f you connect to an Ubuntu environment with XFCE via Remote Desktop (xrdp), it is highly likely that you will run into a classic problem: the keyboard defaults to English, completely ignoring your system’s language settings. This makes it impossible to type certain characters or find the correct symbols.
If you need to switch it to Latin American Spanish (latam), here are two simple ways to do it.
Quick Fix (Temporary)
To change it immediately in your current session, open a terminal in your remote environment and run the following command:
Bash
setxkbmap latam
The keyboard will change to Latin American Spanish instantly. However, the problem with this method is that when you close the remote session or restart, it will revert back to English.
Permanent Fix (Recommended)
Since xrdp often ignores XFCE’s graphical settings, the foolproof way to keep the keyboard in your preferred language is to force the command to run every time you log in.
Open your terminal and run this line. It will create (or edit) a hidden file called .xsessionrc in your user folder, which applies the configuration automatically upon entering:
Bash
echo "setxkbmap latam" >> ~/.xsessionrc
And that’s it! The next time you log in, your keyboard will be ready for work without having to run the command manually.