Turn on Hindi typing in Windows and on Android

You need a Hindi keyboard on your device before you can take the Hindi typing test. These steps follow Microsoft's and Google's own help pages as they read on 26 October 2026. Menu names can change with updates; if yours differ, follow the linked help page.

Windows 11

1. Open Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
2. Next to Preferred languages, select Add a language, choose Hindi and follow the prompts.
3. To choose a keyboard, open Language options for Hindi (the menu next to the language) and select Add a keyboard next to Installed keyboards. Pick the layout you want, such as Hindi Traditional (Inscript) or a phonetic keyboard.
4. Switch keyboards with the Windows logo key + Spacebar (each press of Spacebar moves to the next layout), or with the input language icon in the taskbar's system tray.

Source: Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows, Microsoft Support. Checked 26 October 2026.

Phonetic keyboard dictionary. For the Indic Phonetic keyboards, Microsoft's help page says to go to Settings > Time & language > Language & region, select the menu next to the Indic language, choose Language options, and select Download next to Basic typing.

Source: Set up and use Indic Phonetic keyboards, Microsoft Support. Checked 26 October 2026.

Windows 10

The settings are under Settings > Time & language > Language: add Hindi with Add a language under Preferred languages, then manage its keyboards through the language's Options button. Switching works the same way, with Windows logo key + Spacebar or the taskbar icon. Microsoft's page notes that support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025.

Source: Manage the language and keyboard/input layout settings in Windows, Microsoft Support. Checked 26 October 2026.

Android with Gboard

1. Open any app you can type in, such as a notes or mail app, and tap where you type.
2. Tap Open features menu at the top left of the keyboard.
3. Tap More, then Settings, then Languages.
4. Choose Hindi and select a layout. Gboard Help lists Hindi, Devanagari, Hindi, Latin / Hinglish and Hindi, Transliteration.
5. Tap Done.

Source: Set up Gboard (Android phone and tablet), Gboard Help, Google. Checked 26 October 2026.

With the transliteration layout you type the sound of a word in English letters and Gboard offers it in Devanagari. Google's announcement of the feature used the example of typing a festival greeting phonetically and getting Hindi script.

Source: Gboard for Android gets new languages and tools, The Keyword (Google blog). Checked 26 October 2026.

Gboard's help pages explain how to switch between your languages on your version of the keyboard. We have not covered iPhone, iPad or Mac in this guide.

Check your setup

Type a Hindi word (for example नमस्ते) in the box. It reports what your keyboard actually sent, character by character. Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.