Some users have complained that the Docked in the Taskbar option for the Language Bar is greyed out for them. This prevents them from docking the language bar on the taskbar.
Sometimes, the Language bar could be missing from the taskbar, and you need the Docked in the taskbar option to enable it. But it’s greyed out. So, what do you do? To help you fix the issue and enable the language bar on the taskbar, we have a guide just for you.
Fix Language bar docked in the taskbar option greyed out in Windows 11
Having the language bar docked in the taskbar can be useful to easily switch between languages (if you have more than one language installed). But if the option is greyed out, it could be either because you have only one language installed or the language was not installed properly. To begin with, make sure that you have more than one language installed on your PC. You can try the solutions below to fix the issue when the Docked in the taskbar option is greyed out.
- Modify the Advanced keyboard settings
- Reinstall the en-US language
- Install an additional keyboard
- Edit the registry settings
1] Modify the Advanced keyboard settings
This is one of the most discussed methods across forums and has proven successful for many Windows 11 users, if not all.
- For this, open Windows Settings (Win + I), click on Time & language on the left, and select Typing on the right.
- On the next screen, under Typing settings, click on Advanced keyboard settings.
- Next, uncheck the box next to Use the Desktop Language Bar when it’s available.
- Now, click on the Language bar options and check if the Docked in the taskbar option is still greyed out.
Even if it still shows frozen, the Language bar should still be successfully docked in the taskbar.
2] Reinstall the en-US language
Another way to fix this issue is to uninstall the affected language and reinstall it. In most cases, it’s English (United States). To remove the affected language, you must make the other language the primary language.
For this, open Windows Settings > Time & language > Language & region.
Next, navigate to Preferred Languages, click on the ellipsis (three dots) next to the other language, and select Move Up.
Once you have done that, click on the ellipsis next to English (United States) and select Remove. Hit Yes to confirm.
Now, restart your PC, and navigate to the Language & region settings as shown above. Then, go to Preferred Languages and click on Add a language.
Next, ensure that all the boxes under Optional language features are checked and press Install.
Once the language is installed successfully, restart your PC.
Now, open Settings (Win + I) > Time & language > Typing > Advanced keyboard settings > Language bar options > Check the Docked in the taskbar option.
Read: Fix Windows keyboard language changes on its own in Windows 11/10
3] Install an additional keyboard
Adding a Keyboard (any will work) for the affected language can help the language bar to be docked in the taskbar. This will occur even if the Docked in the Taskbar option is greyed out.
For this, open the Settings app, click on Time & language, and select Language & region on the right.
On the next screen, go to Preferred Languages, click on the three dots next to the affected language, and select Language options.
Next, go to Keyboards, and next to Installed keyboards, select Add a keyboard. Select any keyboard to install.
Once it’s installed, return to Typing settings > Advanced keyboard settings. Here, check the box next to Use the Desktop Language Bar When it is available option.
Now, click on the Language bar options and select the Docked in the taskbar option.
Read: Can’t switch keyboard language in Windows
4] Edit the registry settings
Alternatively, you can also modify the registry settings to make sure that the Docked in the taskbar option is not greyed out. However, before that, make sure you create a backup of the registry data.
Open the registry editor and navigate to the below path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\CTF\LangBar
Next, on the right, double-click on the ShowStatus DWORD value.
Now, in the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog, set the Value data to 4. Press OK to save the changes.
Close the registry editor, restart your PC, and go to the Language bar options to check if the Docked in the Taskbar option is still greyed out.
Read: Registry Editor not opening, crashing, or stopped working
If none of the above methods help, you may create another user account and log in from the same. You can then check if the Docked in the taskbar option is still greyed out.
If you still encounter the issue, it could be a bug, and there would be no other option but to wait for Windows 11 to release a patch.
How do I fix the Windows 11 taskbar glitch?
If you face any issues with the Windows taskbar, the first thing you must try is to restart the Windows Explorer process in the Task Manager. This will not just restart the Windows shell but will also refresh the taskbar and the Start menu. A simple restart can often help you to fix some taskbar-related glitches in Windows.
How do I enable taskbar icons in Windows 11?
In the updated version of Windows 11, you can now customize the Taskbar corner overflow. Or, you can right-click on the taskbar and select Taskbar settings to customize the Taskbar items (Search, Task View, Widgets, Chat), or the Taskbar corner icons (Pen menu, Touch keyboard, Virtual keyboard). Moreover, you can also uncheck the Automatically hide the taskbar option to unhide the taskbar.
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