Fast Input Switching on macOS (Sequoia)

For the longest time, switching input languages on my Mac was frustratingly slow. The default Control + Space shortcut had a nearly one-second delay before switching languages. If you're a fast typist, that means typing the first few characters in the wrong language — super annoying.

I tried every solution I could find:

• Custom AppleScripts.
• The unmaintained (but surprisingly still functional) open-source tool Kawa.
• I even wrote my own Swift-based solution.

None of them fixed the actual problem — the delay itself.

The Solution

After a lot of trial and error, I stumbled upon this in System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts -> Input Sources:

• The default shortcut for "Select the previous input source" (Control + Space) has a delay.
• The shortcut for "Select next source in Input menu" (Control + Option + Space) does not have a delay.

For whatever reason, Apple made the slower one the default. The fix?

Just swap the shortcuts.

Now, the Control + Space shortcut switches input languages instantly, and the Control + Option + Space shortcut has the delay (who cares?).

But why?

I still have questions:

• Why does the "previous" shortcut have a delay while the "next" one doesn’t?
• Why isn’t the faster shortcut the default?
• Is this a bug, a design choice, or just legacy behavior?

If you know the answer, I’d love to hear it.

For Globe (🌐) icon lovers

In case you like are using Apple's keyboard with the Globe icon, you may also experience a delay when switching input languages. For you I found another hint: In System Preferences → Keyboard → Shortcuts -> Mission Control you can disable the shortcut for "Quick Note" (🌐Q) which can cause the delay if you just want to switch the input language.

Another example of some creativity ruining the user experience.

Keep calm and typing fast!