Windows has always been notoriously bad at keyboard layouts, especially if you ha e to switch between several (like English and German).

When I switched from Qwerty to Colemak, I found that EPKL is a fantastic tool, and overrides any Windows settings. It has many "layers" but in the end I found it to be over-engineered for my needs.

So I made a simple key-mapping script using the equally amazing AutoHotkey, and that's what I have been using forever.

My EPKL journey had its benefits! I learned that there are several layout variants, like wide, DHm-mod, and others, all designed to make typing even better. I adopted these into my own solution, and it's a joy!