Keyboard Layout Manager

Keyboard Layout Manager automatically selects the appropriate Windows keyboard layout for a configured external keyboard and restores that choice after Windows resets the input language.

Why It Is Needed

Windows can revert the selected input language to the default layout after a device is locked or restarted.

This utility detects keyboard and session changes, then automatically reapplies the appropriate layout so the desired input state is retained.

Use Case

Use a UK laptop keyboard on the move and a US external keyboard at your desk. Keyboard Layout Manager automatically applies UK when the external keyboard is disconnected and US when the configured keyboard is connected, including after lock/unlock.

What It Does

• Runs from the Windows system tray and responds to keyboard and session events.
• Identifies one or more US keyboards through a guided unplug/reconnect setup.
• Stores editable settings beside the application and can start automatically when you sign in.

Installation

Use KeyboardLayoutManager-Setup-<version>.exe for the normal installation experience.

It installs per-user under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Keyboard Layout Manager, creates a Start Menu shortcut, preserves an existing INI file during upgrades, and offers to launch the application.

The ZIP release is also available for portable/manual installation. It contains:

• KeyboardLayoutManager.exe
• KeyboardLayoutManager.ini
• README.md

Extract the ZIP to a user-writable folder such as %LOCALAPPDATA%\Keyboard Layout Manager. Do not use Program Files: the application saves tray settings to the INI file beside its executable.

First Run

1. Ensure both the UK and US Windows keyboard layouts are installed.
2. Install Keyboard Layout Manager by running KeyboardLayoutManager-Setup-<version>.exe. Leave the launch option selected at the end of setup.
3. Find the Keyboard Layout Manager icon in the system tray. Windows may place it in the tray overflow (^) menu initially, or hide it and require you to go to Taskbar setting > Other system tray icons.
4. Right-click the icon and select Add Connected US Keyboard....
5. Follow the unplug/reconnect prompts and confirm the detected keyboard.

The tray menu also provides Check Now, Show Status, Open Configuration File, keyboard detection and setup, notification/startup toggles, reload, and exit.

Configuration

KeyboardLayoutManager.ini is the only configuration file. It documents all available settings. After editing it manually, select Reload in the tray menu.

Building A Release

Install the official AutoHotkey v2 compiler (Ahk2Exe), then run the following from this folder:

.\build-release.ps1 -CompilerPath 'C:\Path\To\Ahk2Exe.exe'

To also create the installer, install Inno Setup 6 and supply its compiler path:

.\build-release.ps1 -CompilerPath 'C:\Path\To\Ahk2Exe.exe' -InstallerCompilerPath 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe'

The script derives its release version from APP_VERSION in the source file. It uses the installed AutoHotkey v2 64-bit runtime by default. Supply -RuntimePath only when it is installed elsewhere or a 32-bit release is needed. It creates a matching ZIP and, when Inno Setup is supplied, installer. It refuses to build while DEBUG_MODE is set to true in the source script.

Author

Created by Kaylum Snape.

License

Released under the MIT License.