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Q&A for power users of Apple hardware and software

Latest Questions

4 votes
1 answers
4818 views
Separate keyboard layout for each window in macOS Monterey
Is there a way to set up keyboard layouts preferences to have a **separate layout for each window**? **Use case described step by step:** - I use **two keyboard layouts**: English and non-English one. - I often open Terminal, where I use English layout. - And I often chat in another app using my nat...
Is there a way to set up keyboard layouts preferences to have a **separate layout for each window**? **Use case described step by step:** - I use **two keyboard layouts**: English and non-English one. - I often open Terminal, where I use English layout. - And I often chat in another app using my native language. - I am tired of switching **global keyboard layout** back and forth. - I would like **macOS to remember**, which layout was **last-used in each window**. Especially interesting, if it is possible to do with **native tools** or settings in Monterey rather than 3rd party app. Just like it is possible to do in Linux with a single click in Input methods settings. PS: there is the same question here , but the **answer is outdated**. There is no such setting anymore. At least **in Monterey**.
Evgenii Frolov (61 rep)
Nov 14, 2021, 12:33 PM • Last activity: Aug 2, 2025, 08:10 PM
0 votes
1 answers
65 views
CapsLock as input source switch while typing – instant switching?
I'm trying to make CapsLock switch input sources between Eng and Ukr without interrupting my typing. Even after applying 0 caps delay `hidutil property --set '{"CapsLockDelayOverride":0}`, I don't see much improvement The problem is while typing quickly in one language, I need to pause, press and re...
I'm trying to make CapsLock switch input sources between Eng and Ukr without interrupting my typing. Even after applying 0 caps delay hidutil property --set '{"CapsLockDelayOverride":0}, I don't see much improvement The problem is while typing quickly in one language, I need to pause, press and release CS, and then continue typing so I’d like CL to instantly switch input sources even if other keys are pressed at the same time Is there any way to configure CS to change the input source on-the-fly, without needing to pause typing or release other keys first? I’m open to any solutions — scripts, third-party apps (like Keyboard Maestro, KE etc.)
Sitto Mitto (1 rep)
Oct 24, 2024, 01:38 PM • Last activity: Jul 21, 2025, 06:00 PM
3 votes
1 answers
606 views
Κeyboard shortcut to switch to a specific input source
For a multilingual user, with 3 or 4 everyday-use languages, is it possible to press a keyboard shortcut to change to a pre-set language? For example, Cmd + 1 will be English, Cmd + 2 will be German, Cmd + 3 will be Russian. For my needs, the specific shortcut or specific language is not relevant, b...
For a multilingual user, with 3 or 4 everyday-use languages, is it possible to press a keyboard shortcut to change to a pre-set language? For example, Cmd+1 will be English, Cmd+2 will be German, Cmd+3 will be Russian. For my needs, the specific shortcut or specific language is not relevant, but just want to avoid the frustrating sequential press of the regular language switch keyboard shortcut in order to achieve the needed input source. Also, if it's possible to find some solution that is not a keyboard shortcut, but for example a trackpad gesture - it will be fine.
Cocktail (199 rep)
May 28, 2022, 10:24 AM • Last activity: Jul 12, 2025, 07:01 AM
2 votes
1 answers
4221 views
Typing five-digit Unicode
Does macOS have a way to enter Unicode characters with more than four hex digits? The flags, for example, are ligatures, each with two five-digit code points. They are supported by macOS fonts, appearing as expected when I paste them into this question in Safari or into TextEdit (from Wikipedia). An...
Does macOS have a way to enter Unicode characters with more than four hex digits? The flags, for example, are ligatures, each with two five-digit code points. They are supported by macOS fonts, appearing as expected when I paste them into this question in Safari or into TextEdit (from Wikipedia). And they resize properly with the font. Flags: 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇨🇭 🇨🇳 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇮🇱 🇮🇹 🇯🇵 🇰🇳 🇰🇷 🇳🇴 🇳🇵 🇵🇸 🇶🇦 🇷🇺 🇸🇸 🇺🇸 Flags, of course, I can paste from Wikipedia. But in the past, there have been others where I knew the code but had no copy source. The proctalgic workaround is to create a numeric HTML entity in a file, open it in Safari, and copy-paste. I could also expand the Unicode Hex Input IM, but that's not exactly fun, either.
WGroleau (5370 rep)
Jul 28, 2017, 08:55 PM • Last activity: Jun 12, 2025, 05:05 PM
0 votes
0 answers
64 views
How does "input source" work
When I switch my MacOS input source to Greek, common bindings (Ctrl-A, Ctrl-E, etc.) stop working in most apps, such as TextEdit. This was also observed in [this question](https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/44994/same-shortcuts-across-input-sources). To explore this in emacs, I did `(read-cha...
When I switch my MacOS input source to Greek, common bindings (Ctrl-A, Ctrl-E, etc.) stop working in most apps, such as TextEdit. This was also observed in [this question](https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/44994/same-shortcuts-across-input-sources) . To explore this in emacs, I did (read-char) and typed "s". It returned 963 (σ's unicode point). Here is my guess of what's happening: 1. **Key Press**: physical keyboard sends signal (eg. {"key code": "s"}, as viewed in Karabiner Event Viewer) to OS 2. **Input Source**: OS checks input source mapping (eg. Greek), where "s" corresponds to "σ" 3. **Character Output**: OS sends "σ" to application, represented by its unicode point Is this an accurate model of what is going on? Also, still in Greek mode, (read-char) Ctrl-S returns 67109827. Does that mean that the OS is sending unicode point 67109827 to the application?
user615536 (101 rep)
May 20, 2025, 11:56 AM
2 votes
2 answers
10609 views
Azerty layout with direct number input
I grew used to the azerty layout (which was a bad idea, but I don't have energy to spend months relearning to type). I would really like however to have the numbers row behave as it does in the normal qwerty layout (number input on press rather than symbol). This is less for typing purposes than for...
I grew used to the azerty layout (which was a bad idea, but I don't have energy to spend months relearning to type). I would really like however to have the numbers row behave as it does in the normal qwerty layout (number input on press rather than symbol). This is less for typing purposes than for keyboards shortcuts relying on numbers, which depending from the app either force me to add an awkward shift press or just don't work at all. Ideas?
Gloomy (173 rep)
Nov 5, 2016, 11:49 AM • Last activity: Apr 11, 2025, 05:35 PM
12 votes
1 answers
2529 views
Two different keyboard layouts for internal and external keyboard
My internal keyboard has a different layout than my external (USB) keyboard. Is it somehow possible for Mac OS X 10.11.2 to recognize from which keyboard the input comes and to chose the layout accordingly? As far as I know I can only set one layout globally for both devices.
My internal keyboard has a different layout than my external (USB) keyboard. Is it somehow possible for Mac OS X 10.11.2 to recognize from which keyboard the input comes and to chose the layout accordingly? As far as I know I can only set one layout globally for both devices.
procrastinatio (121 rep)
Jan 24, 2016, 08:08 PM • Last activity: Mar 7, 2025, 11:30 AM
6 votes
2 answers
5770 views
How to hide the keyboard menu in macOS Ventura
How can I disable/hide/remove the shortcut to the keyboards? I have only a single input method selected () and I don't need this menu as it takes away valuable real-estate before the icons hiding behind the camera area! [![Menu shortcut to the keyboards][1]][1] I have checked there is only a single...
How can I disable/hide/remove the shortcut to the keyboards? I have only a single input method selected () and I don't need this menu as it takes away valuable real-estate before the icons hiding behind the camera area! Menu shortcut to the keyboards I have checked there is only a single input source: System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Input Sources Also in System Settings > Accessibility > De-selected the Accessibility Keyboard Also System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources > Show Input Menu in Menu bar should solve. Still no luck. Can someone point out to a better way to hide/remove this keyboard shortcut please?
MaduKan (329 rep)
Aug 12, 2023, 10:38 PM • Last activity: Feb 26, 2025, 06:16 PM
5 votes
2 answers
12216 views
Use 3.5mm jack as line in for a musical instrument
My iMac and Macbook Air only have one 3.5 mm jack each. I would like to use this jack as an audio input source to record an electronic drum kit. I realize the proper way of doing this would be to get an audio interface, but I don't want to invest in one just yet. For now, I would like to plug in a 3...
My iMac and Macbook Air only have one 3.5 mm jack each. I would like to use this jack as an audio input source to record an electronic drum kit. I realize the proper way of doing this would be to get an audio interface, but I don't want to invest in one just yet. For now, I would like to plug in a 3.5mm cable to the output jack of the electronic drum kit and connect the other end to my computer to record the drum kit’s sound. This was possible with my old 2009 white MacBook. Can this be done in the newer models? I found this thread and tried using a cable with three rings. This cable has a built-in mic, so the computer is picking up on its mic, rather than the drumset's output.
Arturo Sbr (161 rep)
Mar 24, 2020, 12:07 AM • Last activity: Dec 31, 2024, 03:02 AM
3 votes
3 answers
1976 views
How to get current input language of the input source
I use a third-party input source on Mac. This is the case I encounter: 1. I input some English characters when I want to input Chinese so I have to delete the characters entered just now. Then switch to Chinese and type again. 2. If I know what is the current input language, so I can switch the inpu...
I use a third-party input source on Mac. This is the case I encounter: 1. I input some English characters when I want to input Chinese so I have to delete the characters entered just now. Then switch to Chinese and type again. 2. If I know what is the current input language, so I can switch the input language first. 3. The input source can't display current input language but I have press Shift to switch between Chinese and English to see whether the current language is what I want. 4. After some research, I find this repo bitbar . This repo can display some script output at the menubar. So I want some script to get the current input language of the input source. 5. I also find this question , however this question is different from mine. It just find the input source name, not the input language. After Googling for a long time, I didn't find a way to do this. Any one can help me? Thank you so much.
aries (43 rep)
Sep 6, 2016, 05:26 AM • Last activity: Nov 8, 2024, 02:07 PM
0 votes
0 answers
33 views
Switching languages turns off Caps Lock
I currently have 2 languages as my input source. If I type in one language with Caps Lock turned on and then switch to another language (using Control-Space) Caps Lock turns off for some reason. I would like it to be on in such case, just like on my Linux machine. Can this be configured in MacOS?
I currently have 2 languages as my input source. If I type in one language with Caps Lock turned on and then switch to another language (using Control-Space) Caps Lock turns off for some reason. I would like it to be on in such case, just like on my Linux machine. Can this be configured in MacOS?
Eugene Yarmash (614 rep)
Nov 4, 2024, 09:11 AM
4 votes
1 answers
629 views
macOs sometimes skips the first press for the keyboard layout change
MacBook Pro 14" 2021 M1: macOS Ventura 13.4.1 (22F82) I try default control ^ + Space and custom command ⌘ + Space . Using only one additional source + English. I noticed that sometimes I can't switch the layout. The problem appears only on the first press after working for a long time in one of the...
MacBook Pro 14" 2021 M1: macOS Ventura 13.4.1 (22F82) I try default control ^ + Space and custom command ⌘ + Space. Using only one additional source + English. I noticed that sometimes I can't switch the layout. The problem appears only on the first press after working for a long time in one of the layouts. Karabiner-EventViewer catches this press for control and command + space cases when system skip switch of inputs. Fixed only using settings "**Use the Caps Lock key to switch to and from ABC**". I have MacBook Pro 13" 2019 Intel i5: macOS Ventura 13.4.1 with same settings and I didn't notice the same problems with him. It's hard to catch, but this problem has become quite uncomfortable in four months of using MacBook Pro 14". Input Sources
Vyacheslav (153 rep)
Jun 29, 2023, 03:19 PM • Last activity: Oct 31, 2024, 09:01 AM
2 votes
1 answers
73 views
How to change the input source switching pop up back to the bigger one?
I’m now using macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, and I need to work with five languages in my daily life. Before updating to Sonoma, whenever I switched input sources, a large pop-up would appear in the middle of the screen, clearly indicating the current input source. Like this⬇️ [![enter image description here]...
I’m now using macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, and I need to work with five languages in my daily life. Before updating to Sonoma, whenever I switched input sources, a large pop-up would appear in the middle of the screen, clearly indicating the current input source. Like this⬇️ enter image description here However, after the update, this pop-up only appears when I’m not typing or when the cursor isn’t in a text box. When I switch input sources while typing, a small pop-up appears just below the cursor, which is hard to see, especially on an extended display. This tiny pop-up ⬇️ enter image description here I’m wondering if anyone knows how to restore the larger pop-up, so it appears regardless of where the cursor is. I’d really appreciate any help, as it would make my workflow much smoother.
propoba (133 rep)
Oct 12, 2024, 11:25 AM • Last activity: Oct 27, 2024, 06:04 PM
0 votes
0 answers
102 views
How to get keylayouts of the system keyboards?
My custom keyboard layout is specified in a `.keylayout` file, and the contents of the file look like a plist/xml. How can I read the keylayout files of the input sources that come with the Mac? I found /System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/AppleKeyboardLayouts.bundle/Contents/Resources which only has a...
My custom keyboard layout is specified in a .keylayout file, and the contents of the file look like a plist/xml. How can I read the keylayout files of the input sources that come with the Mac? I found /System/Library/Keyboard Layouts/AppleKeyboardLayouts.bundle/Contents/Resources which only has a AppleKeyboardLayouts-L.dat file that might contain all the information for the layouts, but I don't know how to read that file. I can only find people using that file to extract the icons, because they are recognizable amid the binary gibberish, in fact the most pointed-to [github page](https://github.com/chaimleib/apple-kbd-dat-icon-extract/blob/master/README.md) on it even says "I don't know the exact structure of that file". I know there is a program called Ukelele that can copy the current keyboard layout, even if it is a system one, and allow you to start editing it, but I would like to know how to do this without installing any extra programs.
user150109
Oct 2, 2024, 03:58 PM • Last activity: Oct 2, 2024, 04:24 PM
0 votes
0 answers
16 views
Phone audio input and output across devices
Is there a way to have my audio from my headphones play on my Mac in real time? In my job I have several meetings a day via phone and use a dictation program to record the details. The problem is I have to use my phone on speaker and sit by my computer in order to have the dictation work as the audi...
Is there a way to have my audio from my headphones play on my Mac in real time? In my job I have several meetings a day via phone and use a dictation program to record the details. The problem is I have to use my phone on speaker and sit by my computer in order to have the dictation work as the audio is recorded through the computer. I would like to use my headphones connected to my phone so the audio is clear,I can also move around and ideally still somehow have the audio play on my Mac so the dictation software ‘hears’ it and records it. Is this possible? Is there a way to set up my headphones or computer or phone so the phone call audio in and out of my headphones is still ‘heard’ by my computer audio? I have a Mac air, iPhone, and jabra headset. Thanks
Curiousnovice (1 rep)
Sep 29, 2024, 10:25 PM
0 votes
0 answers
29 views
Log or app to find out who/what is changing my input method
Some time ago, [something kept changing my keyboard to Greek][1], and later, it was frequently changing to Chinese.  A software update fixed it.  Another time, it started again, with Korean, and then went away again. But now, **without a software change**, it is happening again.  It i...
Some time ago, something kept changing my keyboard to Greek , and later, it was frequently changing to Chinese.  A software update fixed it.  Another time, it started again, with Korean, and then went away again. But now, **without a software change**, it is happening again.  It is set to Chinese every time I open the laptop, but it also changes occasionally when I switch window focus.  **What diagnostic tool can tell me why?**
WGroleau (5370 rep)
Aug 24, 2024, 03:56 AM • Last activity: Aug 24, 2024, 04:55 AM
1 votes
2 answers
184 views
Can I control the order of keyboard layouts in the system menu?
I have a few keyboard layouts or "input sources" as the system calls them. The system also lets you define a keyboard shortcut for "Select next source in Input menu". [![enter image description here][1]][1] I had muscle memory of how many times to hit that key combo to go between various keyboards....
I have a few keyboard layouts or "input sources" as the system calls them. The system also lets you define a keyboard shortcut for "Select next source in Input menu". enter image description here I had muscle memory of how many times to hit that key combo to go between various keyboards. Then after a reboot they are now in different order. Is there a way to set the order so it doesn't change?
Rob N (1750 rep)
May 29, 2018, 12:14 AM • Last activity: May 29, 2024, 12:00 PM
27 votes
2 answers
1658 views
How do I turn off MacOS Sonoma's emoji guessing?
Before Sonoma, pressing Ctrl + ⌘ + Space would bring up the emoji Input Method Editor [![enter image description here][1]][1] But now, depending on the context, MacOS Sonoma will bring up a different editor. For example, if I type 'interesting ' and press Ctrl + ⌘ + Space I get this different UI [![...
Before Sonoma, pressing Ctrl+⌘+Space would bring up the emoji Input Method Editor enter image description here But now, depending on the context, MacOS Sonoma will bring up a different editor. For example, if I type 'interesting ' and press Ctrl+⌘+Space I get this different UI enter image description here This inconsistent response to the same keypress is really unhelpful for me. I know exactly what state things are in when I get a consistent response. The particular instance was me wanting to type something like > "I did this dumb thing because I thought it would be more interesting 😅 And the new feature guessed wrong (showing the 3 choices above) and so wasn't helpful. In fact it was worse than not helpful, it was actively in my way as I have to workaround it to get what I wanted. Other examples include > I hope bug XXX will be fixed when we switch to Monorail Where again I wanted 😅 but it unhelpfully picked 🚝 > I'm pretty sure this will pass on the next run Where I wanted 🤞 but it picked 🏃 > Praying tomorrow is sunny where I wanted 🙏 but it picked 🌞 > Can you please check out the link above? where I wanted 🙏 but it picked ⬆️ And many many more. How do I turn off this new unhelpful "guess the emoji we think the user wants and show a different UI" feature of MacOS Sonoma?
user27319
Oct 8, 2023, 12:20 AM • Last activity: May 20, 2024, 01:12 AM
2 votes
0 answers
240 views
Input lag after switching Input Source
On my Mac, I have 3 different Input Sources and after some time from rebooting, I'm starting to experience input lag when switching between input sources. Here is a video - I press my shortcut to change the input source (as I see on the menu bar - it's switching immediately) and then I start typing...
On my Mac, I have 3 different Input Sources and after some time from rebooting, I'm starting to experience input lag when switching between input sources. Here is a video - I press my shortcut to change the input source (as I see on the menu bar - it's switching immediately) and then I start typing rapidly. Usually, this bug appears a few days after I restart my computer. For example, this happened today - uptime is 2 days. For switching language I'm using Karabiner + MLSwitcher. Karabiner just maps Caps Lock to Ctrl+Shift and MLSwicher catches this combo and cycles through my input sources. I think this is not a problem with Karabiner or MLSwitcher, because the language in the bar menu switches immediately after pressing the caps lock. The application in which I switch languages also freezes for a moment. Here is the video: https://cln.sh/MSLcl0mq
iwex (71 rep)
Apr 26, 2024, 06:12 AM • Last activity: May 9, 2024, 01:23 PM
21 votes
7 answers
17982 views
make airpods microphones disabled by default when pairing with a mac
when pairing airpods with a mac, the sound quality is poor due to the fact it also uses them for microphone by default... when I switch the audio input (microphone to internal), then quality of the airpods sound is excellent. I don't want to do this step each time I pair airpods, is there a way to m...
when pairing airpods with a mac, the sound quality is poor due to the fact it also uses them for microphone by default... when I switch the audio input (microphone to internal), then quality of the airpods sound is excellent. I don't want to do this step each time I pair airpods, is there a way to make the default microphone for mac is the internal one. Image
DeyaEldeen (355 rep)
Oct 26, 2018, 09:41 PM • Last activity: Mar 27, 2024, 03:24 PM
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