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FolderRisk: Caution

IME C:\Windows\IME

Components of the Windows Input Method Editors (IME) for typing Japanese, Korean and Chinese; present according to installed languages.

Updated on By AltF4 Formation

What it’s for

C:\Windows\IME holds the components of the Input Method Editors (IME). An IME lets users enter the thousands of Japanese, Korean and Chinese characters that cannot be typed directly on a standard 101 to 105 key keyboard. Microsoft lists more than 20 IMEs, built into Windows or shipped as separate apps.

What it contains

  • Subfolders per language (Japanese, Korean, Chinese) with the binaries, dictionaries and resources of the IMEs.
  • Only the components of installed languages are present.
  • IMEs register with the Text Services Framework (TSF). Their per-user settings live in the user profile, not here.

Risks and best practices

  • Deleting the folder or its contents breaks text input in the languages concerned. To remove an IME, remove the language in Settings > Time & language, or the matching feature with DISM.
  • The folder belongs to the system, so leave it out of any automated cleanup.

Useful commands

Fenêtre de terminal
# Languages and input methods configured for the user
Get-WinUserLanguageList


# Subfolders present (depends on installed languages)
Get-ChildItem -Force "$env:windir\IME" -Directory | Select-Object Name

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