Alt + Shift as language switch on OS X

Question

Is there a way to bind alt shift to switch keyboard layouts on OS X?

Answer 1

By default in OS X, spinning through keyboard layouts is defined as ctrl+space. This mapping is turned off in favor of the trigger for Spotlight.

To modify this default mapping, you need to go to System Preferences->Hardware->Keyboard & Mouse->Keyboard Shortcuts. There you will find a list item for Input Menu. Select the checkbox and it will become enabled. From there, double click on the predefined shortcut on the right side of the list. Once the existing shortcut is selected and editable, you can type your preferred shortcut sequence.

Unfortunately, alt+shift by themselves are not allowed as a shortcut. You need to have a non-control key in the mix. The closest you can come is to use alt+z (using 'z', which is next to shift on the left side of the keyboard). You also have the option of setting the shortcut for the reverse order of the spin. alt+shift+z is a natural option for this.

Answer 2

Use Karabiner (originally KeyRemap4MacBook). Search for option shift pc. Ticking the first checkbox should let you remap to the PC behavior.

Answer 3

The Karabiner keyboard customizer for OS X can map alt-shift (or ctrl-shift) to switch languages

Answer 4

I found that the little utility MLSwitcher[2] will allow you to do exactly that and works great under macOS 10.13 High Sierra. Available for free on the App Store.

More info here: http://bluezbox.com/mlswitcher2.html

Answer 5

The Karabiner mentioned by @wayfarer did the trick for me. Here's the rule to map Ctrl-Shift to Ctrl-Space:

{
    "description": "Swithch input language by ctrl-shift",
    "manipulators": [
        {
            "from": {
                "key_code": "left_shift",
                "modifiers": {
                    "mandatory": [
                        "left_control"
                    ]
                }
            },
            "to": [
                {
                    "key_code": "spacebar",
                    "modifiers": [
                        "left_control"
                    ]
                } 
            ],
            "type": "basic"
        },
       {
            "from": {
                "key_code": "right_shift",
                "modifiers": {
                    "mandatory": [
                        "right_control"
                    ]
                }
            },
            "to": [
                {
                    "key_code": "spacebar",
                    "modifiers": [
                        "left_control"
                    ]
                } 
            ],
            "type": "basic"
        }
    ]
}

Answer 6

I did it with BetterTouchTool, using the "Key Sequences" option,
and mapping Alt+Shift to Cmd+Space (which is my language change key combo).

Answer 7

Also if you are looking for Cmd+Shift, Punto Switcher (after disabling language autoswitching) can bind language toggle to Cmd+Shift.

Answer 8

i changed mine to ⌘-\ which is almost alt-shift, just shifted one key to the right (works with my macbookpro international keyboard, the us keyboard has longer left shift and the \ key is above the ⏎ key)

Answer 9

In some locales command-space and option-command-space change input sources by default. You can enable or change the keyboard shortcuts from System Preferences:

The shortcut recorders don't allow entering shortcuts like option-shift though. If you really want to use option-shift, you can map it to a key combination like option-command-space with KeyRemap4MacBook. This is triggered when you release shift:

<autogen>__KeyOverlaidModifier__ KeyCode::SHIFT_L, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SHIFT_L, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>
<autogen>__KeyOverlaidModifier__ KeyCode::SHIFT_R, ModifierFlag::OPTION_R | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SHIFT_R, ModifierFlag::OPTION_R, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>

This is triggered when you press shift, but it requires pressing shift before option for shortcuts like option-shift-[:

<autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_L | ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>
<autogen>__KeyToKey__ KeyCode::SHIFT_R | ModifierFlag::SHIFT_R | ModifierFlag::OPTION_R | ModifierFlag::NONE, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>

This requires pressing option and shift simultaneously:

<autogen>__SimultaneousKeyPresses__ KeyCode::OPTION_L, KeyCode::SHIFT_L, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>
<autogen>__SimultaneousKeyPresses__ KeyCode::OPTION_R, KeyCode::SHIFT_R, KeyCode::SPACE, ModifierFlag::OPTION_L | ModifierFlag::COMMAND_L</autogen>

Answer 10

I also faced with this issue, so created a small tray application that remap default shortcut to Ctrl + Shift or CMD + Shift:

Here is a link to the GitHub LayoutSwitcher

Answer 11

Punto Switcher solved my problem with AltShift switching and it's a free app.
LayoutSwitcher - doesn't work with my M1 mac.
BetterTouchTool is not free.