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Fixing Duplicate Keyboard Layouts in Windows 11 (Ghost Input Methods)

After a recent Windows 11 update, many users started noticing a strange issue: the language/keyboard switcher (Win + Space) shows two keyboard layouts for the same language, even though only one is actually installed. For example:

  • Nederlands (Nederland) – United States (International)
  • Nederlands (Nederland) – Dutch

When you check the language and keyboard settings, only one layout is visible. The second one is a so-called ghost input method. This can be confusing and sometimes causes Windows to switch to the wrong layout.

The Symptom

In the taskbar language switcher, you see an extra layout:

But under Settings → Time & language → Language & region → Language options, only one keyboard is installed:

The Cause

This is a Windows 11 bug introduced in recent updates. Windows automatically adds a secondary layout (in this case, “Dutch”), even if you never installed it. It remains stuck in the input switcher, even after removing it from the normal settings.

The Fix

The solution is to change the advanced keyboard settings and disable the option that forces Windows to use the “language list” as input source.

  1. Open Settings (Win + I).
  2. Go to Time & language → Typing → Advanced keyboard settings.
  3. Under Override for default input method, select your preferred layout directly (e.g., Dutch (Netherlands) – United States (International)).
  4. Make sure “Let me use a different input method for each app window” is unchecked.
  5. Restart your PC.

Result

After a restart, the ghost keyboard layout disappears, leaving only your chosen layout in the taskbar switcher.

Extra Tips

  • If the ghost input method returns, remove and re-add the language in Language & region.
  • As a last resort, you can check regedit under:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload
    and remove unwanted layouts manually.
  • PowerShell also shows which layouts are active with:
Get-WinUserLanguageList

Conclusion

This issue is frustrating, but fortunately the fix is simple. By overriding the default input method in advanced keyboard settings, Windows will no longer force an extra keyboard layout into your taskbar.

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