# My keyboard seems set to the wrong country. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662 "2005-01-08T00:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/1 "2005-01-08T00:09:26Z")
I’ve checked the regional setting in control panel and everything is set to UK (which is right) but many of my keys are in the wrong place. the hash key is ‘shift-3’ wheras it should be next to the enter key. The " and @ keys are the wrong way round. I think my keyboard must be set to American mode. How do I fix this? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/2 "2005-01-08T04:30:12Z")
On American keyboards, the @ is shift-2, and " is between : and Enter. FWIW, my WWII-era Remington-Rand typewriter has the " above the 2, and the @ at the right end of the ASDF row. I don’t know which is normal on your keyboard, but your computer may be having an identity crisis and think it’s a typewriter (that, or you silly Brits aren’t properly keeping up with technological progress). Does it have a “1” key? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/3 "2005-01-08T04:35:54Z")
Oh, and what do you mean by “hash”? # (properly called an “octothorpe”) is shift-3 on both my computer and the typewriter. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/4 "2005-01-08T04:36:24Z")
Go to the Control Panel, select Regional and Language Options. On the Languages Tab, select “Details”. You’ll likely see “English (United States)” under “Installed Services”. Remove that, then use the “Add” button to select “English (United Kingdom)” if it isn’t already in the list of installed services. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/5 "2005-01-08T04:48:09Z")
> [@](#): > > # (properly called an “octothorpe”) Nah. That’s the pound sign in the U.S. The tic-tac-toe character was around for _years_ before Bell Labs (or Texas Insturments, I always forget which) decided to create a new name for it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/6 "2005-01-08T14:40:44Z")
The # sign is only called the “pound” sign in the States. In Canada it’s the “number” sign, in the UK it’s the “hash” sign. Furthermore, on US and Canadian keyboards, it’s located where the real “pound” symbol, the stylised L, is on UK keyboards. This is truly one of the most confusing pieces of nomenclature around, especially if you work for a Canadian companty owned by a UK company, half of whose customers are in the States and most of the rest in Europe… ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/7 "2005-01-08T14:53:51Z")
I’m sure this has been discussed elsewhere, but since we’re on it, Does the hash sign have any use in the UK predating telecommunications? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-keyboard-seems-set-to-the-wrong-country/283662/8 "2005-01-08T23:23:08Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Go to the Control Panel, select Regional and Language Options. On the Languages Tab, select “Details”. You’ll likely see “English (United States)” under “Installed Services”. Remove that, then use the “Add” button to select “English (United Kingdom)” if it isn’t already in the list of installed services. Ah, I didn’t find that last time. Thanks!