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!