Thai Typing

Turn on a Thai keyboard

You can't type a single Thai character until your device has a Thai keyboard installed. This is the step that blocks most beginners — do it before anything else on this page.

Windows 11

  1. Settings → Time & language → Language & region.
  2. Under “Preferred languages,” click Add a language, search Thai, select it, click Next, then Install.
  3. Switch keyboards while typing with Win + Space, or click the language code in the taskbar.

This is the current Windows 11 path per Microsoft's own documentation as of writing. Windows 10 uses a similar but not identical path (Settings → Time & Language → Language, “Add a preferred language”). If your Settings app looks different, search “language” in the Settings search box — the destination is always the same “add a language” screen.

macOS

  1. Apple menu → System Settings → Keyboard.
  2. Under “Text Input,” click Edit.
  3. Click the + button, search Thai, select it, click Add.
  4. Turn on “Show Input menu in menu bar” so you can switch with one click; switch with Control + Space by default otherwise.

This is the System Settings path (macOS Ventura, 2022, onward — Apple replaced System Preferences with System Settings that year, and the menu structure has kept shifting slightly since). If your Mac still shows “System Preferences,” look for Keyboard → Input Sources → + instead — same steps, older names.

Linux (GNOME / Ubuntu)

  1. Settings → Keyboard (older GNOME: Settings → Region & Language).
  2. Under “Input Sources,” click +.
  3. Search Thai, select it, click Add.
  4. Switch input sources with Super + Space.

GNOME is only one desktop environment among several. KDE Plasma, Xfce, and others put this in different places (typically System Settings → Regional Settings → Keyboard, or similar). If you're not on GNOME, search your desktop's settings for “keyboard” or “input method” and look for an “Input Sources” or “IBus” section.

iOS (iPhone / iPad)

  1. Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
  2. Tap Add New Keyboard…, select Thai.
  3. While typing, tap the globe icon (🌐) on the keyboard to cycle to Thai.

This path has been stable across recent iOS versions; low risk of having changed.

Android

  1. Settings → System → Keyboard → On-screen keyboard → Gboard → Languages (or: open Gboard, tap the gear icon → Languages).
  2. Tap Add keyboard, select Thai, choose a layout if offered, and turn it on.
  3. Switch languages by pressing and holding the space bar, or via the globe key.

Steps assume Gboard, the default on most Android phones. Samsung's own keyboard and other OEM keyboards use different menus.

One caveat that applies to all mobile devices: A phone's on-screen Thai keyboard uses the same Thai characters as Kedmanee, but its touch layout is rearranged for thumbs — it does not put the same character under the same finger position as a physical keyboard. Turning on Thai on your phone is useful for reading and casual typing, but it won't build the same muscle memory as the drills on this site, which assume a physical (or Bluetooth) keyboard.