Firefox sometimes changes my keyboard so letters have other appearance than what they should.
When I open my webmail (through my ISP, not Thunderbird), occasionally I will find my keyboard is doing odd things. For example, when i type a "Period", it shows up as a carat, like this > It seems that the caps are locked and I cannot "unlock" them. The only way to fix it is to CLOSE Firefox and re-open it. Luckily, it always works ok after I do that. Really a nuisance but I do it at least several times per week. I'm sure that it's nothing that I try to do, to change the keyboard signals!
Chosen solution
Do you have multiple keyboard layouts installed?
It is possible that you have switched the keyboard layout by accident.
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258824 - How to change your keyboard layout
Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application and you may have changed the keyboard layout by accident via a keyboard shortcut.
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306993 - HOW TO: Use the Language Bar in Windows XP
- Make sure that you have the Language bar visible on the Windows Taskbar
- You can do that via the right-click context menu of the Taskbar: Toolbars > Language Bar
- Check the keyboard language (keyboard layout) setting for the application that has focus via the icon on the Language bar
- You need to do that while Firefox has focus because Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application
- The default key combination to rotate the layout is the Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift combination that is used in Firefox for menu items, so it is quite possible to change the layout accidentally.
All Replies (2)
Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that turns off some settings and disables most add-ons (extensions and themes).
(If you're using an added theme, switch to the Default theme.)
If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu by clicking on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item:
If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:
- On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
- On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
- On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
(you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)
Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode"
If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.
To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.
When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.
Chosen Solution
Do you have multiple keyboard layouts installed?
It is possible that you have switched the keyboard layout by accident.
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258824 - How to change your keyboard layout
Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application and you may have changed the keyboard layout by accident via a keyboard shortcut.
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306993 - HOW TO: Use the Language Bar in Windows XP
- Make sure that you have the Language bar visible on the Windows Taskbar
- You can do that via the right-click context menu of the Taskbar: Toolbars > Language Bar
- Check the keyboard language (keyboard layout) setting for the application that has focus via the icon on the Language bar
- You need to do that while Firefox has focus because Windows remembers the keyboard layout setting per application
- The default key combination to rotate the layout is the Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift combination that is used in Firefox for menu items, so it is quite possible to change the layout accidentally.