Skip to content
Keyboard Creation Project

Installation Instructions for Windows

How to install a Translation Commons keyboard on Windows.

Table of Contents

    Windows

    These are the instructions for installing a virtual keyboard produced by Translation Commons (TC) for use on a Windows device. The Keyman application is required to host these keyboards.

    Installing the Keyman Application

    Install the Keyman application on the Windows devices where you will use the TC keyboard. 

    Download the Keyman application file (.exe) here: https://keyman.com/windows/
    Double-click on the file and follow the instructions to install the Keyman application.

    Acquiring the TC Keyboard

    Acquire the TC keyboard file.

    Depending on the stage of development, TC keyboards are available from different sources. Pre-release versions are available directly from the TC website or via email from TC. Contact TC for access to these.
    Published versions are available to the public on the TC website, the Keyman website, or Google Playstore.

    Unzip the zip file if necessary.

    The TC keyboard comes either as a zip file or as a .kmp file. If you acquired a zip file, use a zip file manager such as Winzip to unzip it into a folder. This zip file will contain the keyboard .kmp file and possibly other files such as documentation.

    The TC keyboard files are generally named beginning with “TC_” and ending with “.kmp”.  

    Installing the TC keyboard

    Double-click on the .kmp file.
    A window similar to the below will pop up. Click on “install”.

    Your operating system might ask if you wish to allow the application to make changes to your system. Click “yes” for this. 

    The keyboard should now be installed.

    Using the keyboard 

    To activate the TC keyboard you have just installed, click on the language code in the task bar. In the example shown, the currently active keyboard is English (ENG). A list of language codes will appear.
    Click on the language code of the keyboard you would like to use. In the example given below, I have installed the “kissi” keyboard in addition to the pre-installed keyboards already in use on my operating system, so it appears in the list.

    You can now use the TC keyboard in applications such as Notepad, Microsoft Word, a browser, etc. You might need to select the desired keyboard again when switching to a different application, as it may default to a different language.

    On Windows, you can scroll through and select keyboards by using the shortcut combination of Windows key + space bar together.

    Reporting Problems

    Enjoy your new TC keyboard. If you have any problems, please report them to [email protected]. If you are testing a pre-release keyboard, you can report problems to the person or team that sent you the keyboard. For other users, you can report problems using the keyboard feedback form on the TC web site or e-mail

    [email protected].

    And hey! If you are happy with the keyboard, we would love to hear that as well!