Translation IME on macOS Types Nothing? Fix Input Monitoring & Privacy
Split missing grants, disabled input sources, stolen hotkeys, and missing candidates—clear privacy first, then remap or reinstall only if needed.
When Translation IME on macOS types nothing, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and enable Input Monitoring (plus Accessibility if the installer asks), confirm the input source is enabled, and verify candidates in TextEdit before chasing hotkeys or the candidate bar—cleared grants after upgrades beat a “corrupt” install most days.
1 Separate privacy blocks from candidate or hotkey issues
“Cannot type” on Mac is at least three problems—mixing them wastes Accessibility toggles.
Translation IME on macOS with Input Monitoring off: the menu bar shows the source, but after switching the keyboard feels dead—no candidates, no commit, or a flash that vanishes. That is this article’s lane.
If privacy is already on but the candidate bar never appears or you cannot switch back to Chinese, use the candidate-missing article. If click-to-select works and typing works, but Control/Option combos do nothing, use the hotkey-conflict article—stop flipping privacy switches.
Thirty-second check: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring—Translation IME listed and enabled; then type pinyin in TextEdit. Remapping hotkeys while monitoring is off is fixing the wrong layer.
2 Where to enable Input Monitoring and how to verify
The path is fixed; pass/fail is “stable candidates in TextEdit.”
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. If the app is missing, quit it fully from the menu bar and reopen to trigger the prompt. Still missing? Confirm you installed the current Mac package from the download page—not a Windows walkthrough.
After checking the box, authenticate with password or Touch ID and wait a few seconds. Some builds need a log out or reboot before the grant attaches to the IME process—if it fails immediately after toggling, reboot once before concluding.
Verify: new TextEdit document → switch to Translation IME in the menu bar → two full pinyin selection rounds. Stable commit means Input Monitoring is done.
3 Accessibility and Full Disk Access—when they matter
Follow the installer prompts; do not enable every privacy item by default.
Many IMEs also ask for Accessibility so focus and the candidate window work in more apps. Input Monitoring alone with Accessibility still off can look like “works in TextEdit, dead in chat.”
Full Disk Access is not universal. Enable it only when the install notes or settings page require it (for example local dictionary folders). Do not turn it on just because typing failed.
After any privacy change: quit the IME process → relaunch → retest TextEdit. Switching input sources with hotkeys mid-test makes “grant not active yet” look like “broken shortcuts.”
4 Enabled in Input Sources ≠ privacy authorized
Keyboard settings and Privacy are separate layers—missing either feels like a dead install.
System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources (or Text Input): confirm Translation IME is added and not disabled. That only controls selectability, not key reading.
Keep the menu bar input icon visible. When it is hidden you may still be on ABC while thinking you are on Translation IME—no Chinese candidates, wrong diagnosis.
Remote desktop into a Mac, or a VM on the Mac, means two privacy stacks. A grant inside the guest does not cover the host’s keyboard hook—test each side.
5 Upgrades, Migration Assistant, and security suites
Worked yesterday, dead today—check cleared permissions before uninstalling.
After major macOS upgrades, Migration Assistant moves, or Time Machine user restores, the IME often remains in Input Sources while Input Monitoring resets. Opening Privacy is faster than reinstalling.
Enterprise suites, parental controls, and configuration profiles can silently clear Input Monitoring. If the toggle is locked, follow the managed-device path with IT instead of redownloading forever.
Privacy green and source selectable but TextEdit still empty → candidate article. Candidates OK but no translation → not-working article. Click works, hotkeys fail → hotkey conflict.
6 Still broken after privacy is fixed
Reinstall last; keep the dictionary; use the current Mac package.
If settings will not open, or the process crashes right after granting Input Monitoring, reinstall the current Mac build from the download page and re-check the privacy list afterward.
Export or back up the custom dictionary first when the UI offers it. Reinstall will not unlock MDM-blocked privacy toggles.
For install order and system switching checklists, use the guides hub; this page stays on macOS Input Monitoring and related privacy grants.
Continue Checking
FAQ
I enabled Accessibility but not Input Monitoring. Can Translation IME still type?
Often no. Reading key events on macOS usually needs Input Monitoring. Accessibility alone may let settings open while TextEdit still shows no candidates. Toggle every item the installer lists under Privacy & Security, then log out or reboot once before judging.
After a macOS upgrade I suddenly cannot type. Should I reinstall?
Not first. Major upgrades often clear third-party IME privacy checks or reset them to “Ask.” Re-enable Translation IME under Input Monitoring, confirm it is still enabled in Input Sources, then retest in TextEdit. Still no candidates → candidate article. Hotkeys silent but privacy off → do not treat it as a hotkey conflict.
Work Mac will not let me turn on Input Monitoring. What then?
MDM often locks privacy toggles. Ask IT to allow Input Monitoring (and any Accessibility items your package lists) for Translation IME, then install the current Mac build. Reinstalling will not override a blocked privacy policy.
Privacy is on, but only the browser or one chat app will not type?
That is usually app focus or a stolen shortcut, not the global privacy switch. Confirm candidates in TextEdit first, then check whether that app owns Control/Option, or open the candidate / hotkey conflict articles. Privacy grants are system-wide—they do not block a single app only.
If you need a clean reinstall, get the current Mac package from the download page
If you are ready to install or update, return to the download page and verify the current public version, platform notes, and on-site release information.