When I have multiple keyboard layouts enabled, Windows 10 seems to switch between them randomly (similar to what's described here). I suspect I am accidentally pressing Win + Space, so I'd like to disable this shortcut.
However, looking at the "language options" page, I don't see any settings related to this keyboard shortcut, or a way to disable it. How can I disable this shortcut?
You can also use the new PowerToys for Windows 10 to remap it. In my case, I remapped it so that it brings up PowerToys Run when I press Win + Space.
This is an addition to the answer from Calsal, as I had the same problem that he described, but in Windows 10.
For Windows 10:
Enjoy the good life. The Windows+Space option still works; if you want that; see the upvoted answer.
As far as I know, this is the only way to disable the Win + Space keyboard layout swap without disabling all other Win + XYZ shortcuts:
Download AHK (AutoHotkey)
Install AHK
Right-click any folder and choose New → AutoHotkey Script
Right-click the script and choose Edit Script
Replace whatever is there with this (and save):
#space::
Right click the script and choose Compile Script
Run the script by double clicking the newly created .exe file, and do a test.
Rename it to whatever you want, and store it for the next time you want to disable the Win + Space shortcut.
Copy the .exe file to the startup folder. Below I've listed the path for the folders:
Current user:
C:\Users%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
All users:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp
I found this while experiencing the same problem as the OP, on Windows 10. My findings were that Calsal's down-voted answer was what actually worked for me.
My problem had nothing to do with the Win+Space hotkey. Instead, it was switching "randomly" to "ENG INTL" because the hotkeys for "Between Input Languages" were configured by default to switch the keyboard layout if you pressed "Ctrl + Shift". As a programmer who uses lots of hotkeys, I end up hitting "Ctrl" and "Shift" at the same time a lot.
If you don't have multiple keyboard layouts enabled, but Win + Space keeps switching to other options anyway as if you had, you can just add those languages/keyboards under Language Options, then remove them.
In my case, I only had pt-br ABNT2 enabled, but Win + Space would act as if pt-br ABNT and English US were enabled too. By adding then removing them, Windows finally realized they were disabled, and Win + Space stopped popping up on the screen for lack of other options.
This is not the exact situation the OP was in, but it's a correct solution for when Windows is behaving as if it were in that situation.
For whatever reason, the language bar settings allow you to disable the Ctrl + Shift shortcut, yet not Win+Space shortcut which does the exact same thing.
As suggested in an earlier answer roughly two years ago, you can accomplish this using Microsoft PowerToys. In the most recent release (currently 0.61.1 as of September 2022), you can select the other tools that you won't be using such as "Color Picker", "FancyZones", etc. and select 'disable' on all of them, except for "Keyboard Manager".
Within "Keyboard Manager" select "Remap a shortcut". Hit "Type" then press Win + Space. You don't have to set it to another keyboard key which 'won't do much'. Under "Mapped to:" you can simply use the dropdown menu to select "Undefined". The Win+Space shortcut will now do nothing.
Yes, the program does have to be running for the keyboard remapping to work. However, if you have all of the tools except "Keyboard Manager" disabled, it uses next to no system resources at all (<0.1% CPU and 5 MB of Memory). If you set it to run at startup, so you don't have to think about it, it won't at all increase your startup time either. I know most power users just hate to see any additional icon on that taskbar, but an icon is really all it is.
You can directly open the dialog where you can configure the hotkeys using the following command:
Press Win+R and execute
"C:\Windows\system32\rundll32.exe" Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL input.dll,,{C07337D3-DB2C-4D0B-9A93-B722A6C106E2}{HOTKEYS}
If you just want to remove some keyboard layout you can use RegEdit.
Be careful when you make change with RegEdit as you can break Windows functionality!
Press Ctrl + R and run regedit
In HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload, you can delete the keyboard layout you don't need.
0409 is the Us English layout, and here is the full list.
If you delete all layouts except the default and the layout you are using, the Win + Space shortcut will be disable (after you restart your computer).
It is a good method if you want to keep the language options and spell-checker, but you don't need the keyboard layout with it.
You can always readd the keyboard layout later by removing the language and adding it back in Windows Settings (Time & Language → Language & Region).
This has bothered me as well for a long time especially when I am playing games. The simplest way is to keep only the language that you'd prefer and remove the rest of them. It also clears the language option from taskbar and makes it look simplistic.
