Change Input Sources settings on Mac
On your Mac, use the Input Sources window in Keyboard settings to add input sources that allow you to type in other languages, and change options for specific sources. When you use an input source, you can type in any language that uses the same script or alphabet. Learn how to use input sources.
To open this pane, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) In the Text Input section on the right, click Edit.
Option | Description | ||||||||||
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All Input Sources | Select this on the left to change options for all input sources. Some options only appear when you add certain input sources. | ||||||||||
Input sources list | The input sources that have been enabled for use. Click an input source to see its keyboard layout and set additional options. For example, if a Hebrew input source is selected, options for bidirectional text and keyboard shortcuts are shown. | ||||||||||
Add , Remove | Add or remove an input source from the list. | ||||||||||
Show Input menu in menu bar | The Input menu appears in the right side of the menu bar. It contains enabled input sources as well as easy access to the Character Viewer and the Keyboard Viewer, and offers a fast way to switch between them. This option is automatically turned on when you add input sources. | ||||||||||
Use the Caps Lock key to switch to and from [last used Latin input source] | Select to be able to quickly switch between a non-Latin input source (such as Chinese or Korean) and a Latin input source (such as French or English). This option appears only when you add a non-Latin input source, and the text after “Use the Caps Lock key to switch to and from” varies, depending upon your list of input sources. Note: Depending on your keyboard, you may have a Caps Lock key or a dedicated language switching key (for example, “中 / 英” on Chinese – Pinyin and Chinese – Zhuyin keyboards). When this option is turned on, press and hold the key until the green light comes on to activate continuous uppercase typing; repeat to turn it off. | ||||||||||
Automatically switch to a document’s input source | Choose an input source for a document and have it used every time you work in the document until you close it, even if you switch to other documents that use other input sources in the meantime. This option appears only when you add a second input source. | ||||||||||
Correct spelling automatically | Enable automatic spelling correction in any app that supports it. You can change the setting for this option in an app by choosing the command from the app’s Edit > Spelling and Grammar menu. | ||||||||||
Capitalize words automatically | Enable automatic capitalization correction in any app that supports it. This automatically capitalizes the first word of a sentence and proper nouns (such as, New York or Sonia) as you type. | ||||||||||
Add period with double-space | Enable this option to quickly end a sentence with a period and a space by just pressing the Space bar twice. | ||||||||||
Spelling | By default, spelling is checked automatically by language (useful if you type in different languages). To select the languages that are checked automatically, click the pop-up menu, scroll down, then choose Set Up. To have spelling checked for a specific language, choose the language from the pop-up menu. | ||||||||||
Use smart quotes and dashes | Enable typographical quotes and dashes, using the selected styles, in any app that supports them. You can change the setting for this option in an app by choosing the command from the app’s Edit > Substitutions menu. | ||||||||||
For double quotes | Choose a style for double quotes. | ||||||||||
For single quotes | Choose a style for single quotes. |
In addition to the options detailed above for switching input sources, you can also change input sources by using the Fn key or key (if available on the keyboard). To use this option, in Keyboard settings, click the “Press fn key to” or “Press key to” pop-up menu, then choose Change Input Source.
Chinese, Korean, and Japanese input sources include numerous options. If you added one of these input sources, switch to it (using the Input menu in the menu bar), then open its help to learn about the options.