To activate Pinyin input on Windows Vista, follow the steps below.
- Click on the Start button, and then click on Control Panel:
- Type regional in the Search bar in the top right of the window that opens, and then click on the link to Regional and Language Options:
- Click on the Keyboards and Languages tab, and then on the Change keyboards button:
- On the General tab, click on the Add button:
- Browse down the list to Chinese (Simplified, PRC), and click on the + next to it. Then click on the + next to Keyboard. Place a check next to Chinese (Simplified) - Microsoft Pinyin IME. Click OK:
- The new Pinyin keyboard will appear in the list of installed keyboards on your computer. Click Apply and then OK to close the window:
- The Language bar will appear on your Taskbar, usually near the clock and System Tray. By clicking on EN you can change to other input languages:
- If you change your input language to Chinese, the appearance of the Language bar will change:
You can now switch between input languages by pressing Left Alt + Left Shift.
When in Chinese input mode, you can toggle between English and Pinyin by pressing Left Shift. Note that the English input will be US English (@ and " will be swapped on the keyboard).