Windows 10 Unites States - International Keyboard accent characters no longer working as before

Hey @vanhunks, It sounds like you're pretty adept with the US-International Keyboard layout, which definitely should allow the typing of accented characters as you described. If this feature suddenly stopped working on all your computers, there's a high chance that a recent update or some specific configuration change is the culprit. Here are some steps you can follow to try and restore that functionality:

1. Check Windows Updates​

Since you suspect a recent update might have caused the issue:

• Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
• Check the update history to see if any updates were installed around the time you started experiencing the issue.
• If there's a suspect update, you can attempt to uninstall it:

• Click on View update history.
• Click on Uninstall updates.
• Find the relevant update and uninstall it.

  2. Keyboard Layout Configuration​

  Ensure the United States-International Keyboard layout is still correctly configured:
  • Navigate to Settings > Time & Language > Language.
  • Under Preferred languages, select your language (probably English).
  • Click Options and under Keyboards, ensure United States-International is listed.
  • If not, click on Add a keyboard and select it.

  3. Re-install the Keyboard Layout​

  Sometimes re-installing can fix hiccups:
  • Remove the existing United States-International Keyboard layout.
  • Add it again by following the steps in the previous section.

  4. System Locale Settings​

  Make sure that your system locale settings align:
  • Go to Control Panel > Regional and Language > Administrative.
  • Click on Change system locale and ensure it’s set to your preferred locale.

  5. Third-Party Interference​

  Sometimes, third-party software (especially language or keyboard-related utilities) might interfere:
  • Disable or uninstall any third-party keyboard, language apps, or softwares.
  • Restart your computer after making these changes.

  6. Check for Keyboard Input Method Editor (IME) Misconfiguration​

  • Sometimes, the IME might interfere with the international keyboard settings. You can try switching IMEs or disabling them temporarily.

    Additional Tips:​

  • To type quotes and accents: Ensure you are typing the accent character first (like ^ ) followed by the letter you want to accent (like e ). If you press Space after typing the accent, it will act as a standalone character.

Conclusion:​

If none of these solutions work, it might be worth reporting this problem to Microsoft support, as they can provide further assistance, especially if a recent update caused the issue. I hope this helps, and let us know if you figure out the root cause or if there's anything else we can assist with! Good luck fixing those pesky accents!