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How to switch keyboard language on a Mac (Hebrew ↔ English)

Last updated: 7 October 2026 · 5 min read

Press Ctrl+Space to switch to the previous input source, or tap the 🌐 (Globe / fn) key if it is set to change input sources. The current language shows in the menu bar as A, עב or a flag. Add Hebrew under System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources; Windows migrants should choose Hebrew – PC.

1. Adding the Hebrew keyboard

  1. Open System Settings → Keyboard and click Edit… next to Input Sources (on older macOS: System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources).
  2. Click +, choose Hebrew in the language list, then pick a layout and click Add.
  3. Tick Show Input menu in menu bar so the current language is always visible at the top of the screen.

macOS offers several Hebrew layouts, and the choice matters:

LayoutWhat it isPick it if
Hebrew – PCThe Israeli standard layout, identical to Windows, including punctuationyou came from Windows, share files with Windows users, or use an external PC keyboard with Hebrew stickers
HebrewApple's classic layout: same letters, a few punctuation keys in different placesyou learned to type on a Mac and the punctuation feels natural
Hebrew – QWERTYPhonetic: ש on S, ל on L, and so onyou never learned the standard layout. Note that wrong-layout gibberish from a phonetic layout is not the standard kind, so converters and auto-fix tools do not apply

2. Switching

3. Changing the shortcut

System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts… → Input Sources. Here you can rebind "Select the previous input source" and "Select next source in Input menu", or turn them off. Shortcuts must include a regular key; macOS does not allow a modifier-only combination like Alt+Shift, so a Windows habit cannot be reproduced exactly. ⌘+Space is taken by Spotlight, so leave it alone.

4. Per document, or for everything?

In Keyboard → Input Sources → Edit… there is an option called "Automatically switch to a document's input source". When it is on, each window remembers the language you last used in it, and macOS flips back silently when you return. That is convenient for a Hebrew email next to an English terminal, but it is also the number one reason Mac users suddenly type akuo: you came back to a window that remembered Hebrew. Turn it off for a single, global language that only you change.

5. When the shortcut does nothing

  1. Only one input source is installed. There is nothing to switch to; add Hebrew or English (step 1). The input menu disappears from the menu bar when only one source exists.
  2. An app owns Ctrl+Space. Code editors (IntelliJ, VS Code with certain keymaps), terminals and a few launchers use Ctrl+Space for code completion. Switch with the Globe key or the input menu in that app, or rebind the system shortcut (step 3).
  3. The Globe key opens emoji. Set "Press 🌐 key to" → Change Input Source (step 2).
  4. External Windows keyboard. On a PC keyboard, Alt is Option and the Windows key is Command. Ctrl is still Ctrl, so Ctrl+Space works as usual, but the key labels will lie to you. Choose the Hebrew – PC layout so the Hebrew stickers match.
  5. Keyboard "Hebrew" shows but types English. The document's input source was switched by the per-document option (step 4) or you are inside a remote-desktop window, which keeps its own keyboard state.

6. Let the Mac fix it instead

Even with the perfect shortcut, you will type a word in the wrong language several times a day. Kavanati for macOS runs in the menu bar, detects a word that only makes sense in the other layout, and retypes it correctly as you type, in every app. ⌘P converts a whole line you already typed. It needs the Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions (the same ones every text-expander or spell-checker asks for), it is signed and notarized by Apple, and nothing you type ever leaves the Mac.

Frequently asked questions

Which Hebrew layout should I choose on a Mac?
If you came from Windows or use a PC keyboard with Hebrew stickers, choose "Hebrew – PC": it is the Israeli standard and matches Windows key for key, including punctuation. Apple's "Hebrew" layout has the same letters with a few punctuation keys moved. Avoid "Hebrew – QWERTY" unless you specifically want a phonetic layout.
Why does Ctrl+Space not switch the language?
Usually because an app (often a code editor or terminal) uses Ctrl+Space for its own feature, or because only one input source is installed. Try the Globe key or the input menu in that app; if those work, rebind the system shortcut under Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → Input Sources.
Can I use Alt+Shift on a Mac like on Windows?
Not exactly: macOS requires a regular key in every shortcut, so a modifier-only combination like Option+Shift cannot be assigned. The closest options are the Globe key set to "Change Input Source", or the Caps Lock option under Input Sources, which switches with a single tap.
Does Kavanati work on a Mac?
Yes. Kavanati has a native macOS version (Apple silicon and Intel), signed and notarized by Apple. It lives in the menu bar, fixes wrong-layout words automatically in every app, and ⌘P converts a whole line. It needs the Accessibility and Input Monitoring permissions, and it works entirely on the device.

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