Write in another language on Mac
Write in another language on your Mac with additional keyboard layouts, known as input sources. To use additional input sources, set up your Mac to write in another language, then switch to that language when you want to use it.
You can quickly switch languages using your keyboard or the Input menu, or remain in your primary language and use the accent menu to enter characters with accent marks when writing.
Set up your Mac to write in another language
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)Go to Text Input, then click Edit.
Click
, then search for a language (such as Chinese, Simplified). Select one or more input sources for each language you want to use. Click Add.
To begin writing in another language, select the language you want to use in the Input menu in the menu bar.
You can click Show Keyboard Viewer in the Input menu to see the keyboard layout for the language that’s currently selected.
After you add an input source, the Input menu is automatically shown in the menu bar. The language of the input source is automatically added to your list of preferred languages in Language & Region settings and your list of Dictation languages (if available) in Keyboard settings. You can set your Mac to use that language in the interface and use it to dictate messages and documents.
Switch between languages when writing
Switch between languages when writing by selecting the language you want to use in the Input menu. You can also set up your Mac to quickly switch between languages using your keyboard.
Use the Input menu: Click the Input menu in the menu bar, then choose an input source. If an input source is dimmed, the current app doesn’t support it.
Use keyboard shortcuts: Press Control-Space bar to select the last input source you used, or Control-Option-Space bar to select the next input source in the Input menu. Or, to view all your input sources (displayed close to where you’re typing as characters or letters that represent each source), press and hold the Control key, then press the Space bar. Continue pressing the Space bar until the input source you want to switch to is selected.
Use the Fn key or the Globe key
: You can set an option in Keyboard settings to change input sources by using the Fn key or the Globe key . Choose Apple menu Press the key to switch to the next input source and show all your input sources close to where you’re typing (displayed as letters or characters that represent each source). Continue pressing the key until the input source you want to switch to is selected.
Use the Caps Lock key: You can set an option in Input Sources settings to change between Latin and non-Latin input sources by using the Caps Lock key or a dedicated language switching key (for example, “中 / 英” on Chinese – Pinyin and Chinese – Zhuyin keyboards). Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down). Go to Text Input, click Edit, then turn on “Use the Caps Lock key to switch to and from [last used Latin input source].”
Press the key to switch between a non-Latin input source (such as Chinese or Korean) and a Latin input source (such as French or English).
Use the Touch Bar: If your Mac has a Touch Bar, tap
or 
, then tap the input source you want to use. If you don’t see or , you can add them to the Control Strip. See Customize the Touch Bar.
View the keyboard layout
Use the Keyboard Viewer to see the keyboard layout for the current input source. This is helpful if you choose an input source that doesn’t match your physical keyboard. In that case, the keys you see and press on the keyboard may be different from the characters that are displayed when you type.
You can also view the keyboard layout in Input Sources settings, and see how the layout changes when you press modifier keys like Option or Shift.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Go to Text Input, then click Edit.
Select an input source in the sidebar to view its keyboard layout. Press the Option, Shift, or Option and Shift keys together to show how the layout changes.