Add a keyboard for Hindi or another language on your Mac

Why it happens

Your Mac only offers the keyboards listed under Input Sources, and most Macs start with just one. Adding another language gives you its letters without changing your physical keyboard. Your Mac then lets you flip between them whenever you like.

How to fix it

1. Click the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.

2. Under Text Input, click Edit… next to Input Sources.

   Keyboard›Text Input›Edit…

3. Click the + button at the bottom left of the list, type the language in the search box, for example Hindi, and pick a keyboard from the list on the right. Hindi has a few choices, including Devanagari layouts and a transliteration option that turns English letters into Hindi as you type. Click Add.

4. Turn on Show Input menu in menu bar in the same window, then click Done. A small icon for your current keyboard appears near the clock.

   Keyboard›Text Input›Edit…›Show Input menu in menu bar

5. Switch keyboards by clicking that icon and choosing one, or press Control-Space. Type a few words in Notes to check the right letters appear.

Still not fixed?

1. If the keyboard keeps switching back on its own, open Edit… again and turn off Automatically switch to a document's input source. Remove keyboards you never use with the − button while you're there.

   Keyboard›Text Input›Edit…

2. If Control-Space does nothing, open Keyboard Shortcuts… in Keyboard settings, click Input Sources and make sure Select the previous input source is ticked.

   Keyboard›Keyboard Shortcuts…›Input Sources›Select the previous input source

3. Want menus and apps in that language too, not just typing? Add it under Preferred Languages in General > Language & Region.

   General›Language & Region›Preferred Languages

4. If a language you need isn't in the list, or added keyboards disappear after a restart, install the latest update in General > Software Update. If that doesn't help, contact Apple Support.