Issue with Microsoft Bopomofo IME – Candidate List Not Showing on Windows 11

Question

Issue with Microsoft Bopomofo IME – Candidate List Not Showing on Windows 11

潘氏海燕 0

Hello Microsoft Support,

I am experiencing an issue with the Microsoft Bopomofo IME on Windows 11.

The IME appears to be partially working:

I can input Zhuyin (Bopomofo) symbols, and they appear with an underline.
However, the candidate list (suggestion popup) does not appear at all.

I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:

Switched between Chinese and Alphanumeric modes
Restarted the input service (ctfmon.exe)
Reinstalled the Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) language pack
Enabled/disabled “Use previous version of Microsoft IME”
Tested in multiple apps (including Notepad and Word)

Despite these steps, the issue persists: the candidate window never appears.

System details:

OS: Windows 11
Input method: Microsoft Bopomofo

Could you please advise how to fix this issue, or let me know if this is a known bug?

Thank you for your support.Hello Microsoft Support,

I am experiencing an issue with the Microsoft Bopomofo IME on Windows 11.

The IME appears to be partially working:

I can input Zhuyin (Bopomofo) symbols, and they appear with an underline.
However, the candidate list (suggestion popup) does not appear at all.

I have already tried the following troubleshooting steps:

Switched between Chinese and Alphanumeric modes
Restarted the input service (ctfmon.exe)
Reinstalled the Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) language pack
Enabled/disabled “Use previous version of Microsoft IME”
Tested in multiple apps (including Notepad and Word)

Despite these steps, the issue persists: the candidate window never appears.

System details:

OS: Windows 11
Input method: Microsoft Bopomofo

Could you please advise how to fix this issue, or let me know if this is a known bug?

Thank you for your support. 螢幕擷取畫面 2026-04-22 175420

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Answer 1

The provided context only documents how the Traditional Chinese IMEs (including Microsoft Bopomofo) are supposed to work and how to open their settings; it does not describe any known Windows 11 issue where the Bopomofo candidate list fails to appear, nor any specific fix beyond the generic “use previous version of Microsoft IME” compatibility switch and general IME configuration.

From the context, the only verifiable guidance is:

Confirm Bopomofo IME is correctly added and configured
1. Open Start → Settings → Time & language → Language & region (or use the shortcut link: ms-settings:regionlanguage).
2. Under Language, select the ellipses (…) next to the Traditional Chinese language being used, then choose Language options.
3. Under Keyboards, select the ellipses (…) next to Microsoft Bopomofo and choose Keyboard options.
4. In General, review the IME options (including compatibility options such as Use previous version of Microsoft IME, if present) and ensure they are set as desired.
Use the documented candidate window controls to verify behavior When the IME is in Chinese mode and Zhuyin has been typed (with the underlined pre‑composition text visible):
- Press Down Arrow before the candidate window has focus to enter the candidate window.
- Press Up Arrow to change to another candidate without opening the candidate window.
- Once focus is in the candidate window, use Down Arrow/Up Arrow to move the selection, Space to page down, Tab or Right Arrow to expand to table view, number keys to pick a candidate, and Enter to select the focused candidate.

If these documented behaviors and settings do not restore the candidate list, the context does not provide further supported remediation steps or confirm a specific Windows 11 bug for Microsoft Bopomofo beyond the general IME compatibility guidance.

References: