The language bar in any operating system is a universal means of switching the language and keyboard layout. However, in Windows systems, the icon that displays the language currently used in the system tray disappears quite often. How to set the language icon on the taskbar or return the missing panel itself will now be considered. To carry out such operations in the system itself, you can use several simple tricks.
Default language bar settings
In general, in absolutely all versions of Windows, the language bar is in the active state, so you do not need to apply any specific settings or change the parameters.
However, sometimes some users wonder how to install the language bar on the taskbar additionally. It is not clear why to do this, because in the system itself it is provided initially. However, this can be done by installing a special program for automatically changing the language. Most of these software products integrate their icon into the system.
But what to do when the language bar is gone ? How to restore default system settings? This will be discussed now.
How to install the language in the taskbar automatically?
Please note immediately that a short-term disappearance of the language icon and keyboard layout in the system is possible. This situation can be observed, for example, at the time of the launch of some resource-intensive application. This is normal. The icon itself, like the panel, will be restored automatically after the end of loading the executable files and program components into the RAM, the load on which at some point reaches a peak, and Windows is simply trying to free up system resources. But after all, some applications or viruses can block the operation of the language panel, and sometimes users, without even knowing it, simply turn it off.
So, when asked about how to install a language bar on the taskbar, the easiest solution is to check its settings in the language and regional standards section, which is located in the “Control Panel”.
Here we are interested in the tab of languages and the keyboard in which you need to select the keyboard change item, then go to the settings tab of the panel itself and make sure that there is a usage mark in front of the docking line in the “Task Bar”. You must also enable the option to display text labels. If you apply other settings, the panel itself may turn out to be hidden or, even worse, be located in an arbitrary location on the screen, so access to it may be difficult, if only because the user simply does not pay attention to where it is located in this moment.
How to return a missing language bar in Windows 7: check the scheduler service
These were the simplest settings that any user should be aware of. But they do not always give a positive effect.
Another solution to the problem of how to install a language bar on the taskbar, if it is missing for some reason, can be the diagnosis of the so-called task scheduler. You can check in the services section by calling the appropriate editor with the services.msc command in the Run console (Win + R). You can do otherwise by using the administration section for access, called from the right-click menu on the computer icon.
In any case, you need to double-click on the name of the service and on the general settings tab and make sure that the automatic launch type is set.
Autorun settings
Sometimes the problem of the disappearance of the panel and icon may be that the item itself is disabled in autorun. The easiest way to see all the services started at the time of starting the system is through the configuration. You can enter the settings through the msconfig command in the Run menu, and then select the appropriate tab. In Windows 10, you can also access through the standard "Task Manager."
Here you should pay attention to the ctfmon process, which is responsible for displaying the panel. If it is inactive, you just need to check it, after which you will need to perform a complete reboot of the system.
Checking registry keys
Finally, a solution to the problem of how to install the language bar on the taskbar may be to change some registry key values.
First, we call the editor (for this, use the regedit command in the "Run" menu), and then select the HKLM branch, in which we need to go down the directory tree sequentially and find the Run folder there. On the right side we find the ctfmon.exe key (if there is none, you need to create a String parameter String Value and give it the appropriate name). Next, we either check or prescribe the full correct path to the file with its name (this is the System32 folder in the Windows directory on the system drive).
Instead of an afterword
That's all for considering the language bar. In principle, all of the above settings, in fact, duplicate each other. Which of them to apply, everyone decides for himself (what is more convenient or easier). On the other hand, issues related to viral exposure were not considered here. To fix this type of problem, you will have to use completely different methods. But everything that has been submitted to users will help in any case. The process activation option in the system registry can be considered ideal, since other methods may sometimes not work (for example, if there are program conflicts in the system itself.
However, through the right-click menu on the taskbar, if you select the panel section, you can create your own panel and include language layouts there.