How to type in Hebrew without three keyboard layouts

If you’re like me and trying to learn Hebrew, you’ve probably already “enjoyed” the pain of constantly switching between English, Russian, and Hebrew keyboard layouts.

Personally, it drives me absolutely crazy — I keep missing the right language, getting confused, and slowly losing my mind. Most importantly, it really slows down my workflow. I’ve been thinking for a long time about how to fix this. At some point, I even installed a separate Linux distro just to work in Hebrew. I wasn’t switching between layouts anymore, I was switching entire systems 🙂

I got tired of this madness and came up with a clever solution: how to type in Hebrew without adding Hebrew to your Windows keyboard layouts. I created a small script using AutoHotkey that lets you toggle a “Hebrew mode” with a simple hotkey combination.

How does it work?
Imagine you have a secret button that turns English letters into Hebrew. You press Win + H — and everything you type magically transforms into Hebrew. Press it again — the magic turns off, and you’re back to typing in Russian or English like nothing happened.

Installation

1. Download and install AutoHotkey (free open-source program).

2. Create a plain text file (for example, using Notepad) and paste the following code into it:

#NoEnv
SendMode Input
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%

hebrewMode := false

#h::
    hebrewMode := !hebrewMode
    ToolTip % "Hebrew mode: " (hebrewMode ? "ON" : "OFF")
    SetTimer, RemoveToolTip, -1000
return

RemoveToolTip:
    ToolTip
return

#If hebrewMode
q::Send, {U+002F} ; /
w::Send, {U+05F3} ; ׳
e::Send, {U+05E7} ; ק
r::Send, {U+05E8} ; ר
t::Send, {U+05D0} ; א
y::Send, {U+05D8} ; ט
u::Send, {U+05D5} ; ו
i::Send, {U+05DF} ; ן
o::Send, {U+05DD} ; ם
p::Send, {U+05E4} ; פ
a::Send, {U+05E9} ; ש
s::Send, {U+05D3} ; ד
d::Send, {U+05D2} ; ג
f::Send, {U+05DB} ; כ
g::Send, {U+05E2} ; ע
h::Send, {U+05D9} ; י
j::Send, {U+05D7} ; ח
k::Send, {U+05DC} ; ל
l::Send, {U+05DA} ; ך
SC027::Send, {U+05E3} ; ף (semicolon)
SC033::Send, {U+05EA} ; ת (comma)
SC034::Send, {U+05E5} ; ץ (period)
z::Send, {U+05D6} ; ז
x::Send, {U+05E1} ; ס
c::Send, {U+05D1} ; ב
v::Send, {U+05D4} ; ה
b::Send, {U+05E0} ; נ
n::Send, {U+05DE} ; מ
m::Send, {U+05E6} ; צ
/::Send, {U+002E} ; .
#If

3. Save the file with the .ahk extension, for example, hebrew.ahk.

4. Double-click the file to launch it.

Now enjoy switching to Hebrew with Win + H and be happy that your fingers and nerves remain intact!

If this trick saved you some mental energy, feel free to buy me a coffee via PayPal:
igroglaz@gmail.com

בהצלחה!‏