How to Add a QWERTY Keyboard to the Garmin Nuvi
By Kirk Bennet
Some older models of the Garmin Nuvi lack the option to set the keyboard to QWERTY. This makes typing address information difficult, if not annoying. To get around this issue and enable the QWERTY keyboard on your Nuvi, you can manually edit the device's language file. You'll need a computer with a text editor installed to make the necessary changes.
Step 1
Turn on the computer and connect it to the Garmin Nuvi with the USB cable that came with the device. The computer will recognize the Nuvi as an external storage device.
Step 2
Open your computer's file browser, go to the external storage device and locate the "Language" folder. Inside the folder, you'll see multiple language files with GTT file extensions.
Step 3
Backup the "American_english.gtt" file. Use this backup to restore the original file if something goes wrong.
Step 4
Right-click the "American_english.gtt" file, select "Open With" and choose "Notepad" from the context menu. The file is text-based, so it will display properly in Notepad.
Step 5
Replace everything you see between the "
Step 6
Replace everything you see between the "
Step 7
Restart the Garmin Nuvi and enter a new address. You can now use a functional QWERTY keyboard.
Tips
- You'll have to edit the language file again when you upgrade the Garmin Nuvi's operating software.
Writer Bio
Kirk Bennet started writing for websites and online publications in 2005. He covers topics in nutrition, health, gardening, home improvement and information technology.