Many keyboards and laptops have multifunction keys. Typically, they help to combine keys or enable an elevated extra key marked on the keyboard.If you have seen additional keys marked on the key, that is, in the image you see a period, a hyphen, and an underline. In this guide, we will discuss what the Alt Gr key is , how to use it, and how to enable or disable the Alt Gr key on a Windows 10 (non-US) keyboard.
Content
- What is the Alt Gr key on my keyboard
- How to enable or disable the Alt Gr key
- Alt Gr key not working
What is the Alt Gr key on my keyboard
The ALT GR or ALT GRAPH key is found on some international keyboards that also support locale, that is, accented letters or currency and special characters. This key is convenient for anyone who assumes working with a language in which it is necessary to use accent characters several times.
It’s pretty simple to use. Just like you use the Ctrl + C key to control, you can use the ALT GR + key, which also contains the special or accented letter. Windows allows you to emulate Alt GR by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl + Alt keys.
Here’s an interesting fact about ALtGr. It was originally introduced as a tool for directly drawing lines and rectangles in a GUI. However, today they are used to produce alternative characters.
How to enable or disable the Alt Gr key
There is no way to disable this key. The default mode is on. However, workarounds are available depending on what you intend to use with the Alt Gr key.
1] . If your computer has an Alt Gr key, you can disable it by pressing the Shift and Control keys at the same time. It is possible that it was activated to be always on; that might turn it off.
2] We know that Windows simulates this key when you press the Ctrl + Alt keys at the same time or use the right Alt key . If your physical ALt Gr key has stopped working, you can use this combination.
3] If you don’t want Alt Gr to work at all, we can remove the symbols it creates. This is possible with the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator.
Download, install and run the tool, then click File> Load Existing Keyboard. Make sure you select the correct keyboard layout.
Check the box next to Alt + Ctrl (Alt Gr). Once you do that, it will show you all the characters it can produce.
You have two options here.
- Remove the characters you don’t need. If you don’t want this to work at all, remove everything.
- Replace them with the character you want to create.
To remove or replace, click on the unique symbol. An editing window will open. Here you can delete or enter your own character selection.
When all changes are complete, click File> Save as Image.
Go to Project> Properties. Add a name and description.
Then click Project> New DLL and Installation Package again.
Open the folder where you decided to save the installation package. Double click to install it. Then go to Settings> Time & Language> Language> click the default language pack> Options> Add Keyboard> select the name of the keyboard you just created and apply it.
Now when you use the right Alt or Alt GR key, it doesn’t output any characters or it outputs the characters you selected.
Alt Gr key not working
1] Problems with remote connection
If it doesn’t work on a remote connection or open Hyper-V connections suddenly stop working, then it’s best to close that remote connection. Alt Gr will start working again. This is a known bug. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl key in combination with the Alt GR + key for it to work. The Remote Desktop Manager seems to be blocking or disabling the key.
2] Check if any other program is using
It is possible that some other program could interpret some of the AltGr keyboard inputs as keyboard shortcuts. Find out the recently installed or updated program and you should be able to solve it. Likewise, the correct ALT can be in the same situation.
3] Use AutoHotKey
You can use AutoHotKey to emulate Alt + Ctrl on Windows 10. While the correct ALT key should work, if it doesn’t, the script should help you.
4] Change the keyboard language .
Sometimes switching the keyboard language from the current language to a foreign one can lead to confusion with the key code. You may need to remove this keyboard and enable it by default to fix this.
I’m sure one of them will help you fix the ALT Gr problems you are having on Windows 10. It is usually built on non-US keyboards. This is an important clue that most English-speaking editors or consumers are not aware of.
