change keyboard layout in console

Question

I want to change the keyboard to us in the console.

I am able to change the layout in the startx environment via

sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration

but it doesn't change in the console. If I use startx and then use the lxterminal the keyboard switched to us, but after reboot to the console it doesn't.

I also changed the default file via:

sudo nano /etc/default/keyboard

and changed the gb to us.

All in all if I am in the startx environment it works in the console it doesn't. Even when it has worked in the startx environment and then logoff to the console the keyboard switches back to gb.

Hope someone can help me, I googled and had a look on other sites but couldn't change the problem.

I tried it with 2 different keyboards, both from Dell but I think it shouldn't be a fault caused by the keyboard.

score 7 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 29 '14 at 11:33

7

I'm assuming Raspbian:

sudo raspi-config

then go to 4 Internationalisation Options, then I3 Change Keyboard Layout. Select a US keyboard layout, and you should be up and running.

answered Oct 29 '14 at 11:33

scruss

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As I have written in my question I already did this. My command is just the shortcut of your answer. But thx anyway – Max Oct 30 '14 at 01:20
Not exactly; raspi-config calls invoke-rc.d keyboard-setup start after dpkg-reconfigure, which is a little more than just editing /etc/default/keyboard … – scruss Oct 30 '14 at 02:22
sudo raspi-config, changing settings plus reboot did the job just fine for me. Reference: Keyboard layout for Your country – hakre May 13 '16 at 15:43

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 29 '14 at 10:51

3

That's not physical keyboard issue, but system problem. Have a look here

answered Oct 29 '14 at 10:51

thekiwi5000

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thx I will have a look at it – Max Oct 30 '14 at 01:26
Thats a link only answer. Can you expand the answer to include the essential information form the link? – Konrad Gajewski Nov 23 '19 at 11:20

Roman Chernyatchik · Answer 3 · 2017-01-28T10:55:38.313

For me this final working solution was:

sudo raspi-config

"Raspbian GNU/Linux 8 (jessie)" has slightly different menu items names(compared to the previous reply) in "raspi-config" dialog:

-> 4 Localisation Options -> I3 Change Keyboard Layout

Also you need to choose your second language (e.g. Russian) as keyboard layout, then setup other options and finish configuration. All changes will be applied immediately.

After this your /etc/default/keyboard file will look like

$ cat /etc/default/keyboard

# KEYBOARD CONFIGURATION FILE

# Consult the keyboard(5) manual page.

XKBMODEL="pc105"
XKBLAYOUT="us,ru"
XKBVARIANT=","
XKBOPTIONS="grp:caps_toggle,grp:lwin_switch,compose:ralt,terminate:ctrl_alt_bks$

BACKSPACE="guess"

Before this I've tried 2 other ways:

manually configure locales using sudo cat /etc/default/keyboard + reboot
sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration + reboot

Both methods didn't enable local switching shortcuts.

P.S: Also you can manually edit /etc/default/keyboard file than launch raspi-config

In my kernel version raspi-config has no Internationalisation Options and no I3 in Localisation Options. But editing sudo nano /etc/default/keyboard XKBLAYOUT and setting it to "de" worked — CodingYourLife, Apr 30 '17 at 22:49

change keyboard layout in console

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