How to Fix Permanently Changed Quotation Marks in Notepad on Windows 11?

Fix Permanently Changed Quotation Marks in Notepad on Windows 11

Have you ever faced an issue where your quotation marks changed from straight to curly while typing in the Notepad on your Windows 11 computer? It can be frustrating, especially if you need to maintain consistent formatting throughout your document. This article will discuss the reasons behind this issue, as well as how to resolve it without using third-party applications like AutoHotkey (AHK).

Why do Quotation Marks Change in Notepad on Windows 11?

The issue mostly arises due to the application of a different language pack or locale settings in your system. Windows 11 has built-in support for multiple languages, which may lead to applying a different set of characters, such as curly quotation marks, instead of the usual straight quotation marks. To fix this issue, you can change the language settings back to your preferred format.

Changing Language Settings in Windows 11

Follow the steps below to change the regional settings and ensure your quotation marks appear as straight ones in Notepad.

1. Press Win + I to open the Windows Settings application.

2. In the Settings application, click on Time & Language from the left-hand menu.

3. From the Time & Language settings page, click on Language & region from the left-hand menu.

4. On the Language & region page, click on the Administrative language settings link at the bottom.

// Language settings for fixing the quotation marks issue in Notepad on Windows 11
Language for non-Unicode programs -> English (United States)
Supplemental language support -> English (United States)

Once the above settings are modified, click Apply then OK. Restart your computer and open Notepad to verify if the issue is resolved. If the problem still exists, you can try changing the keyboard layout as described in the next section.

Changing Keyboard Layout in Windows 11

You may have a different keyboard layout selected that inadvertently changes the quotation marks. To change the keyboard layout, follow the steps below:

1. Press Win + Space to cycle through the available keyboard layouts. If you only have one layout, click on the Windows icon on the taskbar and select the Language & region option.

2. Click the Keyboard option from the Language & region page.

3. On the Keyboard page, under the Preferred languages section, ensure the desired layout (e.g., United States) is selected. If it is not, click on the layout, and choose Options.

4. Add and remove layouts as needed and set the desired layout as the Default.

• Changing quotation marks in Notepad on Windows 11 can be achieved by altering the regional and language settings.
• Setting the appropriate non-Unicode programs language and applying Supplemental language support may resolve the quotation marks issue.
• Alternatively, changing the keyboard layout by using the Win + Space shortcut or through the Language & region settings can also help.

References

• Change the language and regional settings on Windows 11
  Microsoft Support

• Add or change a keyboard layout in Windows 11
  Microsoft Support