Language and keyboard settings for WorkSpaces - Amazon WorkSpaces
WorkSpaces using the PCoIP protocolWorkSpaces using the DCV protocol

Language and keyboard settings for WorkSpaces

To use the same language and keyboard settings on your client device and your WorkSpace, use one of the following methods, depending on which protocol your WorkSpace is using: PCoIP or DCV.

Note

The following procedures might require you to sign out of Windows or disconnect from your WorkSpace. Be sure to save your work before proceeding.

WorkSpaces using the PCoIP protocol

If you're using a language-specific keyboard, use one of the following methods to make your keyboard and your WorkSpace language settings match.

  • Method 1 — Change the keyboard and language settings on your device so that they match the language of your WorkSpace.

  • Method 2 — If you are in an AWS Region that supports more than one language, have your WorkSpaces administrator create a WorkSpace for you in your preferred language. Windows WorkSpaces are currently available in all Regions in English (US).

    In certain Regions, other languages are available. In the Canada (Central) Region, Windows WorkSpaces are also available in French (Canadian); in the Asia Pacific (Seoul) Region, Korean is also available; in the Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region, Japanese is also available; and in the China (Ningxia) Region, Chinese (Simplified) is also available.

    To see which Region your WorkSpace is in, log in to the WorkSpaces client application, and then choose Support, About My WorkSpace.

  • Method 3 — Install the appropriate language or keyboard settings on your WorkSpace. For a Windows WorkSpace, use the following steps:

    1. Log in to the WorkSpace.

    2. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    3. Choose Time & Language, and then choose Language.

    4. Under Preferred languages, choose Add a language.

    5. In the Choose a language to install dialog box, select the language to add, and then choose Next.

    6. In the Install language features dialog box, select the language features that you want, and then choose Install. For example, if you only want to add support for a language-specific keyboard, select Basic typing to install keyboard support for that language.

    7. (Optional) If you've chosen a new display language, sign out of Windows and then sign back in to see the changes take effect.

    8. If you didn't change the display language, select the new keyboard layout for the language that you installed. To do so, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select the language keyboard that you want to use for input.

WorkSpaces using the DCV protocol

When connecting to WorkSpaces using the WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP), you can select the keyboard mode that matches your preferred typing experience.

Client keyboard layout

  • In this mode, typing will follow your local keyboard layout. This means that you can type keys and key combinations using your local keyboard layout, and these will be sent to the remote WorkSpace, regardless of the WorkSpace server layout or language. Note that your typing will not necessarily match 1:1 for each key, but the final result will be the same UTF-8 character.

  • This is the default mode.

Server keyboard layout

  • In this mode, typing will follow the remote WorkSpace's keyboard layout. This means that you can type as if you were typing on the keyboard layout of the WorkSpace. This mode is useful in cases when you want the keys to match 1:1 across the client and WorkSpace, when you want to type in keys or key combinations that are not available in your local client keyboard layout, or when you don't want to change, or are unable to change, your local client keyboard layout setting.

    Note

    This mode is supported only when connecting from the Amazon WorkSpaces clients on Windows and macOS, when connecting to a Windows-based remote WorkSpace.

  • To select the Server keyboard layout mode, enable the Configure server keyboard layout usage GPO (see Amazon WorkSpaces Administration Guide for more details). Then, if you are using a language-specific keyboard you can follow the same instructions for provided for WorkSpaces using the PCoIP protocol.

Client keyboard layout and IME languages

The following languages require the use of an Input Method Editor (IME) to enter characters that aren't found on a QWERTY keyboard:

  • Amharic (Ethiopia)

  • Chinese (PRC)

  • Chinese (Traditional)

  • Chinese (Traditional DaYi input method)

  • Chinese (Wubi input method)

  • Chinese (Yi script)

  • Japanese (Japan)

  • Japanese (106/109 keyboard layout)

  • Korean (Hangul)

  • Korean (Old Hangul)

  • Tigrinya (Ethiopia)

If you want to use a specific keyboard language layout while using WorkSpaces Streaming Protocol (WSP), you can follow one of the following instructions based on whether you're using an IME language or a non-IME language.

Note

If you want to use the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout, be sure to use the procedure specific to the Japanese 106/109 layout.

If you're using a non-IME language (for example, French), use the following procedure.

  1. Set the local client device to the language-specific keyboard that you want.

    1. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    2. Choose Time & language.

    3. Choose Language.

    4. Under Preferred languages, select Add a language.

    5. On the Choose a language to install page, select the language you want.

    6. Choose Next.

    7. Choose Install.

    8. If needed, set your language-specific keyboard layout by selecting the language and then choosing Options.

    9. (Optional) If you chose a new display language, sign out of Windows so that the new display language can take effect.

  2. Select the new keyboard layout for the language that you installed. To do so, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select the language keyboard that you want to use for input.

To change the display language in your WorkSpaces desktop client application, see Client Language (Linux), Client Language (macOS), or Client Language (Windows).

If you're using an IME language other than the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout (for example, Korean), use the following procedure.

  1. Set the local client device's keyboard layout to the IME language that you want.

    1. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    2. Choose Time & language.

    3. Choose Language.

    4. Under Preferred languages, select Add a language.

    5. On the Choose a language to install page, select the language that you want.

    6. Choose Next.

    7. Choose Install.

    8. If needed, set your language-specific keyboard layout by selecting the language and then choosing Options.

    9. (Optional) If you chose a new display language, sign out of Windows so that the new display language can take effect.

  2. Select the new keyboard layout for the language that you installed. To do so, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select the language keyboard that you want to use for input.

  3. Start your WorkSpaces client application and log into your WSP WorkSpace.

  4. Inside the WorkSpace, set the input language to the IME language that you want.

    1. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    2. Choose Time & language.

    3. Choose Region & language.

    4. Under Languages, select Add a language.

    5. On the Add a language page, select the IME language that you want.

    6. (Optional) If needed, set your language-specific keyboard layout by selecting the language on the Language page and then choosing Options.

    7. (Optional) If you chose a new display language, sign out of Windows so that the new display language can take effect. When you sign out, you're also disconnected from your WorkSpace.

  5. Disconnect from your WorkSpace (if you didn't already do so in the previous step).

  6. Reconnect to your WorkSpace.

  7. Inside the WorkSpace, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select the IME language that you installed.

You can now use your IME language in your WSP WorkSpace.

To change the display language in your WorkSpaces desktop client application, see Client Language (Linux), Client Language (macOS), or Client Language (Windows).

If you're using the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout, use the following procedure.

  1. Set the local client device’s display language to Japanese, and set the keyboard to use the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout.

    1. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    2. Choose Time & language.

    3. Choose Language.

    4. Under Preferred languages, select Add a language.

    5. On the Choose a language to install page, select Japanese.

    6. Choose Next.

    7. On the Install language features page, choose Install.

    8. On the Languages page, select Japanese, and then choose Options.

    9. In the Language options: Japanese page, under Hardware keyboard layout, choose Change layout.

    10. In the Change hardware keyboard layout dialog box, select Japanese keyboard (106/109 key).

    11. The change doesn't take effect until you restart Windows. Either choose Restart now, or choose OK, save your work, and then restart Windows.

  2. Select the new keyboard layout that you installed. To do so, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select Japanese Microsoft IME.

  3. Start your WorkSpaces client application and log into your WSP WorkSpace.

  4. Inside the WorkSpace, set Japanese as the default display language and set the keyboard layout to Japanese 106/109.

    1. On the Windows Start menu, choose Settings.

    2. Choose Time & language.

    3. Choose Region & language.

    4. Under Languages, select Add a language.

    5. On the Add a language page, select Japanese.

    6. On the Languages page, select Japanese, and then choose Set as default.

    7. On the Languages page, select Japanese, and then choose Options.

    8. In the Language options page, under Hardware keyboard layout, choose Change layout.

    9. In the Change hardware keyboard layout dialog box, select Japanese keyboard (106/109 key).

    10. The change doesn't take effect until you sign out of Windows. Choose Sign out.

      You will be signed out of Windows and disconnected from your WorkSpace.

  5. Reconnect to your WorkSpace.

  6. Inside the WorkSpace, in the Windows taskbar, choose ENG in the lower-right corner next to the date and time. A menu appears. Select Japanese Microsoft IME.

You can now use the Japanese 106/109 keyboard layout in your WSP WorkSpace.

To change the display language in your WorkSpaces desktop client application, see Client Language (Linux), Client Language (macOS), or Client Language (Windows).