Microsoft IME help

[akaritan]

Hi, microsoft IME is using this layout whenever I try to type in japanese. Does anyone know how to turn it back to english keyboard layout?

[Fiddle]

Do you have something like this on your taskbar?

For some time I encountered that problem when switching to Japanese input, then I realized that Microsoft IME had intruded into my taskbar and taken over my Japanese input, so in that menu above was the other icon:

a.k.a. Google Japanese input, the one I had actually installed, so I clicked on that to go back to the superior method of input (typing in English letters). I then probably did something to disable Microsoft IME, because I now don't see it down there on the taskbar.

If your problem doesn't fit my very specific circumstances, then I'm afraid I can't help.

[akaritan]

Thank you, it's fixed now.

[Nosebleed]

To switch keyboard languages just press shift + alt

Also you can switch IME to regular letters by pressing caps lock + alt until it reaches that option.

I've used Microsoft IME to type in Japanese since always, it works fine and in fact it defaults to typing regular letters the first time I switch, I always have to change it to hiragama. I'd take a screenshot of my options if I was on my PC.

[Nosebleed]

Alright, back on my PC. Here are the settings I'm using with Microsoft IME 

It always switches to that when I press alt + shift.
This is the normal mode where your layout changes to Japanese but you can still use the latin alphabet as you normally would.

Then, while in the same mode, you press caps lock + alt (or click on the A and select ひらがな) and it will change to hiragana writing where you physically spell the syllable to type in the hiragana character you want (i.e type ha to get  は)

This is the mode you probably want to use as it's the most intuitive for non-japanese speakers. If you want to type in kanji you just spell out the word correctly and press the spacebar to see the available kanji options.
e.g type in "kyou", it will show up as きょう and then while the word is still being selected press spacebar to switch it to 今日, keep pressing spacebar (or scroll through the options) if you wanted some other word like 京, and then press enter to confirm the word and continue writing.