key.
• Type Regedit and hit the Enter key.
• Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Keyboard Layouts.
• Right click on the Keyboard identifier (Hexadecimal equivalent for the keyboard layout you want to remove) and select Delete. Please refer to the article to know about the different keyboard identifiers. Keyboard Identifiers and Input Method Editors for Windows
• Exit registry, reboot the computer and check the status.

Hope it helps.

Regards,

Peer Samie

Microsoft Community-Moderator