Keyboard Typing Wrong Characters? Fix Your Keyboard Layout
You press the @ key and get a quotation mark. The # key gives you something else entirely. Before you decide your keyboard is broken, check the layout. In most cases the computer is simply using the wrong one, which is the setting that tells it what each physical key should type.
How to tell it's the layout
The usual signs are symbols like @, ", #, £ and \ coming out as different characters, or letters like Q, W, A and Z acting as if you were on an AZERTY or QWERTZ keyboard. If the letters are fine and only some symbols are off, that's a very typical layout mismatch, for example a UK layout on a US keyboard.
Confirm it with the tester
Open the Keyboard Tester and press the key that behaves oddly. The "Last key" box shows the character your computer produced, and the lit key on screen shows the physical position. If you press a key printed with one symbol and the tester shows a different character, that's your answer. It's a layout issue, not a dead key.
Fixing it on Windows
Open Settings, then Time and language, then Language and region. Under your language, pick Language options. In the Keyboards section, add the layout that matches your physical keyboard, such as English (United States), and remove the ones you don't use. You can flip between installed layouts any time by pressing the Windows key and Space together.
Fixing it on a Mac
Open System Settings and go to Keyboard. Choose Text Input, then Edit next to Input Sources. Add the right layout and remove the wrong one. The Control and Space shortcut switches between input sources.
Linux and Chromebooks
On most Linux desktops, open Settings, then Keyboard, and set the input source. On a Chromebook, go to Settings, then Device, then Keyboard, and choose the input method that matches your keyboard.
Why did it change on its own?
A system update, a new user account or a language added during setup can slip in a second layout. On Windows, the Alt and Shift shortcut can also switch layouts by accident, which explains why symbols sometimes change halfway through a sentence. If it keeps happening, delete the extra layouts so there's nothing to switch to.
Layout is right but a key still misbehaves
Then it's probably a real fault or a stuck setting. Try our guide on fixing keys that stopped working, and make sure Sticky Keys and Filter Keys are off.