Add Keyboard Input Languages in Windows 8, Including Hindi (Historical)

Historical support note: Windows 8 is no longer supported by Microsoft. These steps document its original Control Panel interface.

Windows 8 can use more than one keyboard input language, allowing you to switch between layouts while typing. The original example used Hindi, but the same process applied to other languages available in the Windows 8 language list.

Add an input language

1. Open the Start screen and search for Control Panel.
2. Open Control Panel.
3. Change View by to Small icons if necessary.
4. Open Language.
5. Select Add a language.
6. Choose the language you want to add.
7. Add the desired keyboard/input method if Windows offers more than one.

Switch between input languages

After adding another input method, Windows displays a language indicator near the notification area, such as ENG for English.

Select the indicator and choose the input language or keyboard layout you want to use.

Adding an input language changes how the keyboard produces characters; it does not automatically translate existing text.

About language packs

A keyboard/input method and a full Windows display-language pack are different things. You can add an input method without necessarily changing the Windows interface language.

Official reference

• Microsoft Windows lifecycle status: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/updates-lifecycle/what-does-it-mean-if-windows-isn-t-supported