Language bar is missing from Taskbar? Don’t worry. Try the methods introduced in this post, and the language bar may show up on Taskbar again.
I’ve included five possible solutions below. Try them one by one:
Method 1: End all Microsoft IME tasks from task manager
Method 2: Check the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
Method 3: Check if Input Indicator is turned on
Method 4: Try adding and removing a keyboard
Method 5: Modify registry
Method 1: End all Microsoft IME tasks from task manager
IME is short for Input Method Editor. Microsoft IME is a software component that enables a user to input text in a language that can’t be represented easily on a standard QWERTY keyboard. This software component may run in the background and cause language bar missing from the taskbar.
So check and end all Microsoft IME tasks from task manager. Here’s how:
1) On your keyboard, press Esc+Shift+Ctrl at the same time to open the Task Manager.
2) At the Processes tab, locate and end all Microsoft IME services.
To end a service, select that service and then click End task.
After you end all Microsoft IME services, press Win+Space (the Windows logo key and the Space key) to switch between the language, then the language bar may show on the taskbar.
Restart your computer and check to see if the problem is fixed permanently. If the problem occurs again, you can try the next method.
Method 2: Check the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
If you have the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service disabled, the language bar missing problem can occur. So check and ensure that service is enabled.
You can follow these steps to check the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service:
1) On your keyboard, press Win+R to invoke the Run box.
2) Type “services.msc” into the Run box and click OK. Then the Services Window will pop up.
3) Locate and double-click on Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service.
4) Check if the Startup type is Disabled.
If it’s Disabled, change it to Manual or Automatic. Then click Apply -> OK to save the changes. After that, restart your computer and check to see if the language bar shows on the taskbar.
If Method 2 doesn’t work for you, continue to try Method 3.
Method 3: Check if Input Indicator is turned on
If Input Indicator is Off, the language bar wont’ show on the taskbar. So check and ensure Input Indicator is turned on. To do so:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key, type “turn system icons on or off” and then select “Turn system icons on or off”.
2) Check if Input Indicator is On. If it’s Off, toggle the button to turn it on, then the language bar missing problem will be resolved.
If Method 3 doesn’t work for you, try Method 4.
Method 4: Try adding and removing a keyboard
Some users have shared a trick that adding and then removing a keyboard helped resolve the language bar missing problem. You can try it as well and see if it works for you.
Here’s how:
1) Right-click on the Start menu button and select Settings.
2) At the Settings window, click on Time & Language.
3) Click on Language.
4) Under the “Preferred languages” section, select the current default language (usually at the top of the list), and then click the Options button.
6) Under the “Keyboards” section, click on Add a keyboard.
7) Select a new keyboard then the keyboard will be added to Windows.
8) Select the keyboard you just added, and then click the Remove button.
9) Restart your computer and check to see if the language bar shows on the taskbar.
If Method 4 doesn’t resolve the problem, try Method 5.
Method 5: Modify registry
If none of the above methods works, the last resort you can try is to modify the registry. This is to enable a Microsoft process which is required for the language bar at Windows startup. To modify the registry, follow the steps below.
Important: Modifying registry incorrectly can cause serious system issues. Before you follow the procedure, it’s recommended you back up the registry (learn how to back up the registry) first so you can restore it if necessary.
1) On your keyboard, press Win+R to invoke the Run box.
2) Type “regedit” into the Run box and click OK.
3) Go to the following location:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Tip: Copy and paste the location path into the search box and press Enter, then you can go to the location directly.
4) Right-click on the blank space at the right side, and then select New -> String Value.
5) Right-click on the newly created value and select Modify…
6) In the Value data field, type “ctfmon”=”CTFMON.EXE” as shown below.
7) Click OK to save the changes.
8) Restart your computer to make the changes take effect.
Hopefully you find the article helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.