InputAnchormacOS input-source troubleshooting
Stop your Mac from changing keyboard input source
If you return to an app and begin typing in the wrong language or layout, first separate two different problems: macOS may be selecting a different input source, or your input method may be changing an internal mode that macOS cannot see.
Check what actually changed
Use the Input menu in the macOS menu bar immediately after the problem happens. If the checked item changed—for example from ABC to a Chinese or Japanese input source—this is a system input-source change. If the checked item stayed the same but typing behavior changed, the IME may have changed an internal Chinese/English, Roman/phonetic, or conversion mode instead.
Review macOS input-source settings
In System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit, confirm that the sources you need are installed and that your keyboard shortcut is not being pressed accidentally. Apple documents the Input menu, Control-Space shortcuts, and Caps Lock language switching in its input-source guide.
Set a predictable rule for the apps that matter
Manual switching is reasonable for an occasional language change. It becomes fragile when the same handful of apps always expect different input sources. With InputAnchor, assign a system input source to each app—such as ABC for Terminal and your IME for a messaging app—and the selected source is restored when you switch contexts.
Know the boundary with third-party IMEs
InputAnchor controls only input sources that macOS publishes to the system. It cannot force a private mode inside a third-party IME when that IME does not expose the mode as a separate system input source. This distinction matters: it avoids promising a fix for a state macOS itself does not report.
Test with your real workflow
Configure two apps you switch between most often, then move back and forth while typing. InputAnchor has a 14-day free trial, so you can validate compatibility with your installed input sources before buying.