How to Switch the Mac Keyboard Language (Shortcut)

Typing in a different language (such as Latin-American Spanish)? Learning a new one (like Basque)? Find out here how to switch the keyboard language and layout on a Mac using menu bar or keyboard shortcut.

First, Mr. Legan Turns the Chessboard

A certain L. Legan turned his chessboard in 1913 some 45 degrees and… stopped.

With a corner of the board pointing at the other player and one at himself, he began to arrange the figures much like in a typical chess configuration (pawns in front, royalties behind in the center, etc.) but filling the corner in quite artistic a manner, of course.

In Legan’s chess, everything else (but the movement of pawns, of course, which now is diagonally) works like it does with the standard form of chess.

Now that we’ve turned that corner, how about picking a different variant for the keyboard layout on a Mac? No need to hold it with one corner pointing to you—but you can try, of course:

How to Switch the Keyboard Language on a Mac (Shortcut)

Using the Menu Bar

Add the “Input Sources” Mac Menu Bar Item

To add the language-switching Input Sources menu bar item on macOS:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences) using the  (Apple logo) menu.
2. Go to the Keyboard category.
3. Click Edit… under Input Sources.
   macOS Monterey 12 and earlier: Switch to the Input Sources tab.
4. Check Show Input menu in menu bar.

Switch the Keyboard Language with a Mac Keyboard Shortcut

To change the active keyboard language and layout for input on a Mac using the keyboard alone:

1. Press and hold the Control key.
2. Now press Space to bring up the keyboard language change menu.
   Custom keyboard shortcut: You can change the key combination to bring up the menu; see below.
3. Press Space (while holding Control) until the desired language is highlighted.
   Language not in menu: If the keyboard layout you are looking for is not in the menu, see below for adding it.
4. Let go of the Control key.
   

Set up a Mac Keyboard Shortcut for Language Switching

To pick the key combination to change the keyboard language on a Mac:

1. Open System Settings (or Preferneces).
2. Go to the Keyboard category.
3. Click Keyboard Shortcuts…
   macOS Monterey 12 and earlier: Open the Shortcuts tab.
4. Select Input Sources on the left.
5. Check at least Select the previous input source.
   Next: You can also check Select the next input source, of course.
6. Tap the current keyboard shortcut (or the empty space) next to Select the previous input source.
7. Press the key combination you want to use for changing the keyboard language.
   

You can also make the Function key bring up the input sources switcher:

1. Open Keyboard in System Preferences; see above.
2. Go to the Keyboard tab.
3. Select Change Input Source for Press fn key to.

Add Keyboard Languages to Mac

To add a new keyboard layout to macOS on your Mac:

1. Open System Settings on the Mac.
2. Open the Keyboard section.
3. Click Edit… for Input Sources.
   macOS Monterey 12 and earlier: Go to the Input Sources tab.
4. Click + underneath the list of current languages, keyboard layouts and input sources.
5. Choose the language and keyboard layout you want to add to your Mac.
   Search: You can search for languages as well as keyboard layouts.
6. Click Add.
   

How to Switch the Keyboard Language on a Mac: FAQ

Will changing the keyboard language using Input Sources also change the language for autocorrect and spelling?

No.

The language used for checking the spelling—and, if you want, auto-correcting it—on a Mac is typically

• picked automatically using the language in which you write, but
• you can also change the Mac autocorrect and spelling language manually and independently from the keyboard language.

(How to switch the language on a Mac keyboard tested with macOS Sonoma 14.3, Ventura 13.0 and Monterey 12.3; updated March 2024)