Find Language Packs and Keyboard IME in Regedit

This article outlines the specific Windows Registry paths used to inspect installed system language packs, active user keyboard configurations, and Input Method Editor (IME) data. By navigating the relevant hives in the Registry Editor, administrators and advanced users can verify installed MUI packs, check active keyboard layout identifiers, and examine low-level IME component registrations.

How to Open the Registry Editor

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. Confirm the User Account Control (UAC) prompt to open the Registry Editor.

1. Installed Language Packs (MUI)

Windows stores information about fully installed user interface language packs under the system control set:

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MUI\UILanguages

Each installed language is listed as a subkey named with its language tag (for example, en-US, ja-JP, or de-DE). Expanding these keys reveals values such as DefaultFallback, LCID, and Type.

2. Available System Keyboard Layouts and IMEs

To view all keyboard layouts and IMEs recognized by the operating system:

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Layouts

Each subkey is an 8-character hexadecimal identifier (such as 00000409 for English US or 00000411 for Japanese). Selecting a key displays: * Layout Text: The display name of the keyboard or IME. * Layout File: The driver or DLL file associated with the layout (e.g., KBDUS.DLL). * IME File: The specific IME handler binary, if applicable.

3. Active User Keyboard Layouts

To see which keyboard layouts are currently loaded and active for the logged-in user profile:

• Registry Path:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Preload

The numbered entries (1, 2, 3, etc.) indicate the order of the user’s active keyboards. The string values correspond to the 8-character layout IDs found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

If keyboard substitution is active, inspect: * Registry Path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Keyboard Layout\Substitutes

4. Advanced IME and Text Input Framework (TIP) Data

Modern Windows IMEs register through the Text Services Framework (TSF) as Text Input Processors (TIPs):

• System-wide TIP Registration:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CTF\TIP
  This hive lists GUIDs corresponding to registered language profiles and IME categories.

• User-Specific IME Settings:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IME
  This key contains subfolders for specific language IMEs (such as 15.0\IMEJP for Japanese or 15.0\IMETC for Traditional Chinese), storing user dictionaries, conversion preferences, and candidate window behavior.