A text direction setting — here’s what caused it and how to fix it
Microsoft Teams suddenly typing text from right to left — characters appearing to the left of the cursor, text reversing direction, or the entire text input behaving as if you’re typing in Arabic or Hebrew — is a disorienting problem that has a specific and fixable cause.
It’s almost always a keyboard shortcut that was accidentally triggered, switching the text direction from left-to-right to right-to-left. Here’s what happened and how to reverse it.
What’s Actually Happening
Windows supports right-to-left text input for languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu that read from right to left. To accommodate users who switch between LTR and RTL languages, Windows and many applications — including Teams — have keyboard shortcuts that toggle text direction.
When this shortcut is triggered accidentally, the text input field switches to RTL mode. New characters appear to the left of the cursor, existing text shifts right, and the whole input experience feels backwards. The setting affects the specific text field or application that was active when the shortcut was pressed.
This isn’t a bug or a corruption — it’s a feature that was accidentally activated.
The Immediate Fix: Keyboard Shortcut to Reverse It
The same type of keyboard shortcut that caused the problem reverses it. In the Teams message input box where text is typing backwards, try these combinations:
Press Ctrl + Left Shift — this sets text direction to left-to-right.
If that doesn’t work, try Ctrl + Right Shift — this sets text direction to right-to-left. Pressing it when already in RTL mode may toggle back or confirm the direction. Then try Ctrl + Left Shift again to set LTR.
Try typing in the input field after pressing Ctrl + Left Shift. If the text now flows left to right normally, the shortcut fixed it.
Why This Happens Accidentally
The RTL/LTR switching shortcuts are easy to trigger unintentionally. The combinations involved — Ctrl + Shift, which many people use constantly for other shortcuts — overlap with common muscle memory actions.
Common accidental triggers include:
Pressing Ctrl + Shift while trying to select text or use another shortcut and pressing the wrong Shift key.
Using keyboard shortcuts in rapid succession where a Ctrl + Shift combination fires slightly off-target.
Gaming keyboards or macro keyboards that send key combinations through programmable keys.
On-screen keyboards or accessibility input methods that generate shortcut sequences during input.
The switch is instantaneous and happens without any notification or visual indicator — which is why it’s so confusing when it occurs.
Disable the RTL Keyboard Shortcut in Windows
If this keeps happening accidentally, you can disable the keyboard shortcut for text direction switching at the Windows level — preventing it from triggering regardless of what key combinations you press.
Go to Settings → Time and Language → Language and Region. Click Typing and then Advanced Keyboard Settings. Click Language Bar Options or look for Input Language Hot Keys.
In the Advanced Key Settings tab, find Between input languages and the hot key for Change Key Sequence. Look for any entries related to switching text direction — they’re typically listed as switching between LTR and RTL input. Select each one and set it to Not Assigned.
Click OK and apply. After disabling these shortcuts, accidental RTL triggering in Teams and other applications stops.
Fix RTL Text in a Specific Message
If you’ve already typed a backwards message, you can fix the direction before sending.
Select all the text in the input field with Ctrl + A. Press Ctrl + Left Shift to switch to LTR. The selected text should reflow to left-to-right. Alternatively, delete the content, press Ctrl + Left Shift, and retype.
In some Teams versions, right-clicking in the text input field shows text direction options — look for Right to Left or Paragraph Direction options and change them.
The Issue Is in a Specific Channel or Chat
If text types backwards in one Teams conversation but not others, the RTL setting was applied specifically to that input field rather than globally. The fix is the same — click into that specific input field and press Ctrl + Left Shift to restore LTR direction for that conversation.
Teams sometimes preserves text direction settings per conversation, so fixing one chat’s direction doesn’t automatically fix others that may have been similarly affected.
Check Language and Keyboard Settings
If Ctrl + Left Shift doesn’t resolve the backwards typing, verify your Windows language and keyboard settings aren’t configured for an RTL language.
Go to Settings → Time and Language → Language and Region. Check the Windows display language — if it’s set to Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or another RTL language, the default text direction is RTL throughout the OS. Change the display language to your preferred LTR language.
Also check installed keyboards — go to Settings → Time and Language → Language → your language → Options and review installed keyboards. If an Arabic or Hebrew keyboard is installed and active, typing produces RTL text. Remove keyboards you don’t need or switch to your standard LTR keyboard using Windows + Space.
Check Teams Language Settings
Teams has its own language settings that can affect text direction independently of Windows.
In Teams, go to Settings → General → App Language and confirm the language is set to your preferred left-to-right language. Also check Settings → General → Keyboard Shortcuts for any custom shortcuts that might be triggering direction changes.
Third-Party Keyboards and Input Methods
If you use a third-party keyboard application, input method, or accessibility tool, it may be sending key sequences that trigger RTL mode in Teams. Macro software, gaming keyboard software, and some accessibility input methods generate key combinations during normal operation that include Ctrl + Shift sequences.
Test by temporarily disabling any third-party keyboard software and using only the standard Windows keyboard input. If the backwards typing stops, the third-party software is generating the RTL trigger. Check its settings for any Ctrl + Shift combinations and modify or disable them.
The Issue Appears in Other Apps Too
If text types backwards across multiple applications — not just Teams — the RTL setting has been applied at the system level rather than within Teams specifically.
Press Ctrl + Left Shift while in any text field to attempt a system-level LTR reset. Also check Windows language and keyboard settings as described above — a system-wide RTL issue almost always traces back to the display language or active keyboard layout being set to an RTL language.
A Quick Checklist
Work through these in order:
- Click in the Teams input field and press Ctrl + Left Shift — immediate fix for accidental RTL
- Try Ctrl + Right Shift then Ctrl + Left Shift if the first attempt doesn’t work
- Check Windows language settings for any RTL display language
- Check active keyboard layout — remove Arabic or Hebrew keyboards if present
- Disable text direction keyboard shortcuts in Advanced Key Settings
- Check Teams language settings in Settings → General
- Disable third-party keyboard software temporarily to rule out macro conflicts
- Test in other apps to determine whether it’s Teams-specific or system-wide
The Bottom Line
Teams typing backwards is almost always caused by accidentally pressing Ctrl + Shift in a way that triggered Windows’ text direction toggle — switching the input field from left-to-right to right-to-left. Pressing Ctrl + Left Shift in the affected input field reverses it immediately.
If it keeps happening, disabling the text direction switching shortcut in Windows’ Advanced Key Settings removes the accidental trigger entirely — the feature still exists but can’t be triggered by a misplaced keystroke.
Ctrl + Left Shift caused it. Ctrl + Left Shift fixes it. Disable the shortcut in Windows settings and it never happens accidentally again.
Meet Ry, “TechGuru,” a 36-year-old technology enthusiast with a deep passion for tech innovations. With extensive experience, he specializes in gaming hardware and software, and has expertise in gadgets, custom PCs, and audio.
Besides writing about tech and reviewing new products, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and photography. Committed to keeping up with the latest industry trends, he aims to guide readers in making informed tech decisions.