UniKey stands out as the most widely used Vietnamese typing software for Windows users. The inability to type in Vietnamese with UniKey can pose challenges. This article will delve into the reasons and provide effective solutions. Stay tuned!
1. UniKey Vietnamese Typing Error Due to Incorrect Mode Selection

- Root Cause:
You might have overlooked switching to Vietnamese input mode, and your typing tool could still be set to English. In this case, the software icon on the taskbar will display the letter E.

UniKey Error: Incorrect Selection of English Typing Mode
- Troubleshooting Approach:
You left-click on the icon in the taskbar to switch to the red letter V symbol, or use the Ctrl + Shift key combination to switch to Vietnamese typing mode.

Switch to Vietnamese Typing Mode
2. UniKey Error Due to Input Method Conflict
- Root Cause:
Your computer is currently running two different Vietnamese typing software simultaneously (or two different versions of UniKey). For example, users might forget to uninstall the old Vietkey typing tool and proceed to install a new one like UniKey, leading to issues with Vietnamese typing on UniKey.
- How to Fix:
Step 1: Type Control Panel in the search bar > Open Control Panel.

Search for and open Control Panel
Step 2: Choose Programs and Features.

Click on Programs and Features
Step 3: Check the Vietnamese typing tools installed on your computer in the Control Panel. If there are two typing tools, uninstall one of the Vietnamese typing tools.

Check the installed Vietnamese typing tools
3. UniKey Error Caused by Incorrect Typing Method and Encoding
- Cause:
During the setup, you may have selected the wrong typing method (e.g., from TELEX to VNI) or encoding (e.g., from Unicode to VNI Windows). Run UniKey and check the settings for identification.
- How to Fix:
Select the typing method and encoding you are currently using. It is recommended to switch to

UniKey Error Caused by Incorrect Typing Method and Encoding
4. UniKey Error Due to Spell Check and Abbreviation Mode
- Cause:
Spell check and abbreviation mode are the culprits affecting your Vietnamese typing, causing users to lose accents. To resolve this issue, simply disable these two modes in UniKey.
- How to Fix:
Step 1: Right-click on the UniKey icon in the taskbar > Open Control Panel.

Open UniKey Control Panel
Step 2: Click on Expand.

Click on Expand
Step 3: Uncheck the two options Enable spell check and Automatically restore accents with wrong words.

UniKey Error Due to Spell Check and Abbreviation Mode
Another option is to disable these two functions directly from the UniKey's context menu.

Disable the functions from UniKey's context menu
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5. UniKey Error Due to Autocorrect Misspelled Words Mode
- Cause:
Autocorrect misspelled words is a feature of Windows 10 that automatically corrects spelling errors and is affecting your Vietnamese typing. It's easily identifiable as typing a Vietnamese word will be automatically corrected to what the system deems correct.

UniKey Error Due to Autocorrect Misspelled Words Mode
- How to Fix:
Step 1: Type autocorrect misspelled words in the search bar > Select Autocorrect misspelled words.

Open Autocorrect misspelled words
Step 2: Click on Autocorrect misspelled words to disable this feature.

Disable Autocorrect misspelled words feature
6. UniKey Error Due to Incompatible Installation Version
- Cause:
Your computer is not compatible with the version of UniKey you are using (e.g., your computer is running Windows 10 64-bit, but you installed the version for Windows 10 32-bit). Therefore, open UniKey to check the version you are using and see if it is compatible with your computer.
- How to Fix:
First, check your computer or laptop's configuration, then uninstall the old installation and install UniKey with the version suitable for your computer.
Next, visit UniKey's download page HERE and choose the version that matches your computer.
+ If you are using Windows 7, it is recommended to install UniKey 4.0.
+ For Windows XP users, download either UniKey 3.6 or UniKey 2.0.
+ If using Win Vista, download UniKey Vista.
+ For Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 10, it's recommended to use UniKey 4.2 RC1 32-bit (if your system is 32-bit) or UniKey 4.2 RC1 64-bit (if your system is 64-bit).

Install the appropriate version to fix UniKey typing issues.
7. Addressing Some Related Questions
Why does UniKey display the warning 'A previous instance of UniKey is already running'?
- Answer: This is just a notification that UniKey, the Vietnamese typing tool, is already active. It does not have any serious impact. You just need to dismiss the notification.

Notification
Missing UniKey icon on the Taskbar?
- Answer:
To retrieve the UniKey icon on the Taskbar, right-click on the taskbar > Select Task Manager > Choose Processes > Look for UniKeyNT.exe > Right-click on the file > Select End Task. Finally, restart the UniKey software.
How to Start UniKey with Computer or Laptop?
- Answer: If we set up the UniKey application to start with Windows 10, it will save you time as the application will be already active and won't need manual opening.
Tried all solutions but still no luck?
- Answer: If you've exhausted all the methods above and still can't resolve the UniKey typing issue, try using the software EVKey for your computer. This software has a similar interface and operation to UniKey but may fix issues with typing Vietnamese that persist with UniKey.

EVKey Software
Above is the guide to fix the issue of UniKey not typing in Vietnamese. Wishing you success!