How to type Chinese on a Chromebook

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By Carson 木林森 · October 2026 · Updated October 2026

A Chromebook can type Chinese without any extension. Open Settings, go to Device, Keyboard, Change input settings, and add Pinyin under Input methods. Press Ctrl + Shift + Space to switch to it, type the pinyin without tones, and pick the characters from the list.

What you are adding

There are tens of thousands of Chinese characters and far fewer keys on a Chromebook, so nobody types a character directly. An input method sits between the keyboard and the page. You spell the sound of a word in ordinary letters (pinyin), it shows the words that sound like that, and you choose one. ChromeOS ships several Chinese input methods. Pinyin is the one a learner wants.

Add the Pinyin input method

At the bottom right of the screen, select the time.
Select Settings.
Under Device, select Keyboard, then Change input settings.
Under Input methods, choose to add one, search for Chinese, and tick the Pinyin input method for Chinese (Simplified).
Select Add.

The wording of these menus shifts a little between ChromeOS versions. If yours differs, type input into the search box at the top of Settings and open the input settings from the results.

Show the input switcher on the shelf

In the same input settings, turn on Show input options in the shelf. A short code for the current keyboard then appears next to the time. Select it to see every input method you have added and pick one with the pointer. It is also the quickest way to see which keyboard you are typing with.

Switch to Chinese and type

Click into any text box.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Space until Pinyin is selected.
Type nihao. A list of candidates opens under what you typed, with 你好 first.
Press Space to take the first candidate, or a number key to take another one.
Press Ctrl + Space to go back to English.

Key	What it does
`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Space`	Move to the next input method.
`Ctrl` + `Space`	Go back to the input method you used before.
`Space`	Take the first candidate.
Number keys	Take the candidate with that number.

Things to know while typing

No tone marks. The input method takes plain letters. 你好 is nihao.
Type whole words. shijian gives 时间 first. shi alone gives a long list, because many characters are pronounced shi.
ü is typed as v. 女 is nv and 绿 is lv. After j, q, x and y the dots are not written, so 去 is qu and 学 is xue.

Traditional characters

Add a second input method. In the same list, the input methods for Chinese (Traditional) include Pinyin and Zhuyin. Add the one you want and move between them with Ctrl + Shift + Space. If you are studying for the HSK, use simplified.

Common problems

Chinese is not in the list

On a Chromebook managed by a school or a company, the administrator can limit which input methods are allowed. If Chinese is missing, ask the person who manages the device to allow it. Signing in with a personal account on a personal Chromebook does not have this limit.

The shortcut does nothing

Only one input method is installed. Open the input settings and check that Pinyin is in your list of input methods.

I am getting English letters

Look at the code next to the time. If it shows your English keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + Space again until it shows Pinyin.

The wrong characters come out

You are probably typing one syllable at a time. Type the full word or phrase, then pick. wojintianhenmang comes out as 我今天很忙 far more reliably than seven separate syllables.

Now that you can type it: how much Chinese do you know? The free HSK placement test takes about ten minutes and returns your level on the new HSK 3.0 scale.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add a Chinese keyboard to a Chromebook?

Select the time at the bottom right, select Settings, then under Device select Keyboard and Change input settings. Under Input methods, add the Pinyin input method for Chinese (Simplified). Nothing is installed from the Web Store.

What is the shortcut to switch keyboard language on a Chromebook?

Press Ctrl + Shift + Space until the input method you want is selected. Press Ctrl + Space to go back to the one you used before.

Do I need a Chrome extension to type Chinese?

No. Pinyin is built into ChromeOS and works in every app and web page once you add it in Settings.

Why can I not add Chinese on my school Chromebook?

A Chromebook managed by a school or employer can be limited to the input methods the administrator allows. If Chinese is missing from the list, ask whoever manages the device to allow it.

Do I type tone marks?

No. You type plain letters, so 你好 is nihao. Tone marks are for writing pinyin itself. See how to type pinyin with tone marks.

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