Windows 11 shows 2 touch screen keyboards.

Question

Windows 11 shows 2 touch screen keyboards.

Tony Long 41

Hello.

I seem to have 2 different touch screen keyboards enabled on my computer. I don't really know how to describe them so please refer to the photo below.

I would like to disable the less modern looking one on the left so that only the more modern one on the right is used.

Thanks.

Tony.

Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 24H2

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3 answers

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Answer 1

Sean Liming 4,811 Volunteer Moderator

The AI answer was actually correct. Windows 11 has two different on-screen keyboards. The older legacy On-Screen Keyboard (OSK.exe) and the newer Touch Keyboard.

It should be possible to block osk.exe from running all together.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7

EnableDesktopModeAutoPopup REG_DWORD 0

How are you triggering the on-screen keyboard to appear?

Is this a laptop or desktop system?

Tony Long 41 Reputation points

2026-04-13T08:24:21.9766667+00:00

Hi Sean.

In my case, setting HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7 EnableDesktopModeAutoPopup to 0 does not resolve the issue.

To trigger both on-screen keyboards, I simply boot and log in, run task manager or file explorer, and tap a text field.

Sometimes the older looking keyboard appears. Sometimes the more modern looking keyboard appears. Sometimes both appear simultaneously. I would like to disable the older looking keyboard completely so that only the more modern (rounded corners) keyboard appears.

Incidentally, when I switch the On-screen keyboard on via Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, a third, different looking keyboard appears. So in totality, there are actually 3 different keyboard appearances on my system, and not knowing the precise names for each is making it difficult for me to find the right information for my situation.

Anyway, whatever the name, my goal remains the same: I only want to see the more modern looking (Touch Keyboard?) one.

My system is a custom kiosk computer.
Sean Liming 4,811 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-04-14T20:27:42.5033333+00:00

I am aware of the two modern keyboards variations. Are you custom building the Windows image? Or is this Windows image provided with the hardware?

If you delete osk.exe, does this get rid of the old keyboard?
Tony Long 41 Reputation points

2026-04-15T07:58:12.4566667+00:00

Hi Sean.

Until now, our hardware has been running on Windows 10, where there were no issues with the on-screen/touch keyboard. I am currently creating a Windows 11 image that we can migrate to. I just tried deleting osk.exe as you suggested but it made no differences to behavior of either keyboard in my photo.

Out of curiosity, I also tried deleting TabTip.exe as well and this seems mostly to have resolved my issue! Now, tapping a text field no longer activates either keyboard, but I can still tap the keyboard icon in the system tray to activate the modern looking one. Not a perfect solution, but enough for me to consider this issue closed. Restoring osk.exe while TabTip.exe is deleted did not have any effect.

Happy to accept your answer for leading me on the right path Sean. I'm also happy to try some other suggestions before closing if you have any if you think it'll help more people. Just let me know.

Cheers.
Sean Liming 4,811 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-04-15T13:50:05.43+00:00
Good to hear you have a solution. Not sure why the issue is happening, but it might be another Windows 11 Explorer problem.

Two last questions:

Are you using SIM to create the image? https://annabooks.com/Book_SGWin10IoTE2.html

Have you applied the latest Windows cumulative update to the image and retested the onscreen keyboard(s)? The latest updates fix issues found in the RTM release of Windows 11 IoT Enterprise.
Tony Long 41 Reputation points

2026-04-15T14:03:26.8966667+00:00
Hi Sean.

I'm not sure what SIM is but I'm not using it. I'm not even sure if what I'm doing could accurately be called "creating" an image. In reality, I was handed an image that another colleague had been working on and have been making a whole bunch of customization changes such as creating a standard local user, replacing that user's shell with my company's application, configuring a whole load of polices for that user, and so on. The idea being that I will later generalize this image using Sysprep so that it can be copied onto lots of machines. However, the issue I've been seeing with the two different keyboards was actually affecting the local admin user, rather that the "locked down" user. I'm sure the root of this issue is some inadvertent change I've made to a policy or registry setting somewhere, and I'm certain this approach to making my image is probably a masterclass in what not to do.

Yes. As of today, I have the latest updates available through Windows update.
Sean Liming 4,811 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-04-15T19:41:43.6433333+00:00

System Image Manager is part of the Windows ADK free download. SIM is used to help create a customizable installer for customizing the windows image. My book(s) cover the whole process to create a Windows 10/11 IoT Enterprise image as well as all the features of Shell Launcher, UWF, etc. A cliff notes version is discussed in this article: https://annabooks.com/Articles/Articles_IoT10/Windows-10-IoT-E-Workflow-Rev1.5.pdf

The goal is to help create the image and manage changes to the image over the lifecycle of the project. I have a client now that is using the modern touch screen keyboard in their tablet project, and they are not seeing the issue that you are running into. Based on your description, I don't know if something has been set in the OS that could trigger the issue. I do know that there is no issue with the onscreen keyboard by starting clean and suing the tools to create the image.

Answer 2

Harry Phan 17,360 Independent Advisor

Hi Long, try this out: User's image

Tony Long 41 Reputation points

2026-04-02T11:54:00.1233333+00:00

Hi Harry.

I have already checked that setting, and in my case, it was already off. I tried toggling it on and off again, but that still doesn't hide the keyboard in my photo.
Harry Phan 17,360 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-04-02T12:04:46.9366667+00:00
I see. How about this way:

Press Win + R, type control, and open Control Panel.

Go to Ease of Access → Ease of Access Center → Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard.

Make sure Use On-Screen Keyboard is unchecked.

Click Apply.
Tony Long 41 Reputation points

2026-04-02T13:01:28.7533333+00:00

In my case, that setting is already unchecked Harry, and the issue still persists.

Answer 3

Windows 11 is showing both the legacy On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) and the newer Touch Keyboard. The older one on the left is the OSK; the modern one on the right is the Touch Keyboard. Disable the OSK and keep the Touch Keyboard enabled.

To turn off the On-Screen Keyboard:

Open Start.
Select Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
Turn Off the On-Screen Keyboard toggle.

The Touch Keyboard will still be available and will appear when tapping in a text box (for example, when in tablet mode), while the legacy OSK will no longer open.

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Windows 11 shows 2 touch screen keyboards.

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