How to Use Transliteration Keyboards on Apple Devices

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Many users who speak Indian languages prefer to type using transliteration keyboards instead of the traditional InScript layout that Apple has offered for years. Transliteration makes it easier to type in your native language using regular Latin letters, which are automatically converted into the script you need.

Starting with MacOS Sequoia, support for transliteration keyboards is available for several languages. These include Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Urdu, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. To set this up, go to System Settings, then choose Keyboard, followed by Text Input. Click on the “Edit” button, then use the plus (+) sign to add your preferred language. Once added, you can select it from the input menu located in the menu bar at the top of your screen.

Traditional keyboards for these languages show the main characters directly on the keys. They also include special symbols like the virama, which is used to combine characters into ligatures or conjuncts, making complex scripts easier to type.

In contrast, transliteration keyboards work differently. They allow you to type Latin letters, and the system presents a menu of possible matches in the native script. You simply select the correct word or character from the list. This method can be much faster and more intuitive for many users. For example, typing “namaste” in Hindi transliteration will bring up options in Devanagari script, from which you choose the right one.

Here’s an example comparing traditional and transliteration modes for Hindi:
[Insert image here showing the two methods]

Not all Indian languages are supported with transliteration options on Apple devices. Languages like Sinhala, Sindhi, Assamese, Odia, and Nepali, which use the Devanagari or similar scripts, can only be typed using the traditional keyboard layout. However, you might find transliteration tools for these languages online, through services such as Google Input Tools, Keyman, or Lipika. These platforms offer additional options if you want a more flexible or user-friendly typing experience.

Additionally, in macOS version 26, Apple introduced transliteration support for Arabic as well, making it easier to type in that language using Latin characters, which the system then converts into the correct script.

Using transliteration can significantly improve your typing experience if you prefer to use familiar Latin letters but need your language’s script to appear accurately on your screen. Setting it up is straightforward, and once you get used to it, you might find it more efficient than traditional methods.