Usually, the installation or upgradation of Windows 10/11 goes without problems. But many users report that their computer gets stuck on the choose your keyboard screen when upgrading to Windows 10. We are naming it the choose your keyboard layout loop.
During the problem, your mouse and keyboard don’t work, or they work, but when you select the US Keyboard or any other layout, the computer restarts and shows you the choose your keyboard layout screen again.
If you’re facing the same issue, this guide may help you fix it. Let’s begin!
Causes of the Windows 10 Upgrade Stuck at Choose Your Keyboard Layout Screen
- The mouse or keyboard isn’t connected properly.
- The Windows update files are corrupted.
- USB drivers are out of date
How To Fix Windows 10 Upgrade Stuck at Choose Your Keyboard Layout Screen?
- Check Your Mouse and Keyboard
- Restart Your Computer
- Create Windows 10 or 11 Installation Media on a USB
- Restore Boot Configuration and Scan Your Disk for Errors Using Command Prompt
- Update Drivers and Windows by Booting in Safe Mode
- Repair Windows Files with the DISM Tool (Using Command Prompt)
- Rollback the Current Windows Build
- Reset Your PC
- Clean Install Windows
1. Check Your Mouse and Keyboard
We’ll begin with the simplest solutions. If your keyboard and mouse are unresponsive on the choose your keyboard layout window, check your USB devices like the keyboard.
- Plug out the cables of the devices and plug them back again. In the case of a wireless keyboard, plug out its wireless USB for 2 minutes and then plug it back in.
- Try connecting the mouse and keyboard to another computer to ensure both are working.
2. Restart Your Computer
Continuing with easy solutions, restart your computer to see if it fixes the Microsoft Windows 10 stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen.
- There may not be an option to restart your computer, so long press your computer’s or laptop’s power button until it shuts down.
- Wait for a minute.
- Turn on your computer.
3. Create Windows 10 or 11 Installation Media on a USB
This is not a direct step to fix the Microsoft Windows 11 update stuck at choosing your keyboard screen, but a Windows 10/11 USB is required in the preceding solution. So, we are listing it as a separate solution so you can easily find it.
It would help if you had a Windows 10/11 DVD or USB because you can’t log in to your computer to fix the problem. With this bootable USB, I will show you methods for fixing the problem.
Things you need for creating a Windows 10 or 11 USB:
- A working computer. As your computer is stuck on that screen, use a computer of a family, friend, or colleague.
- A stable internet connection.
- A USB drive with at least 8GB of storage.
Use these steps to create a Windows 10/11 DVD or USB:
- Open a web browser.
- Visit the Windows 10 download or Windows 11 download, whichever OS you prefer.
- Under ‘Create Windows 10 Installation Media’ or ‘Create Windows 11 Installation Media’, click ‘Download Now.’ (I chose Windows 10, so the steps below will show that. The steps for Windows 11 are identical.)
- A file will be downloaded.
- Open the file. It’ll show you a wizard for the Windows 10 media creation tool.
- Accept the terms and conditions.
- Select ‘Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
- Choose the language, edition, and architecture of the Windows. If unsure, checkmark ‘Use the recommended options for this PC.’
- The next screen will ask which media you want to use. Choose ‘USB’.
- Insert your USB into the computer. If you don’t find the USB in the list of drives, click ‘Refresh drive list’ and select your USB drive.
- The download process will begin. After its completion, the setup will verify it and then move the files to the USB flash drive.
- The process takes time, so once it begins, you should go ahead and perform anything else you need to do.
4. Restore Boot Configuration and Scan Your Disk for Errors Using Command Prompt
We created the Windows USB to perform this step. The cause of Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen may be incorrect or corrupted boot configuration of your computer.
The issue is also triggered if the Windows update didn’t properly install the necessary files or the system files were corrupted.
Use these steps to restore book configuration and check your hard drive for errors:
- Turn off your computer.
- Insert the bootable USB we created in Method 3.
- Turn on your PC.
- On the black screen, when it shows ‘Press any key to boot from CD or DVD,’ press any key on your keyboard.
- It’ll begin the Windows setup.
- The setup will ask to select the language, time and currency format, and keyboard or input method. Choose your options and click ‘Next.’
- Now, select ‘Repair your computer at the bottom left of the screen.
- Windows will start the advanced recovery options screen.
- On the Choose an option screen, select ‘Troubleshoot.’
- Choose ‘Advanced options’.
- Pick ‘Command Prompt’.
- When the command prompt screen opens, paste each command one by one and press enter.
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /rebuildbcd
bcdboot c:\windows /s c:
chkdsk c: /f- This will take some time. When the boot recovery and disk scans are completed, restart your computer and remove the USB.
5. Update Drivers and Windows by Booting in Safe Mode
As you can’t access the desktop or log in to your Windows because your Windows 10 upgrade is stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen, updating the drivers or Windows directly is impossible. So, we’ll try to log in using the Safe Mode with Networking Mode.
Follow these steps:
- Turn on your computer.
- When you see the Windows logo, long-press the power button to turn it off.
- Please turn on the PC again and follow the same steps to shut it down.
- The third time you start your computer, it will load the Automatic Repair and take you to the Windows Recovery Environment.
- The first screen will show that your PC did not start correctly. Choose ‘Advanced options’.
- When you see the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
- Pick ‘Startup Settings.’
- Choose ‘Restart’.
- Press the F5 button on your keyboard to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
- Log in to your account that has administrative rights.
- Right-click the start menu and choose ‘Device Manager.’
- Double-click ‘Universal Serial Bus Controller’.
- Right-click the first USB hub and choose ‘Update driver.’
- On the new wizard, select ‘Search automatically for drivers’.
- The wizard will search for the USB driver online.
- Follow these steps for each device under ‘Universal Serial Bus Controllers.’
- Reboot your laptop.
If updating the USB drivers doesn’t fix the problem, update your Windows from Safe Mode.
- Run Windows in Safe Mode with Networking by following the above steps:
- After logging in to your account, press the Windows logo key + I to open setup.
- Go to ‘Update & Security’.
- Press the ‘Check for updates’ button.
- Let the updater check for updates and install them.
- Restart your PC.
- Boot to Safe Mode with Networking again.
- On the Windows Update window, select ‘View option updates.’
- Checkmark all optional and driver updates boxes and click the button ‘Download and install.’
- Once the update is done, restart your computer and boot into normally.
6. Repair Windows Files with the DISM Tool (Using Command Prompt)
I mentioned before that a reason for Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choose your keyboard layout is missing or corrupted update or system files.
In this method, we’ll use the DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool) included in Windows to find the missing or corrupted files and repair or replace them.
Check if you can boot to safe mode and fix the system files using the DISM utility.
- See Method 5 on how to boot in Safe Mode with Networking.
- If you successfully see the login screen, sign in to your account.
- Click the Start menu, type ‘
cmd‘, and select ‘Run as administrator.’ - Type this command and press enter
- DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
- When it has finished the repair, type and enter
sfc /scannow - After its completion, run Windows Update.
The above command uses Windows updater to get the new copies of the corrupted files. If the Windows updater is corrupted, the repair will be unsuccessful.
In this case, you can employ the Windows USB as the source of new copies of the missing files. So, use this command instead:
- Insert the Windows USB into your PC.
- Close the command prompt and run it as administrator again.
- Type this command and hit enter
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:C:\RepairSource\Windows /LimitAccess- Make sure to switch C:\RepairSource\Windows with the location of the Windows USB.
- When the DISM utility finishes its process, type and press enter
sfc /scannow. - After the scan is completed, run the Windows update.
7. Rollback the Current Windows Build
A Windows update broke the USB devices in the past, and anything connected to the USB ports stopped responding. Try rolling back to the previous Windows version to fix the choose your keyboard layout loop.
In some cases, Windows provides an option to roll back to the previous build of Windows. You need to check if it’s available for you in safe mode. If it is, you can fix your Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choose your keyboard layout screen.
- Use the steps in Method 5 again to enable Safe Mode with Networking.
- Log in to your account.
- Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
- Choose ‘Update & Security’.
- Select ‘Recovery.’
- Find the section ‘Go back to the previous version of Windows 10’ and click ‘Get Started.’ If you can’t find it, you can’t roll back to the previous build.
- A wizard will open, asking why you are going back, choose any listed reason or write your reason.
- On the next screen, Windows will offer to check for updates. I have provided ways to update Windows in the above methods, so choose ‘No, thanks.’
- The next screen will show you what happens when you roll back Windows. Read the information carefully.
- After this, the setup will warn you that if you used a different password (or login information) in the previous build, you need it to log in to your account after the rollback.
- Press the ‘Go back to earlier build on the next screen.’
- Wait for the process to be completed.
- Reboot your computer.
8. Reset Your PC
If your Windows stop working or show errors, Windows allows you to reset it without loading it. So, resetting your computer may fix the Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen.
A reset will delete your applications and settings but keep your files. Follow these steps:
- Power on your PC. Long-press the power button to turn it off when the Windows logo appears.
- Repeat the above step.
- Turn on your laptop. Windows will load the Automatic Repair window or the Recovery screen.
- Choose Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
- Select ‘Keep my files.’
- Sign in to your administrator account.
- Pick ‘Local reinstall.’
- The screen will show what happens with a reset. If you’re sure, click the ‘Reset’ button to begin the process.
- Wait while the reset completes. This will take a lot of time, and your computer will reboot multiple times.
9. Clean Install Windows
If you can’t boot in Safe Mode or have tried the above methods of using Safe Mode and the issue of the Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen persists, the last option is to perform a clean installation of Windows.
As your Windows is stuck on the select your keyboard layout loop, you wouldn’t want to reinstall Windows because there may be files and data you don’t want to lose. So, as a solution, install Windows on another local drive that doesn’t have important data.
For example, if your primary Windows is on C, and you have two more drives, D and E. Select any one of them for your secondary Windows. Windows formats the drive before proceeding, so ensure that the drive doesn’t have any data you don’t want to be deleted.
Use these steps:
- Create a Windows DVD or USB using Method 3.
- Insert the USB on your computer and turn it on.
- Press any key on your keyboard when prompted on the black screen.
- The Windows setup will begin.
- Choose your language and keyboard format.
- Then, press the ‘Install now’ button.
- If it asks for a product key, select ‘I don’t have a product key.’
- Then, select the Windows version.
- Read and accept the terms and conditions.
- On the next screen, choose ‘Custom: Install Windows only (Advanced).’
- Then, select the drive where Windows will be installed. Make sure to choose the correct one because all the data on the drive will be deleted.
- The process will begin. It’ll restart your computer when finished.
- After the reboot, Windows will load and complete its process.
- Then, you’ll be asked a series of questions to set up your Windows.
After this step, you can copy the programs and files from the drive that has your primary Windows.
Later, when you have all your data and applications recovered, clean install the primary Windows and delete the secondary Windows or keep using the secondary Windows.
Conclusion
Fixing Windows 10 upgrade stuck at choosing your keyboard layout screen is difficult because you can’t sign in. Users who can boot in safe mode can try all the methods, but if you can’t use safe mode, skip methods 4, 5, 6, and 7.