Problem with toggling keyboard layouts

[Phil53]

Hi,

I've just installed Kubuntu for the first time, latest 25.04. I've been using Mint for the last 2 years. I have a problem with the way keyboard layouts are designed.

In the installer, at installation time, I selected English (Canada) instead of default English (US). After the installation, I added a new keyboard layout called French (Canada) and selected "meta+space" for switching between layout but the "switching" doesn't seem to include the default layout. With only "French (Canada" as added layout, the switching/toggling capability doesn't work at all. It doesn't toggle back to English (Canada). It's only when I add another layout that the toggle function works but the problem is that English (Canada) is not in the list of available layouts and I think it's because it's my default installed layout. So I had to ADD the English (US) layout for the toggle to work. And it does work fine but it also means I can't use English (Canada) at all anymore? Or maybe there's something I don't understand.

Link to keyboard layout snapshot if that's allowed: https://imgur.com/a/x7SccjW. (So you can see that once I added the French (Canada) layout, it's the only layout that was displayed and toggle didn't do a thing until I added English (US) as layout, the toggle between layouts started working but where is my English (Canada) layout now? It's my default layout set at installation time but not available in the add layout since (I assume) it's my original layout.) BUG.

uname -a: Linux 6.14.0-15-generic #15-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Sun Apr 6 15:05:05 UTC 2025 x86_64 x
86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

$ sudo inxi
CPU: quad core Intel Core i7-4790K (-MT MCP-) speed/min/max: 800/800/4400 MHz
Kernel: 6.14.0-15-generic x86_64 Up: 33m Mem: 2.95/31.28 GiB (9.4%)
Storage: 942.7 GiB (24.0% used) Procs: 260 Shell: Sudo inxi: 3.3.37

$ inxi -G
Graphics:
Device-1: NVIDIA TU116 [GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER] driver: nvidia v: 570.133.07
Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.16 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.6
compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: nvidia
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,nouveau,vesa gpu: nvidia,nvidia-nvswitch
resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: nouveau,nvidia,swrast
platforms: gbm,wayland,x11,surfaceless,device
API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 570.133.07
renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER/PCIe/SSE2
API: Vulkan v: 1.4.304 drivers: N/A surfaces: xcb,xlib,wayland
Info: Tools: api: clinfo, eglinfo, glxinfo, vulkaninfo
de: kscreen-console,kscreen-doctor gpu: nvidia-settings,nvidia-smi
wl: wayland-info x11: xdriinfo, xdpyinfo, xprop, xrandr

[Phil53]

Given my knowledge of how it work in Linux Mint, I think it's a bug on Kubuntu. The default installed layout should appear in the list of layouts when adding layouts... This way, the toggle between layouts would would work fine. Now since when I addded "French (Canada)" as layout and it got displayed as the only layout then of course the toggle layout doesn't work and only works when I add another layout, like US (English). I assume that if I would have installed with the default US (english) then I could have added both English (Canada) and French (Canada) layouts and it would be all good but then it means that I would no longer have access to English (US).

[oshunluvr]

I'm not using 25.04 because the upgrade is "paused", but here on 24.10, it works as expected: US is the installed default, added CA is the alternate, setting the toggle key as Meta+space, toggling from one to the other with Meta+space works as expected. I then removed US English and added Canadian French and that worked also. All three worked also. I couldn't find a combo that didn't work.

We'll either have to wait for 25.04 to roll out again before re-testing or maybe you have found an actual bug.

[oshunluvr]

Just booted the 25.04 latest ISO (4/17) - No "English (Canada)" in the installation menu. There's 8 choices for English, no "English (Canada)", for the "Generic 104-Key PC" from the installer.

However, I can confirm, after installing with English US that there is no default layout in the "layouts". I can also confirm what you describe: once I enabled switching and added English US and French CA to the Layouts, all worked as expected.

I'm not convinced that this is a bug, but rather just a change in behavior.

You would need to contact the maintainer and ask or research KDE bugs and see if someone else has reported this as a bug.

[Phil53]

I remember selecting English (Canada) but I guess it was Language or something. So then it would mean that there's no English (Canada) keyboard layouts? I don't know the difference between US and Canada layouts or if there is one but in Windows and Linux Mint, there is a English (Canada) layout...

I saw you mentioned upgrade "paused". Does it mean I shouldn't report problems? Because I found another one. When I woke up this morning and brought my PC back from SUSPEND, it was it a weird state. The menu items and notifications were all blank and only appeared as I hovered with my mouse over them and still, it wasn't behaving properly. I had to restart.

[oshunluvr]

No, it's fine to report problems. They just paused the "do-release-upgrade" because there was an issue with it. I can't comment on Mint as I never used it. I still think you're going to find out it's an intended change and not a bug but it doesn't hurt to file a bug report anyway.

If you're having issue with suspend, it's not likely related to your keyboard layout so start a new thread.