Georgian, Russian and English Keyboard Layouts in Windows: How to Set Them Up and What to Do If One Disappears

In Tbilisi, a single computer is usually used in three languages at once: Georgian for documents and dealing with public bodies, Russian for correspondence and English for passwords, website addresses and work software. That leads to the usual questions: which Georgian layout should you choose, how do you switch comfortably between three languages, and why has the Georgian layout suddenly vanished or started typing the "wrong" letters? Let's take them one at a time.

Types of Georgian layout

Standard Georgian (QWERTY-like)

The most common in practice. Georgian letters are placed phonetically on the keys of similar-sounding Latin letters: ა on A, ბ on B, გ on G and so on. Letters with no Latin equivalent are on Shift or on separate keys. This layout is easy to learn for anyone who already types in English, so most people and organisations use it.

Georgian Ergonomic

A layout in which the letters are arranged by how often they're used in Georgian, rather than by similarity to Latin letters. It's faster for professional typing but needs separate learning. People often switch it on by accident and are then surprised that the letters are "mixed up".

Other variants

You'll also find layouts installed by third-party programs or left over from old versions of Windows. These are best replaced with the standard ones to avoid compatibility problems.

Working comfortably with three languages

• Language order. It helps to put your main language first: for example English — Georgian — Russian.
• Keyboard shortcut. By default Windows switches layouts with Win+Space and Alt+Shift. Many people prefer Ctrl+Shift. You can also assign a separate shortcut to each language.
• A layout per window. You can turn on a mode in which each app remembers its own layout — handy if you write in Georgian in one window and Russian in another.
• The language indicator. The icon on the taskbar shows the current layout and helps avoid mistakes when typing passwords.

Stickers and keyboards with Georgian letters

If your keyboard has no Georgian letters, you can use good-quality stickers or engraving. Three-language keyboards are easy to find in Tbilisi. What matters is that the letters on the stickers match the layout selected in Windows — otherwise confusion is guaranteed.

Common problems

The layout has disappeared from the list

Sometimes after an update, a profile migration or a change to the language settings, the Georgian layout disappears. It needs to be added again in the language settings. If it keeps happening, the cause may be language-settings sync between devices or a damaged profile.

The "wrong" letters appear

Most likely the ergonomic layout is selected instead of the standard one, or vice versa. It also happens when the Georgian layout is selected but the program is using a font without Georgian support — then squares appear instead of letters.

The layout won't switch

Conflicting shortcuts in third-party programs, sticky keys or a language bar fault can stop switching from working.

The wrong language on the sign-in screen

When typing your password on the lock screen, the Georgian layout may be selected by default, so the password "doesn't work". The sign-in screen language is set separately.

Georgian text in old programs

Some older programs, especially accounting software, don't support Unicode and show Georgian text as gibberish. This is to do with encoding and regional settings — there's more on it in our article on Georgian fonts and encodings.

Language packs and a Georgian Windows interface

As well as the layout, Windows can be switched to a Georgian interface — useful for older users and staff who don't speak English or Russian. The language pack is free to install. Regional settings matter too: the date format, the currency (lari) and the decimal separator — they determine how numbers appear in Excel and accounting software.

Don't forget the other devices either. Phones, tablets and web browsers have their own keyboard settings, and when the Georgian layout on a phone differs from the one on the office computer, staff tend to mistype more often. Keeping the same standard layout everywhere makes switching between devices painless.

What our technician does

1. Sets up the layouts you need — standard Georgian, Russian and English — in a convenient order.
2. Assigns comfortable keyboard shortcuts and sets the layout for the sign-in screen.
3. Installs language packs and regional settings for Georgia.
4. Solves problems with disappearing layouts, fonts and encodings.
5. Recommends a keyboard or stickers that match the layout.

A real example

At a small hotel in Avlabari, a new receptionist complained that when typing in Georgian "half the letters are in the wrong place" and the password for the booking system "had stopped working". It turned out the computer had both the ergonomic and the standard Georgian layouts installed, and the sign-in screen defaulted to Georgian. Our technician kept the standard layout, set the language order, switching with Ctrl+Shift and English as the default on the sign-in screen, and fitted good-quality three-language stickers to the keyboard.

Call a technician

If you need to set up a Georgian layout or fix a language problem in Windows, we'll come to any district of Tbilisi around the clock. Learn more on our computer setup, Windows installation and software installation pages.