How to Remap a Keyboard

Aside from your mouse, your keyboard is the hardest-working peripheral on your computer. While there are a number of different keyboard layouts designed to suit different user's needs, you may still not be satisfied with what is available. Perhaps you want to convert your current keyboard layout to another (for example Qwerty to Dvorak). Or perhaps you want to customize certain keys on your keyboard to for increased functionality. Whatever your reason, read on to learn how to remap a keyboard using your control panel or SharpKeys, an application that you can use to remap just about any key on the keyboard.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Remapping Your Keyboard Using the Control Panel in Windows XP

1. Click on the "Start" button in the bottom right of your screen. Click "Control Panel."If you are in Category View, click on: "Date, Time, Language and Regional Options" and then click on "Add other Language." This brings you to the "Languages" tab. If you are in Classic view, click on: "Regional and Language Options" and then click the "Languages" tab

2. 

   Click on the "Details" button, which takes you to the "Text Services and Input Languages" window. Click on the "Add" button. The "Add Input Language" dialog box will open.

3. Select the input language you would like to use from the drop-down box. Choose a Keyboard layout you want from the "Keyboard layout/IME" dropdown box. Click on "OK." Repeat this for as many languages as you want to use.

4. Make any additional changes you want in the "Text Services and Input Languages" dialog box, such as the default language you want to have. You can also indicate whether or not your language preference appears in your task bar.

5. Click on "OK" twice. If prompted, insert the windows system CD-ROM.

Remap Your Keyboard by Editing your Registry with SharpKeys

1. 

   Download and install the SharpKeys application to your PC. (See Resources below for the download link). Launch SharpKeys.

2. 

   Determine which key or keys you want to re-map, as well as the key or function that you want to remap the key to. In this example, we will remap the "Ctrl" key to function as the "Caps" key.Click on the "Add" button.

3. 

   Select the "Ctrl" key from the list on the left. Or click on the "Type" button below the left-hand list, and then tap the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard.

4. 

   Select the "Caps Lock" function from the list on the right. Or click on the "Type" button below the right-hand list, and then tap the "Caps Lock" key on your keyboard.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 above for all the keys you want to re-map.

6. 

   Click on "Write to registry," and wait for SharpKeys to make the necessary changes in your registry. Once you receive confirmation that the change has been made, close SharpKeys. Reboot your computer to update the new keyboard mappings.