Last Updated on December 26, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake
When you go shopping for a computer that runs on Windows 10, one of the things you should be looking at before you make your purchase is the keyboard: you want it to be a desirable one for your personal preference since it is what you are going to use to do all your typing.
There are devices these days that have a detachable keyboard, and several different ones you can choose from when you decide to buy it as an add-on, or there are devices that still come with the laptop already attached as part of the laptop, and it can’t be removed.
The Windows 10 operating system also comes with a keyboard built in so you can bring it up on your computer’s display and either tap with your hand or click the mouse on the keys that you want to use. You should generally avoid using this keyboard and stick with the external keyboard instead since it will offer a much better typing experience, but the built-in keyboard is there for when you need it: if your external keyboard has broken down, run out of batteries temporarily, so forth.
The built-in touch keyboard isn’t too dissimilar to the keyboard you use when you have a device such as the Surface Book or Surface Pro in tablet mode and the external keyboard disconnected—they look almost identical and work in much the same fashion.
If for whatever reason you do want to use the touch keyboard in Windows 10, you might wish to change the layout of it instead of using it in its default setup. Newer versions of the Windows 10 operating system, starting from build 16216, offer three new features: you can choose from the One-handed touch keyboard, try a new touch keyboard from the Settings menu, and an evolved handwriting experience is now up for grabs.
How to Change Layout of Touch Keyboard in Windows 10
1. You can open the touch keyboard in Windows 10 from the Settings application by heading to Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Turn system icons on or off > Toggle on the touch keyboard, or from the taskbar directly by right-clicking on it and then clicking on the “Show touch keyboard button” and then clicking on it when it appears in the system tray, on the right side of the taskbar.
2. With the touch keyboard now open, click on the keyboard “Settings” menu button, located in the top left-hand corner, and then click on the layout you want to change it to. You’ll see the Default split keyboard, One-handed keyboard, Handwriting keyboard and the Standard full layout keyboard all as options next to each other.
The touch keyboard in Windows 10 is much better now than it was in earlier versions of the operating system but it’s still no substitute for a physical external keyboard. When most people use the touch keyboard it’s when a keyboard is disconnected, and they’re in tablet mode, but there are other times out there that the touch keyboard can prove useful, such as in times of emergency when you’re external one isn’t available.