Bug: Right Alt + Shift fails to switch input from Arabic to English

Question

I am experiencing an issue where the language input shortcut (Right Alt + Shift) only works in one direction.

English -> Arabic: Works correctly.

Arabic -> English: Fails/Does nothing.

It appears that when the Arabic layout is active, the Right Alt key is registering strictly as AltGr (sending a Ctrl + Alt signal). This seems to conflict with the standard Alt + Shift toggle command.

Is this a known bug in the recent Windows update, or is there a workaround to force the Arabic layout to recognize Right Alt as a standard Alt key?

Answer 1

The issue you are experiencing with the Right Alt + Shift shortcut failing to switch input from Arabic to English may be related to how the Right Alt key is interpreted in the Arabic layout. In many cases, the Right Alt key (also known as AltGr) can conflict with standard Alt key functions, which might explain why it only works in one direction (English to Arabic) and not the other.

This behavior is known, and users have reported similar issues where the input method editor (IME) does not switch correctly between languages when using certain key combinations. Unfortunately, there isn't a specific workaround mentioned in the provided context to force the Arabic layout to recognize the Right Alt as a standard Alt key.

You may want to try using the standard Left Alt + Shift combination to switch between languages, as it might not have the same conflict as the Right Alt key. Additionally, ensure that your system is fully updated, as updates can sometimes resolve these types of issues.

If the problem persists, consider checking for any known issues related to input methods in your version of Windows, as these can vary with updates.

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References:

• Input method editor issue in RemoteApp scenarios
• Default input profiles (input locales) in Windows

Answer 2

Hello,

By default left alt is considered as AltGr by default, you'll need to either change the settings in your keyboard if it has the function or you'll have to install something like SharpKeys, which edits the Windows Registry to swap keys, or use scripting with AutoHotkey.

Hope this helps,

JC