To create a Spanish-language keyboard on a Windows machine to use with any program, including webpage composers and email, follow these steps….but first you will probably need your Windows program disc to insert for completing the keyboard.
- Go to your Control Panel (through Start > Settings or through My Computer)
- Double-click Keyboard
- Click on the Language tab
- Click Add
- Select Spanish (Mexico, Spain, traditional or newer sort) from the list ("Mexico" is a generic Latin American keyboard)
- Click OK and close the Control Panel.
Spanish will now appear on your keyboard list. Make sure that in the Language window you have checked the box Enable Indicator on Taskbar. In the same window you can also choose to have Ctrl-Shift switch you from English to Spanish without having to use the mouse to do so.
On the lower right-hand side of your screen you will see a new toggle switch where EN stands for English keyboard and ES for Spanish keyboard. Click on the switch to change between the two. EN will be your default. In the Spanish keyboard,
- for accents hit the "[" key, which is now a dead key, then the vowel you want
- for ñ, use the ";" key
- the ¿ is "="
- the ? is the underline key "_"
- the ¡ is "+"
- the ! is in the same place, over the 1
To create your own keyboard in Word for Windows (one of instructor’s preferred methods if you are going to continue using the same computer through the course.)
- Click on Insert menu and select Symbol and a dialogue box will pop up.
- Scroll to the font titled normal text. (Check to make sure you recognize the Spanish symbols.)
- Highlight the symbol you want, for example "á."
You will be shown the current shortcut, which you could continue to use, or you can click Shortcut key to select a quicker shortcut of your choice.
After you've set your shortcuts for á,é,í,ó,ú,ü,ñ,Ñ,¡, and ¿, you're all set.
NOTE: From any computer with the Windows system, you can click the insert key to type a highlighted symbol regardless of shortcuts or other key assignments.