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General
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Where can I find a keyboard for my language?Please see Find FirstVoices keyboards for your language |
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There's something wrong with my keyboard - how do I contact you?You can email us at hello@firstvoices.com about any problems or bugs with your keyboard. |
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How do I swap between mobile keyboards?Android There are two methods that can be used to switch between mobile keyboards. One method is by pressing and holding the little globe key, usually located to the left of the space bar. Holding this key will bring up your input method menu, where you can select which keyboard you wish to use. Tapping the globe key allows you to switch between multiple languages if you have more than one installed on your keyboard. Note: This no longer works on Samsung devices. Please see I can’t swap my keyboard (Samsung) for further instructions on how to set up your device.  The other method is by tapping the Keyboard Button in your navigation bar. Tapping it brings up the input method menu, where you can select the keyboard you want. Note: This button is only visible if you have enabled it. If you would like to enable it, see Setting up the FirstVoices Keyboard App in the installation guide.  iOS To swap between keyboards, pressing and holding the little globe key, usually located to the left of the
iOS To swap between keyboards, pressing and holding the little globe key, usually located to the left of the space bar. Holding this key will bring up your keyboard menu, where you can select which keyboard you wish to use.
Tapping the globe key allows you to switch between multiple languages if you have more than one installed on your keyboard.  |
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The Keyboard doesn't work on my iPhone/iPad anymore!The update to iOS 16 in the fall of 2022 created a bug that prevented the app from working properly. This has since been fixed - please see this page for the solution. If this does not help, contact us at hello@firstvoices.com for support. |
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How do I access numbers or punctuation on my computer keyboard?On many of the FirstVoices keyboards, the number and punctuation keys are modified to type out letters and special characters that are not on the English keyboard. To access the original values of modified keys, press Right-Alt (Windows) / Option (Mac). The Slash / is typed Right-Alt + Slash on Windows, Option + Slash on Mac. |
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Where do I find the layout for my desktop keyboard?One of the best ways to see the layout for your keyboard is by opening up your on-screen keyboard. The on-screen keyboard will show the different “layers” of your keyboard while you are pressing any modifying key (shift, ctrl, alt, and combinations of these keys) and what other key needs to be pressed to access the character you’re searching for. If you are unsure how to open your on-screen keyboard, please see How do I open my on-screen keyboard? below. You can also open up the help page for your keyboard. The many ways you can reach your keyboard’s help page are shown below in Where do I find the help page for my desktop keyboard?. |
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Where do I find the help page for my desktop keyboard?The help page for each keyboard is linked in the Keyboard Installation Guide on this knowledge base. If you are on the Keyman page for your keyboard, you can click on the Keyboard Help link beside Documentation towards the bottom of the page.  If you have Keyman Configuration open, in your Keyboard Layouts tab, clicking on your keyboard brings up a menu with several options - one of them being help. Clicking that will bring you to the help page on Keyman’s website.  On Mac, the Help will be available by clicking the small question mark (  If you have your on-screen keyboard open, there is a small question mark in a circle. Clicking here will open the help page for your keyboard in a new window.  |
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How do I switch between keyboards on my computer?Mac You can swap between keyboards by pressing on the input menu button in the top right side of your screen.  Alternatively, you can swap between a Keyman keyboard and an English keyboard by holding Ctrl and tapping Spacebar. Note: You cannot switch between two Keyman keyboards using this method, only Keyman and another keyboard. You must switch keyboards by going into the Keyman menu. Windows You can swap the keyboard you’re using by pressing on the input methods button in the bottom right corner of your screen and selecting the keyboard you want in the menu that pops up. The icon shown on your input methods button will vary depending on what keyboard you currently have active.  Alternatively, you can press windows key + tap the space bar to quickly swap between keyboards. You can navigate down the menu that pops up by tapping the space bar again. |
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How do I type special characters on my computer keyboard?How special characters or letters are typed will change depending on which keyboard you’re using. To learn how to type special characters or letters, please see Where do I find the layout for my desktop keyboard?. To learn how to type numbers and punctuation, please see How do I access numbers or punctuation on my computer keyboard?. |
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I installed Keyman but the keyboard isn't showing up? (Windows)Sometimes when installing Keyman on Windows, the keyboard it’s downloaded with doesn’t appear as an input method (image 1). The solution is pretty simple!  In the Keyman Configuration page, under the Keyboard Layouts tab, you should see the keyboard you installed. Select the Uninstall option.  Right after Uninstall is clicked, there will be a pop-up asking if you are sure you would like to uninstall the keyboard - select OK to continue.  Immediately after clicking Ok, there will be the same security pop-up as when you installed Keyman asking permission to make changes (uninstalling the keyboard). Select Ok to continue uninstalling.  The keyboards uninstall fairly quickly. Once that’s complete, your Keyman Configuration window should look like this:  Now you need to redownload the keyboard you just uninstalled. Click Download keyboard… - this will bring up another window with Keyman’s search bar.  From here, you can follow our instructions to search for and re-install the keyboard you just uninstalled by clicking here: Installing Additional Keyboards Reinstallation should resolve this issue!
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How do I open my on-screen keyboard?Mac To open your on-screen keyboard, you will need to open your Keyman menu. First, switch to a Keyman keyboard. Then click again on your input menu button to open the Keyman drop down, and scroll down to On-Screen Keyboard. The on-screen keyboard will open momentarily.  Your on-screen keyboard will stay in front of any other windows you open, and can be dragged anywhere. It’s a great resource to use when first using a keyboard since it shows you the keymap, and changes if you are pressing on any modifying keys (shift, alt, ctrl, and combinations of those keys). Windows To open your on-screen keyboard, you will need to open your Keyman menu. Click on the little arrow (^) to access the hidden icon menu, and click on the Keyman icon. In the Keyman menu, click on On-Screen Keyboard at the top of the right column. The on-screen keyboard will pop up momentarily.  Your on-screen keyboard will stay in front of any other windows you open, and can be dragged anywhere. It’s a great resource to use when first using a keyboard since it shows you the keymap, and changes if you are pressing on any modifying keys (shift, alt, ctrl, and combinations of those keys). Another way that you can open the on-screen keyboard is by pressing Shift + right-Alt + K. This shortcut will only work if click off of whatever screen you are working in, and tends to work much more consistently in Windows 11. |
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How do I open Keyman Configuration / settings?Mac To open Keyman Configuration, you will need to open your Keyman menu. First, switch to a Keyman keyboard. Then click again on your input menu button to open the Keyman drop down, and scroll down to Configuration…. Keyman Configuration will open momentarily.  Windows To open Keyman Configuration, you will need to open your Keyman menu. Click on the little arrow (^) to access the hidden icon menu, and click on the Keyman icon. Once in the Keyman menu, click on Configuration… in the middle of the right column. Keyman Configuration will open momentarily.  |
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Why are some letters autocapitalising in the middle of a word when using Microsoft Word?Microsoft Word has a feature that automatically causes letters to become capitals in certain situations, such as an ‘i' without a preceding letter. Sometimes, due to how a special character is formed, it will automatically capitalise the 'i’ in the middle of a word. This can become quite annoying after a while! Mac To turn it off, open up Word and select Tools, then click on AutoCorrect Options….   In the options menu, click the check next to Capitalize the first letter of sentences to turn it off. You can change any other autocorrect features that may have an effect on writing your language, like Replace text as you type, here as well.  Windows To turn it off, open up Word. On the right side of the Home Screen, select Options.  Once Options is open, click on Proofing. In Proofing, click on the AutoCorrect Options… button.  Click the check next to Capitalize the first letter of sentences to turn it off. You can change any other autocorrect features that may have an effect on writing your language, like Replace text as you type, here as well. 
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Keyman is selected but the keyboard is working like an English one? (Windows 11)Sometimes a keyboard works like an English keyboard even though one of the Keyman keyboards is selected on Windows 11. The solution is pretty simple! Right click anywhere on your task bar, and select Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu. Your settings window will open on taskbar settings.  Scroll down to and click on Other system tray icons. In the options here, toggle on Keyman Engine x86. Keyman will now always be visible on the bottom left hand side of your screen. The keyboard should now work as it should!   |
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My keyboard keeps disappearing when I restart my computer! Do I need to reinstall it? (Windows)Don’t worry! Your keyboard is still there and you do not need to reinstall it or Keyman! Keyman needs to be opened to work, much like your browser or Microsoft Word. Find the Keyman icon in the Start Menu or Programs on your computer, and double click to start it again. Your keyboards will now be able to be selected again. There is a way to prevent this happening in the future. Open your hidden icon menu by clicking the small arrow (^) in your taskbar, then click on the Keyman icon.   In the menu that pops up, select Configuration. This will open in a new window.  In configuration, select Options from the icons on the right. Then, click on the box next to Start when Windows starts. Now Keyman will automatically start each time your computer is booted.  |
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How do I keep the Keyman icon from disappearing?Right click anywhere on your task bar, and select Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu. Your settings window will open on taskbar settings. Scroll down to and click on Other system tray icons. In the options here, toggle on Keyman Engine x86. Keyman will now always be visible on the bottom left hand side of your screen. |
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I can’t swap my keyboard (Samsung)On newer Samsung phones, the default keyboard will only allow users to swap between different languages added to the Samsung keyboard instead of between any keyboards users may have installed. The best way to swap keyboards is to toggle on the Keyboard Button in your settings. This will save you from needing to go into your settings every time you need to swap your keyboard! In your phone’s settings, you will need to scroll down to General Management, then Keyboard List and Default. Toggle on the last option, Keyboard button on navigation bar. There will now be a small keyboard icon in the bottom left corner of your screen when your keyboard is active. When this button is pressed and held, a menu with the keyboards you have installed will appear. Here, you can select which keyboard you would like active. Note: If you have Voice Input active, you may see a small microphone instead of a keyboard icon. If you regularly use Voice Input and would like to keep this active, you can press and hold the microphone icon and swap it with the keyboard icon as needed, like in the below clip.
If you do not use Voice Input, you can turn this feature off so that the Keyboards Button is always showing. Return to your settings, and once again scroll down to General Management. Tap on Samsung Keyboard Settings, then Voice Input, and select None from the options listed. Now the microphone option will not be shown. If you wish to turn this feature back on, follow the same steps but select Samsung voice input.
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Keyboard will not update!Every once in a while the App doesn't update the keyboards as it should, and neither updating the app or uninstalling-reinstalling resolves this issue. For example, someone who has had the FV Keyboards App installed for years heard that the Southern Carrier keyboard has a new layout, but it continues to show as the old layout despite updating their app. The user will need to clear the app's data and cache, uninstall, and then reinstall the app |
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Desktop
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How do I access numbers or punctuation on my computer keyboard?On many of the FirstVoices keyboards, the number and punctuation keys are modified to type out letters and special characters that are not on the English keyboard. To access the original values of modified keys, press Right-Alt (Windows) / Option (Mac). The Slash / is typed Right-Alt + Slash on Windows, Option + Slash on Mac. |
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Where do I find the layout for my desktop keyboard?One of the best ways to see the layout for your keyboard is by opening up your on-screen keyboard. The on-screen keyboard will show the different “layers” of your keyboard while you are pressing any modifying key (shift, ctrl, alt, and combinations of these keys) and what other key needs to be pressed to access the character you’re searching for. If you are unsure how to open your on-screen keyboard, please see How do I open my on-screen keyboard? below. You can also open up the help page for your keyboard. The many ways you can reach your keyboard’s help page are shown below in Where do I find the help page for my desktop keyboard?. |
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Where do I find the help page for my desktop keyboard?The help page for each keyboard is linked in the Keyboard Installation Guide on this knowledge base. If you are on the Keyman page for your keyboard, you can click on the Keyboard Help link beside Documentation towards the bottom of the page. If you have Keyman Configuration open, in your Keyboard Layouts tab, clicking on your keyboard brings up a menu with several options - one of them being help. Clicking that will bring you to the help page on Keyman’s website. On Mac, the Help will be available by clicking the small question mark ( If you have your on-screen keyboard open, there is a small question mark in a circle. Clicking here will open the help page for your keyboard in a new window. |
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How do I switch between keyboards on my computer?Mac You can swap between keyboards by pressing on the input menu button in the top right side of your screen. Alternatively, you can swap between a Keyman keyboard and an English keyboard by holding Ctrl and tapping Spacebar. Note: You cannot switch between two Keyman keyboards using this method, only Keyman and another keyboard. You must switch keyboards by going into the Keyman menu. Windows You can swap the keyboard you’re using by pressing on the input methods button in the bottom right corner of your screen and selecting the keyboard you want in the menu that pops up. The icon shown on your input methods button will vary depending on what keyboard you currently have active. Alternatively, you can press windows key + tap the space bar to quickly swap between keyboards. You can navigate down the menu that pops up by tapping the space bar again. |
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How do I type special characters on my computer keyboard?How special characters or letters are typed will change depending on which keyboard you’re using. To learn how to type special characters or letters, please see Where do I find the layout for my desktop keyboard?. To learn how to type numbers and punctuation, please see How do I access numbers or punctuation on my computer keyboard?. |
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I installed Keyman but the keyboard isn't showing up? (Windows)Sometimes when installing Keyman on Windows, the keyboard it’s downloaded with doesn’t appear as an input method (image 1). The solution is pretty simple! In the Keyman Configuration page, under the Keyboard Layouts tab, you should see the keyboard you installed. Select the Uninstall option. Right after Uninstall is clicked, there will be a pop-up asking if you are sure you would like to uninstall the keyboard - select OK to continue. Immediately after clicking Ok, there will be the same security pop-up as when you installed Keyman asking permission to make changes (uninstalling the keyboard). Select Ok to continue uninstalling. The keyboards uninstall fairly quickly. Once that’s complete, your Keyman Configuration window should look like this: Now you need to redownload the keyboard you just uninstalled. Click Download keyboard… - this will bring up another window with Keyman’s search bar. From here, you can follow our instructions to search for and re-install the keyboard you just uninstalled by clicking here: Installing Additional Keyboards Reinstallation should resolve this issue!
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How do I open my on-screen keyboard?Mac To open your on-screen keyboard, you will need to open your Keyman menu. First, switch to a Keyman keyboard. Then click again on your input menu button to open the Keyman drop down, and scroll down to On-Screen Keyboard. The on-screen keyboard will open momentarily. Your on-screen keyboard will stay in front of any other windows you open, and can be dragged anywhere. It’s a great resource to use when first using a keyboard since it shows you the keymap, and changes if you are pressing on any modifying keys (shift, alt, ctrl, and combinations of those keys). Windows To open your on-screen keyboard, you will need to open your Keyman menu. Click on the little arrow (^) to access the hidden icon menu, and click on the Keyman icon. In the Keyman menu, click on On-Screen Keyboard at the top of the right column. The on-screen keyboard will pop up momentarily. Your on-screen keyboard will stay in front of any other windows you open, and can be dragged anywhere. It’s a great resource to use when first using a keyboard since it shows you the keymap, and changes if you are pressing on any modifying keys (shift, alt, ctrl, and combinations of those keys). Another way that you can open the on-screen keyboard is by pressing Shift + right-Alt + K. This shortcut will only work if click off of whatever screen you are working in, and tends to work much more consistently in Windows 11. |
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How do I open Keyman Configuration / settings?Mac To open Keyman Configuration, you will need to open your Keyman menu. First, switch to a Keyman keyboard. Then click again on your input menu button to open the Keyman drop down, and scroll down to Configuration…. Keyman Configuration will open momentarily. Windows To open Keyman Configuration, you will need to open your Keyman menu. Click on the little arrow (^) to access the hidden icon menu, and click on the Keyman icon. Once in the Keyman menu, click on Configuration… in the middle of the right column. Keyman Configuration will open momentarily. |
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Why are some letters autocapitalising in the middle of a word when using Microsoft Word?Microsoft Word has a feature that automatically replaces words and letters with an alternate, such as replacing an ‘i' without a preceding letter with a capital I. Sometimes, due to how a special character is formed, it will automatically capitalise the 'i’ in the middle of a word. This can become quite annoying after a while! Mac To turn it off, open up Word and select Tools, then click on AutoCorrect Options…. In the options menu, click the check next to Replace text as you type to turn it off. You can change any other autocorrect features that may have an effect on writing your language, like Capitalise the start of each sentence, here as well.  Alternatively, if you want to remove only replacing the lowercase i with a capital I, you can scroll down the list of replacements, select it, and click Delete. Windows To turn it off, open up Word. On the right side of the Home Screen, select Options. Once Options is open, click on Proofing. In Proofing, click on the AutoCorrect Options… button. n the options menu, click the check next to Replace text as you type to turn it off. You can change any other autocorrect features that may have an effect on writing your language, like Capitalise the start of each sentence, here as well.  Alternatively, if you want to remove only replacing the lowercase i with a capital I, you can scroll down the list of replacements, select it, and click Delete.
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Keyman is selected but the keyboard is working like an English one? (Windows 11)Sometimes a keyboard works like an English keyboard even though one of the Keyman keyboards is selected on Windows 11. The first thing you should check is that the keyboard is enabled. Sometimes it’s accidentally turned off. Open up Keyman Configuration (see here if you’re not sure how to do this), and click on the keyboard you want to use.
 In the drop down menu, click Enable and your keyboard should work as it should!  If your keyboard still is working like an English keyboard, you will need to un-hide the Keyman icon. This is a pretty simple fix! Right click anywhere on your task bar, and select Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu. Your settings window will open on taskbar settings. Scroll down to and click on Other system tray icons. In the options here, toggle on Keyman Engine x86. Keyman will now always be visible on the bottom left hand side of your screen. The keyboard should now work as it should! |
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My keyboard keeps disappearing when I restart my computer! Do I need to reinstall it? (Windows)Don’t worry! Your keyboard is still there and you do not need to reinstall it or Keyman! Keyman needs to be opened to work, much like your browser or Microsoft Word. Find the Keyman icon in the Start Menu or Programs on your computer, and double click to start it again. Your keyboards will now be able to be selected again. There is a way to prevent this happening in the future. Open your hidden icon menu by clicking the small arrow (^) in your taskbar, then click on the Keyman icon. In the menu that pops up, select Configuration. This will open in a new window. In configuration, select Options from the icons on the right. Then, click on the box next to Start when Windows starts. Now Keyman will automatically start each time your computer is booted. |
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How do I keep the Keyman icon from disappearing?Right click anywhere on your task bar, and select Taskbar settings from the pop-up menu. Your settings window will open on taskbar settings. Scroll down to and click on Other system tray icons. In the options here, toggle on Keyman Engine x86. Keyman will now always be visible on the bottom left hand side of your screen. |
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My shift/alt/option key is stuck on / MY KEYBOARD IS STUCK ON ALL CAPS?Keyman sometimes has a bug that enables sticky keys (Windows)or slow keys (Mac). Sticky/slow keys are an accessibility tool that keeps certain keys active without needing to hold them down to make typing key combinations (like Control + V / Command + V) easier. It is a great tool, but can be frustrating when you don’t want it! To turn sticky keys off on Windows, tap shift 5 times in a row. You can disable this feature completely in your Windows/Mac computer settings. |
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I installed Keyman to my Mac, but it's not showing up as an input source?Sometimes Keyman does not automatically appear in your Input Sources and needs to be added manually. In your system settings, scroll to the bottom and click on Keyboard. Under Text Input, click on Edit…. A new window with your Input Sources will open.  At the bottom of your Input Sources window, click on the plus sign (+) in the bottom left corner. This will open another window.  In the search bar on the bottom left of this window, type Keyman. Select Keyman on the right side of the screen, then click the Add button in the bottom right corner. This window will automatically close.   Keyman should now be seen in your Input Sources.  |