Ubuntu Support Template
Ubuntu Version:
24.04 LTS, 25.10, 26.04-dev
Desktop Environment (if applicable): All.
The bug is in the common Flutter installer ( GitHub - canonical/ubuntu-desktop-provision: Ubuntu Desktop Provision · GitHub ), therefore it affects all environments.
Problem Description:
When you install Ubuntu (or derivatives), you may select a language other than English which will pick a non-English keyboard layout. Or, you may select to install in English but pick a non-English keyboard layout further during the installation.
In both cases, the installer will set the keyboard layout to the single non-English keyboard layout. This means that during the rest of the installation process, the user is not able to type in English.
This further means that when asked to type a hostname and a username, the user is unable to type in English. They cancel the installation, and end up installing using the default English localisation.
Relevant System Information:
This affects all non-English localisations, including Cyrillic, Greek, Arabic, etc.
If you want to test, you can keep the English localisation but select the Greek keyboard layout. By doing so, you are unable to type a valid hostname or username in the next steps of the installation.
Screenshots or Error Messages:
This screenshot shows that by selecting a keyboard layout, the system configures a singular keyboard layout. It is not possible to write in English for the rest of the installation process.
This screenshot shows the error when trying to type a hostname while the keyboard layout can only write in Greek.
edit: Cannot upload images, please see my relevant blog post that has both images: https://blog.simos.info/ubuntu-installer-selects-a-single-keyboard-layout-cannot-type-english-during-installation/
What needs to happen:
When the user reboots after the installation, the system has both English and the local keyboard layouts. This is the correct and expected experience. However, the installer does not carry this facility and only configures a single local keyboard layout. The installer should replicate the feature found in subiquity and enable both “US English + that_local layout” for the rest of the installation process.