Installing Rime Input Keyboard

Now let's introduce how to install the Rime input keyboard.

It is highly recommended to follow along with the video（Chinese Only)：

• 跨平台、无隐私追踪的开源输入法Rime定制指南: 聪明的输入法懂我心意!

Installing Rime on macOS

As mentioned before, the Rime framework input keyboard on macOS can use Squirrel.

Installing Squirrel

On macOS, install Squirrel to use Bopomofo or other input method configurations later. Go to the Squirrel repository and download Squirrel:

Then decompress and open it. You may get an error saying it can't be opened:

This is because Squirrel is not certified by Apple, so verification will fail. Don't worry, just go to System Preferences, select Open Anyway:

Finally the install screen will appear. Follow the prompts to install.

Note that after installing, you need to restart macOS or relogin to take effect.

Activating Squirrel

Now reenter the system. Squirrel can already be used. Go to System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Text and add Squirrel.

The Squirrel icon in the menu bar means Rime is installed successfully. You can now move on to importing and activating Bopomofo in the next section.

Installing Rime on Windows

To install Rime on Windows, use the Weasel input keyboard.

Installing Weasel

On Windows, install Weasel to use Mint Pinyin or other configurations later. Go to the Weasel repository and download the Weasel installer:

Then decompress and open it. Follow the prompts to install.

Note the configuration file path here, as this is where we will import Bopomofo later. Users can choose their preferred document folder.

Activating Weasel

To activate Weasel on Windows, just add it as an input keyboard:

Now Rime is ready on Windows.

Installing Rime on Linux

There are many ways to install Rime on Linux, mainly:

• Rime input keyboard based on ibus framework
• Rime input keyboard based on fcitx5 framework

Before installing, it is recommended to update the librime dependencies. The librime version in apt for Debian 11 and 12 is too low. Upgrading is recommended, otherwise Lua scripts may not work.

Since Linux environments differ, required configurations also differ. Here we demonstrate installation on Kali Linux (based on Debian 11, using Gnome desktop) as an example.

ibus Version

The ibus version is easy:

sudo apt install ibus-rime

Then restart or logout/login the current user session and add ibus in the system.

fcitx5 Version

The fcitx5 version is slightly more complex (ibus is still more common):

sudo apt install fcitx5 fcitx5-chinese-addons

Where:

• fcitx5: Input method framework core package
• fcitx5-chinese-addons: Chinese language extension package, provides Chinese input engines

Installing only fcitx5 can work, but doesn't allow Chinese input. To use fcitx5 for Chinese, also need the fcitx5-chinese-addons extension. These two packages need to be installed together for full Chinese input support in Debian.

Then install the fcitx5 Rime input keyboard:

sudo apt install fcitx5-rime

Finally, set the fcitx5 environment by adding:

# GTK based programs use fcitx5 input method engine
export GTK_IM_MODULE=fcitx5
# Qt based programs use fcitx5 input method engine
export QT_IM_MODULE=fcitx5
# X system level input method, set to fcitx5 for all X programs 
export XMODIFIERS=@im=fcitx5

Restart or log out of the system:

Open fcitx5:

Find the Fcitx5 options in the status bar and open them:

Select Rime input method to activate:

iOS安装rime

On iOS, we recommend using:

• Hamster Input Method: https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/仓输入法/id6446617683

It is very user-friendly ( ◔ ڼ ◔ )