Ubuntu – Change keyboard layout

Keyboard layouts are not automatically changed when you start using a new keyboard, there is a chance that the key mappings are different, specially if we are talking about a Apple keyboard.

To change the mappings of the keyboard used in your system you need to:

• Open the system settings

  

• Select Keyboard

  

• Select Layout Settings

  

• Right bellow the list of keyboard mappings active there is a little + button, press it and you will be able to add and select a new keyboard mapping

  

When selecting a new keyboard mapping from the list you will be able to press the Preview button to have a look at the look and key distribution of the keyboard that will be a in use, try to match as close as you can to yours.

If you are using Ubuntu you can set the default "Keyboard Layout" settings to change between keyboard layouts. However you cannot use the keyboard shortcuts you have listed. I do not know the way to do that.

If you open the system settings menu navigate to keyboard layout. Once open you will see your current keyboard layouts. If you click options and select "Key(s) to change layout, you can select which combo to change the layout. Some of the combos are

Alt+Caps Lock

Alt+Ctrl

Alt+Shift

Both Alt keys together, etc.

However thers is no way to set your own custom shortcuts. I attempted to see if there was possible a terminal code but there is no manual entry for Keyboard Layout settings, such as there is for other programs like Firefox: man firefoxIf there were you could easy create a custom key combo to run the command depending on which layout you want.

Additionally there is no indicator of which layout you've switched too and the only way to check is to type something. But it does seem to go in order of the way the layouts are listed.

I hope that helps you.