FAQ: Windows Chinese Simplified (PRC)
Input Method Candidate List
Getting Chinese to Work on Windows Shouldn't Be This Hard... 
How do I get the "candidate list" to appear in the PRC (Simplified) IME, and how do I adjust the list's appearance?
I recommend setting the candidate list to automatically appear as you type:
If it is not set this way, when you type the Pinyin for a character and press the <space bar>, you will only see one character, word or phrase:
In this mode, to see the candidate list, press <left arrow> to move back over the character, and the list will appear.
To see phrases, keep moving left with <left arrow>:
But this is a waste of time, you're not getting the full benefit of this input method! Below are instruction to turn this on in XP and Vista.
To make the list appear automatically as you type:
In Windows XP, on the Language bar click the Context menu and select "Properties":
Then in the Properties window click the checkbox for "Prompt step-by-step":
While you're in there, I recommend that you also make sure that "Enable learning" is checked so that the list will sort according to your frequency of usage over time. (Also notice that under "Candidate option"
you can set the list to "Row style" or "List style", although I did not circle that here.)
When typing, to select a character or phrase from the list you can:
- type the candidate number,
- press the down arrow and then use the up and down arrows to move around, then press enter to select a candidate,
- or click on it with a mouse.
While you are on the sentence line, when you press <space bar> twice or <Enter> once, you have accepted the suggested character(s) there.
In Windows 7 and Windows Vista, on the Language bar click the Options menu and in the menu click "Options".
In the dialog box that appears, make sure the Input Style is "MSPY New Experience", and click the checkbox next to "Candidate Prompt - MSPY New Experience":
While you're in there I recommend that you go to the the next tab, "MSPY New Experience & Classic Input Style", be sure the checkboxes are selected for "Enable Self-learning" and any other preferences you may have, such as a horizontal or vertical candidate window:
When typing, to select a character or phrase from the list you can:
- type the candidate number,
- press the down arrow and then use the up and down arrows to move around, then press enter to select a candidate,
- or click on it with a mouse.
While you are on the sentence line, when you press <space bar> twice or <Enter> once, you have accepted the suggested character(s) there.
Need more help?
For more information on using this IME, see my pages on where to find English language "user guides":
English Language Help Files for Windows 7
English Language Help Files for Windows Visa
(Sorry, never did a page like that Windows XP but see the Windows 7 page and you'll get the idea.)
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