Google Input Tools for PC quietly stopped getting attention from Google years ago. The standalone Windows installer is still available from mirrors, the Chrome extension still works in the browser, and the basic transliteration is good enough that millions of people keep using it for Indic and CJK input. The reason people start looking for alternatives is the slow decay. The Windows installer fails on recent Windows builds for some users, the supported language packs have not grown in years, and the cross-app system-wide typing on Windows now has better-maintained options. We tested 7 Google Input Tools alternatives on Windows for Indic typing, Bangla phonetic input, and CJK IME work.
The picks below cover the built-in Microsoft IMEs that ship in modern Windows, open-source community keyboards used daily by millions in India and Bangladesh, paid layouts for serious Indic writers, and one specialist Japanese IME for users who came to Google Input Tools for kana input. Each is judged on the language coverage, how it handles transliteration versus a fixed layout, whether it works system-wide, and whether the project is still being maintained.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free tier | Paid starting price | System-wide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft IME (built-in) | Modern Windows defaults | Yes | Free | Yes |
| Avro Keyboard | Bangla phonetic typing | Yes | Free | Yes |
| Keyman Desktop | Hundreds of community layouts | Yes | Free (paid pro) | Yes |
| Baraha | Indic typing for writers | Yes (Direct) | Per-licence tier | Yes |
| Lipikaar | Quick phonetic typing for 18 Indian languages | Yes (trial) | Per-licence tier | Yes |
| Mozc | Open-source Japanese IME | Yes | Free | Yes |
| Microsoft Indic Language Input Tool | Microsoft-signed Indic transliteration | Yes | Free | Yes |
Why people leave Google Input Tools
The first reason is maintenance. The Chrome Web Store entry still works inside the browser, but the Windows desktop installer linked from third-party download portals is the same older build it was years ago. Anyone trying to install it on Windows 11 sometimes runs into installer compatibility prompts that newer alternatives do not throw.
The second is language coverage. Google Input Tools shipped with Indic transliteration for the major languages and Japanese kana, but it stopped short of the long tail. Communities writing in less-represented scripts moved to Keyman and Avro Keyboard for layouts Google never added, and Indian users who do not use Latin-script transliteration looked at Baraha and Lipikaar for inscript and phonetic options.
The third is system-wide reliability. Google Input Tools on Windows could be inconsistent across older apps, with the IME sometimes failing inside Office or older line-of-business applications. The Microsoft IMEs and Keyman handle this layer better today because they hook into the standard Windows text-services framework.
The 7 best Google Input Tools alternatives for desktop
Microsoft IME (built-in), best modern default
Microsoft IME is the option most Windows users already have but do not realize covers their case. Settings, Time and Language, Language brings up an Add a language menu that installs system-wide IMEs for Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and many Indic languages, with phonetic and inscript layouts depending on the script. The IMEs are signed by Microsoft, ship with the OS, and update through Windows Update.
Where it falls short: Coverage is uneven for smaller languages. Some users prefer the muscle memory of a third-party layout they have been using for years.
Pricing:
- Free: bundled with Windows
- Paid: none
- vs Google Input Tools: maintained, faster to install, similar transliteration quality
Download: support.microsoft.com/topic/c25f436a-0f9d-46b7-aab3-1f23118f6d72
Bottom line: Open Settings, add the language, and only look further if a specific layout is missing.
Avro Keyboard, best for Bangla
Avro Keyboard is the project that taught a generation of Bangla writers to type, and it is open source. The Windows build supports phonetic Bangla input system-wide, ships layouts that match the textbook ones, and works in Office, browsers, and chat apps without special setup. Its lineage on Windows is older than most users on it today.
Where it falls short: Bangla and a handful of related layouts only. Recent installers occasionally trip antivirus heuristics that need a clean download from the official site.
Pricing:
- Free: every feature
- Paid: none
- vs Google Input Tools: better Bangla, open source, no Indic transliteration for non-Bangla
Download: omicronlab.com/avro-keyboard.html
Bottom line: Pick Avro Keyboard for Bangla on Windows.
Keyman Desktop, best for community layouts and rare scripts
Keyman Desktop is the framework community linguists and Bible translators use for hundreds of layouts that no commercial vendor would ship. The Windows client installs system-wide, supports over 2000 languages through user-contributed keyboards, and the same project supports macOS, Linux, and the web with shared keyboard files. Layouts for indigenous languages, Brahmic scripts, and tonal languages live in the Keyman catalogue.
Where it falls short: Quality varies by community. Some niche layouts are well maintained, others are not.
Pricing:
- Free: every feature for personal use
- Paid: Keyman Developer tier for layout authors
- vs Google Input Tools: a much larger catalogue, especially for under-represented scripts
Download: keyman.com/desktop
Bottom line: Pick Keyman when the script you need is not in any commercial product.
Baraha, best for serious Indic writers
Baraha has served the Indian language writing community since the 1990s. The Windows client offers both transliteration (Baraha Direct) and inscript layouts for Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, and other Indic scripts, with strong support inside Word and OpenOffice. The phonetic mode is faster than Google Input Tools’ inside Office for high-volume typing.
Where it falls short: The IDE and authoring tools are paid; the free Direct build covers the typing case but not the full suite.
Pricing:
- Free: Baraha Direct for transliteration typing
- Paid: full Baraha for advanced editing and conversion tools
- vs Google Input Tools: more polished for Indic writers, paid for the full suite
Download: baraha.com
Bottom line: Pick Baraha if your day involves long Indic documents in Word.
Lipikaar, best for fast 18-language phonetic input
Lipikaar offers phonetic typing across 18 Indian languages without learning a new layout. The Windows client maps roman input to the closest script character with predictable rules, which makes it the easiest tool for someone who knows a language by ear but not by keyboard. It also runs in the browser and on mobile.
Where it falls short: The Windows desktop client is a paid product after the trial. The phonetic rules feel rigid until they are learned.
Pricing:
- Free: time-limited trial
- Paid: per-licence tier
- vs Google Input Tools: cleaner phonetic input across many languages, paid after the trial
Download: lipikaar.com
Bottom line: Pick Lipikaar when typing in multiple Indian languages and learning a new layout is not an option.
Mozc, best open-source Japanese IME
Mozc is the open-source ancestor of Google Japanese Input, maintained independently and supported on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chromium OS. For users who came to Google Input Tools specifically for Japanese kana input, Mozc is the more capable replacement: the conversion dictionary is current, the integration into Windows IME is clean, and the project is actively maintained.
Where it falls short: Japanese only. Windows builds are sometimes a step behind the Linux ones.
Pricing:
- Free: every feature
- Paid: none
- vs Google Input Tools: better Japanese, narrower language coverage
Download: github.com/google/mozc
Bottom line: Pick Mozc when Japanese is the reason you opened Google Input Tools.
Microsoft Indic Language Input Tool, best Microsoft-signed Indic option
Microsoft Indic Language Input Tool is a small Microsoft-signed installer that adds transliteration-based typing for Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Punjabi. It is older than Google Input Tools but it still works on recent Windows builds, and the install footprint is tiny.
Where it falls short: Maintenance is light. The download lives on Microsoft’s older Bhasha India pages.
Pricing:
- Free: every feature
- Paid: none
- vs Google Input Tools: similar transliteration approach, smaller footprint, Microsoft-signed
Download: microsoft.com/download
Bottom line: Pick this if Google Input Tools’ Indic transliteration is the only thing you needed it for and you want a Microsoft-signed installer.
