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Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for i386 machines (If you aren't sure, download this one)

Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for amd64 machines

Arabic QWERTY Keyboard Layout Installer for ia64 machines

I'm taking Arabic this semester, and one of our final assignments is to type a 175+ word essay in Arabic.

If you own a Mac and have reason to type in Arabic, you've probably seen the Arabic-QWERTY keyboard layout that comes standard with Mac OS X, which has the keys assigned intuitively for a non-native speaker who's used to a normal, QWERTY English keyboard and probably associates Arabic letters and sounds with comparable ones in the Latin alphabet.

Alif = A, Baa = B, Nuun = N, and so on.

Unfortunately, Windows doesn't come with anything similar.. meaning you have to get used to things like Siin being where the A key is and all sorts of other wacky things that aren't at all intuitive, resulting in it taking forever and a day to type a simple word.

So, to save myself some hassle (since I don't have a Mac), I searched for a similar keyboard layout.

I found a custom keyboard layout created by someone called "AziizKeez" which makes it much more intuitive, and similar to the Mac layout (though not exactly the same). You can see their website here: AziizKeez 4.0

Unfortunately, they only provide the .klc file, which means you have to download the Keyboard Layout Creation Tool from Microsoft, compile a package, etc.. and I am sure there are many people who aren't technical enough to want to go through the hassle, so I decided to create it and post it.

I did NOT create this keyboard layout, so please direct all questions about it to the creator (who's website I've linked above), although if you have a problem with the installer feel free to contact me.

Instructions for installation:

1. Download the file listed above for your appropriate machine. If you have an AMD64 processor or one of the newer Intel ones, you can download one of those. If you aren't sure which to download, download the i386 version.
2. Unzip the file, and inside the folder you'll see either: arabic_i386.msi, or arabic_amd64.msi, arabic_ia64.msi
3. Double click the file, following the prompts to install it.

In order to easily switch between English and Arabic keyboards, I recommend enabling the language bar.

In Windows Vista:

Go to Start -> Control Panel

Default View:

1. Go to "Change keyboards or other input methods"
2. Click on "Change Keyboards" - The Keyboard for Arabic should already be enabled
3. Click on the "Language Bar" tab
4. Click on "Docked on the Taskbar" (my preference)

Classic View:

1. Go to "Regional and Language Options"
2. Click on the "Keyboards and Languages" tab
3. Click on the "Language Bar" tab
4. Click on "Docked on the Taskbar" (my preference)

And that's it. You should see an icon at the bottom that says "EN" down by the Time on the Taskbar. If you click it, you can easily switch between "EN" and "AR," which is the layout you've just added.

If you'd like to see the entire layout of the keyboard, you can open up the "On Screen Keyboard" in Windows Vista by doing the following:

Start -> Control Panel (either Default or Classic View)

1. Click on "Ease of Access"
2. Click on "Start On-Screen Keyboard"

You can switch between AR/EN keyboards by clicking the icon you put on the taskbar above, and then switch to the On Screen Keyboard to see where each individual letter is.

Good luck!

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