How to Show the Language Bar on Your Desktop or Taskbar in Windows 11

What is the Language Bar?

The Language Bar lets users change keyboard layouts to write in alternate languages. Typing special characters like “ä” in German or “ñ” in Spanish becomes entirely seamless once configured.

Windows automatically appends the corresponding keyboard layout whenever a new language gets added. Users can also configure multiple layouts per language.

Pressing Win + Spacebar cycles through active keyboard layouts instantly without touching the mouse.

Option 1Show Language Bar Using Windows Settings

1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
2. Click Time & language on the left side.
3. Click Typing on the right side.
4. Scroll down and click Advanced keyboard settings.
5. Check the box for Use the desktop language bar when it’s available if you want the bar on your desktop.
6. Uncheck it if you want the language bar to appear on the taskbar 🖥️ (this is the default setting).
7. You can now close Settings.

The Settings ⚙️ panel displays these options as follows:

Option 2Show Language Bar Using PowerShell

Executing commands via PowerShell provides an alternative configuration route:

1. Open Windows Terminal by right-clicking the Start button and choosing it.
2. Make sure you select the Windows PowerShell tab.
3. Copy and paste one of the commands below depending on what you want:

Show Desktop Language Bar

Running this command displays the desktop language bar while disabling independent input methods across app windows:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacyLanguageBar

Alternatively, this command displays the desktop language bar while permitting distinct input methods for every separate app window:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacyLanguageBar -UseLegacySwitchMode

Show Taskbar Language Bar (Default)

Restoring the default taskbar language bar and disabling specialized parameters requires this command:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption

Concurrently, hiding the desktop bar while allowing individual input methods per app window utilizes this command:

Set-WinLanguageBarOption -UseLegacySwitchMode

Close Windows Terminal once configured.

PowerShell renders these configurations visually:

Summary

• The Language Bar makes it easy to switch between keyboard languages on your Windows 11 PC.
• You can type special letters and characters in different languages by changing your keyboard layout.
• Switch languages quickly using the Language Bar or the shortcut keys Win + Spacebar.
• You can choose to show the Language Bar on your desktop or taskbar using Settings or PowerShell commands.
• This helps if you use more than one language and want to type comfortably.

Additional documentation remains available within the comprehensive guide: Show Language Bar on Desktop or Taskbar in Windows 11