Resources for Hebrew Language students
How to enable Hebrew Language input on your computer...
Choose your operating system: Windows 10 | Windows Vista & Windows 7 | Mac OSX
Windows 10 instructions.
To type Hebrew with your computer you need to activate Hebrew for
your Keyboard and as an input Language.
A. Install Hebrew as an input language
Step 1. Select Start - Settings - Time and Language - Language.
Step 2.
Choose a language from the Windows display language menu.
In the Settings Window select Time and Language.
Choose Language from the left menu.
In Language Window scroll down to Preferred Languages and click "Add a Language."
In the Window that opens type "Hebrew" in the search box. Select Hebrew from the option presented. Click Next, install language pack if offered. Do not select "Set as Windows display language." Choose Install at bottom of Window.
Hebrew should now be added to your installed displayed languages (see Preferred Languages)
Next, Add a Hebrew keyboard.
Click once on Hebrew in Preferred languages. Choose Options.
In the Window that opens scroll down to Keyboards. Click Add a keyboard.
Choose Hebrew. You're done! You are now ready to type in Hebrew.
To activate your Hebrew Keyboard and begin typing:
- Click on the ENG icon on the Language Bar [located on the Task bar on the bottom right of your screen.]
- When you click on ENG a menu will appear. Choose the Language you require.
- Choose HEBREW to change your language option from English to Hebrew.
- Choosing HE will change your Keyboard input to Hebrew and the Language Bar icon will change to HE.
- You are now ready to type Hebrew using your Hebrew Keyboard. A standard Keyboard Map for Hebrew for a PC can be downloaded HERE. This keyboard maps Hebrew letters [shown in RED] to your keyboard according to the standard keyboard mapping adapted for Hebrew keyboards.
This is the Hebrew character layout you will have using the instructions given above.
Hebrew diacritics shown in BLUE in the chart above are only available if you have the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard installed [Find out more]. Once you have installed the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard these diacritical marks can be typed using the SHIFT key after the letter e.g., typing RESH then SHIFT RESH which will render 
Print, laminate, and keep beside your computer's keyboard for easy reference.
Vowels and other diacritics.
You can type basic vowels using you keyboad ALT key and the number pad.
Here's how...Hebrew vowels can be easily typed using your keyboard’s LEFT ALT key and the Number Pad [with or without the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard installed (see below).] Simply hold LEFT ALT key while you type the code with your Number Pad. [Note. You need a keyboard with a separate Number Pad on the right for this to work, you cannot use the number keys above the letters on your laptop keyboard or PC keyboard.
A chart with the ALT codes for the nikkud pointing for Hebrew Vowels on the PC is available HERE.
The full range of cantillation and grammatical marks is available using the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard.
A chart with multiple keyboard strips—you may wish to laminate and share them with your Hebrew class or study group—is available HERE.
The Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard
The Society of Biblical Languages has made available Hebrew keyboards which map the unicode characters of Biblical Hebrew including letters, cantillation marks, vowels and other grammatical and punctuation symbols. The keyboard is available free and can be downloaded from the Society's web site complete with instruction manual.
The society offers two options:
1. the Biblical Hebrew SIL keyboard which maps a phonetic keyboard and
2. the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard which follows the common pattern of the Modern Hebrew keyboard layout used for Israel and Hebrew enabled computers. This layout is the standard layout for Hebrew keyboards in all operating systems.
The chart above uses the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard.
The Biblical Hebrew keyboards and instructuions are available from the Society of Biblical Literature HERE. The Society also makes available a Hebrew font [SBL Hebrew]. Download the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard driver and manual and follow the instructions provided for installation.
Hebrew Fonts
Windows fonts which display diacritical marks with the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard input selected are Gisha, Times New Roman, Arial, Microsoft Sans Serif, Courier New, Tahoma and SBL Hebrew.
Windows Hebrew fonts David, Miriam, FrankRuehl and Rod will display Hebrew consonants but not the diacritical marks mapped to the Biblical Hebrew Tiro keyboard. However, all the above fonts will display Hebrew vowels added using the 'LEFT ALT key and the Number Pad' method outlined above.
