MSKLC keyboard disappears after logging out or rebooting

Question

MSKLC keyboard disappears after logging out or rebooting

Stephanie C 0

I have a MSKLC keyboard that worked fine on my previous (Windows 11) laptop. On my new laptop, the custom keyboard works immediately after installation, but after reboot / logout, the language bar disappears and I can’t switch to the custom keyboard manually. When I look in my settings, the custom keyboard is still listed, but I can't "activate" it anymore.

I tried re-installing MSKLC and repackaging the keyboard, but that didn't work.

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Answer 1

Welcome Stephanie C,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand how frustrating it can be when your custom MSKLC keyboard works immediately after installation on Windows 11, but after logging out or rebooting, the language bar disappears and the keyboard can no longer be activated even though it still appears in Settings.

To help identify the fastest resolution, please confirm the following

Is this custom keyboard installed for the current user account only, or was it installed using administrative privileges for all users?
Does the issue occur immediately after a full restart, or only after signing out and signing back in?

In the meantime, you can try the steps below to troubleshoot the issue:

Option 1: Check whether the Text Services Framework is loading correctly at sign-in.

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter
Go to the Services tab
Make sure Microsoft Text Services Framework is enabled
Restart the device

Option 2: Re‑add the input method manually.

Go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region
Select your language
Remove the custom keyboard
Restart the device
Add the custom keyboard again

Option 3: Verify advanced keyboard settings.

Go to Settings > Time & language
Select Typing
Select Advanced keyboard settings
Enable Use the desktop language bar when it’s available
Sign out and sign back in

Option 4: Check if the keyboard layout loads at user logon.

Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload
Confirm the custom keyboard layout is listed
Restart the device

I really hope that the information I gave above was helpful to you. Please feel free to reply below and let me know if you have further concern on this matter.

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Stephanie C 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T04:37:56.1133333+00:00

I accidentally replied twice. Oops!
Stephanie C 0 Reputation points

2026-03-05T04:38:49.1233333+00:00

Hi Emma,

Thank you for helping me troubleshoot this.

I have tried installing the custom keyboard both for the current user account, and for all users by using admin privileges, but neither method works.

The issue occurs immediately after restart, as well as if I sign out and sign back in.

I looked for the Text Services Framework in System Configuration, but it is not included in the list of services. Is it possible that this is the issue? Is there a way to add it to the list?

Removing the keyboard, restarting the computer, and re-adding the keyboard doesn't work. I can add it to my list of keyboards, but I can't switch to it unless I fully re-install the keyboard.

I checked my keyboard settings, singed out, and signed back in, but the language bar still did not appear.

When I checked HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload in Registry Editor, my custom keyboard was not listed. My custom keyboard is a Lemko keyboard that is linked to Belarusian. My Lemko keyboard's ID is a00000423, but I only see English (ID 00000409) and Belarusian (ID 00000423) in my list of preloads.

Does this information help narrow down the issue? I'd really appreciate any additional advice.

Thanks again for your help!

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MSKLC keyboard disappears after logging out or rebooting

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