What is ctfmon.exe And Why Is It Running?
You are no doubt reading this article because you are frustrated with the ctfmon.exe process that just won’t stop opening no matter what you do. You remove it from the startup items and it just magically reappears. So what is it?
Ctfmon is the Microsoft process that controls Alternative User Input and the Office Language bar. It’s how you can control the computer via speech or a pen tablet, or using the onscreen keyboard inputs for asian languages.
If you are using any of the above, you should leave it enabled. For everybody else, we’ll get to the job of disabling this annoying service.
Depending on your system configuration, there are a number of different steps to disable it. I’ve tried to list all the methods below.
Step 1: Disabling in Microsoft Office 2003
We can remove the alternative text input from Microsoft Office 2003 by just removing that feature in the setup.
Note: I haven’t figured out where the equivalent setting is for Office 2007 (if there is one), but we can also disable it a different way below.
Go to Add/Remove programs, choose to Change your installation of Microsoft Office and make sure you check the box for “Choose advanced customization of applications” before you hit next.
Find “Alternative User Input” in the list and change the dropdown to “Not available” so it looks like this:
Step 2a: Disabling in Windows XP
There’s an additional step we can take to make sure it gets turned off in Windows XP, which really seems to be the best answer for XP users.
Open up Control Panel and choose Regional and Language Options.
Choose the Languages tab and then click on Details in the top section.
Now on the Advanced tab you can choose to “Turn off advanced text services”, which should immediately close ctfmon.
You’ll also want to take a look at the first Settings tab, and make sure that your “Installed Services” box looks similar to this one:
If you have more than one Installed service then ctfmon might come back… For instance on my system there was an input for my drawing tablet so I could use it as a text input… which I don’t care about, so I clicked Remove on it.
Step 2b: Disabling in Windows Vista
The setting above for completely disabling text services doesn’t seem to exist in Windows Vista as far as I can tell, but we can remove the additional input services using a similar method.
Open Control Panel, choose Regional and Language Options and then find “Change keyboards or other input methods”.
On the Keyboards and Languages tab, you can select Change keyboards.
Now you’ll finally be at the same screen as in Windows XP. You’ll again want to remove the extra installed services in the list other than your default keyboard language.
Step 3: Remove From Startup
You won’t want to perform this step before doing the others, because it will just be overwritten again. Open up msconfig.exe through the start menu run or search box, and then find the Startup tab.
Find ctfmon in the list and disable it by unchecking the box. Just remember that if you haven’t disabled ctfmon through one of the other settings this won’t help you a lot.
Step 4: If all else fails
You can just completely unregister the dlls that run the alternative input services by running these two commands from the run box (one at a time)
Regsvr32.exe /u msimtf.dll
Regsvr32.exe /u msctf.dll
If you perform this step, you should also use Step 3 to get rid of the startup entries.
Step 5: Reboot
Reboot your computer and then open a Microsoft Office application if you do have that installed. Verify that ctfmon.exe is not running.
For more information you can read the Microsoft article on the subject.
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Now this was a great tip, Geek. Anything to shut down services I don’t need help tremendously. Thanks again!
Phew! So that’s how you do that… thanks! That feels so much better
It was annoying me too, that’s why I wrote it =)
Be sure and follow up in the comments here if you have any issues with disabling it… I’ll be sure to update the article if I missed any steps.
It disabled just like you said it would (Win XP SP2) – I rebooted, and it hasn’t returned.
Bye-bye – wish I could say I’ll miss you, little pesky service…
Excellent walk through,
I never used the language bar at all and for some reason Spy Bot kept saying that ctfmon.exe was a spy ware related item, however I scanned it with multiple scanners and nothing was ever detected within the file.
So at least this way I can make one less warning message disappear.
Excellent article …
excellent article. very helpful and precise. now if we can only get microsoft to merge it’s svchost services with the process their controlling and rid ourselves of the extra memory usage we’d be good to go
It uses little resources, what is the point in disabling it?
this really work with xp so if you have the same problem fallow this good advice thanks
Thank you for explaining it thoroughly .
Greate article!
I too have been trying to get rid of ctfmon.exe. I have followed all of the directions on this site and it still appears! I’ve removed it from the registry and it comes back. Where is it coming from?
I’m using XP without Office(not installed).
Step 2a was all I needed. The startup entry just disappeared on restart.
And sure, it uses little resources, BUT when you find FIVE (5) ‘ctfmon’ startup entries
on a friends computer it makes you wonder ‘what is going on here’.
So thanks, Geek.
Thanks. Hop[efully this will help those of us with old memory starved pcs.
thank you very very much !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the great how to fix it. My computer was immediately faster on reboot.
Again thank you so much.
Jen
Good tip. I would like to also offer a way to remove this service. You can also just delete the application itself from the location – C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon. This is an application just like any other and can be deleted!
Thanks alot, the guys over at M$ put together a list that you need to have a degree in english to decipher. This was nice and straight forward.
Do have a list of other services that do not need to run to help speed up our machines?
After using WinPatrol (current free version 14.0.2007.1) to clean my start-up act; ctfmonexe kept trying to return. Googled ctfmonexe and found your “green” (according to McAfee SiteAdvisor Firefox Extension)
site. Thank You for your site and the ctfmonexe disabling article. I plan to be a frequent visitor and (hopefully) contributor.
buddy thanks. I was looking for this for a long time. I also need another help from you. While running games or other applications my audio output suddenly fails and i don’t know why it is happening. Everything is working properply, but the audio is not coming. If you have any solution for it please notify me. Thanks again and looking for the answer.
I had pretty much figured out everything to do except the language settings. I even opened ctfmon.exe in winhex to try to track it’s source and see what kind of issue it was. I figured out the command lines in run for the regtry repair but turnig of the languages was the miss key. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! I’m rid of that major annoyance now!!
disabling ctfmon is bad, because your keyboard could stop working for your language, in particular If you’ve a non US keyboard
Thanks for the info, very helpful Keep up the good work Its nice to know that there are people out there on the electronic highway that are willing to share helpful information.. Have a great Day Best Regards Mel
Microsoft says the same http://support.microsoft.com/d.....US;q282599
Welldone, thanks a lot.
thanks!
if i turn it off in the control panel (”turn off advanced text services”) i loose my ability to switch between languages, in text writing? (thats what happened) can i avoid that somehow, or is it essential (for example: to use Russian fonts in office??)
I do NOT have Microsoft Office installed. Not even MS Word. I do have Open Office 2.4 installed but Spybot was reporting it wanted to change the registry before OO 2.4 came, usually when I’ve done something unrelated to any MS software. I deny the reg changes each time. This last Spybot notice came just after I updated Google Earth. Soooo…. why does CTFMON come on in my case? If so, what’s it trying to do, in my case? Or is this a hint I have the CTFMON froom the dark side?
thats awesome man
Hey Zoltan
If you need to switch keyboards you’ll need ctfmon. Otherwise for most people it’s unnecessary.
Victory at last!! This is the best site i have found everywhere else doesn’t solve the problem.
Thank you very much. this little program was becoming a great annoyance. every time I would turn off my computer it would pop up an end task window for ctfmon. It never did it before I took the computer in to get it fixed so figured it might be something the programmer installed. So thank you.
Firstly i thought this file ctfmon.exe is a virus .When i found this site,now i’m know it is microsoft office file.Well thanks for the useful info.
- So why can’t mickeysuck give such a concise method of turning this freak off? They even explictly say it can’t be dynamically loaded and unloaded, just clearing the other “services” under Text Services wipes it right out. Freaking morons. Good Form, Geek!!
Thank you for this information. I did everything you suggested except for the vista step since I don’t have vista and it’s still coming back and pinning itself to the startup in msconfig. I have a small program called StartupMonitor that notifies me when something tries to attach itself to startup. Usually I just click no and it’s gone, but ctfmon.exe is like the gift that keeps on giving! It just won’t go away. I have it denied in spybot, but spybot just keeps sending up messages saying it’s denied it. I did a regedit search and it’s in several places. I just posted in the forums w/a few more specifics. Pleeeeease help! Thanks!!!
really useful information……
@off topic
that screenie of yours, may i know what name of that shell your using? the colored blue? very nice…
@Yamada
It’s just Vista’s default theme.
ohh… too bad T_T thx anyway…
I’ve been trying for ages to get rid of “ctfmon.exe’ and this really worked. Thanks a lot, I really do apprecitate your help.
It’s still bugging me. I don’t have any alternate text inputs installed nor do I have any office products installed. Yet ctfmon.exe is right there always. I may need it ’some day’ so I don’t want to completely delete it but I have decided to block it from starting with the aid of my firewall. That will teach it.
gr8… ctfmon was always very annoying to me, never knew what is it for.
Thankx atlast i got rid of it.
I am SOOOO glad I found this article. Ctfmon was causing delays for me too, like a delay in the start menu coming up when click the Start button. Great work.
ctfmon.exe is a process regulated by windows so even if you dont have ms office installed in it, this process will run in the back ground. Its just like an Appendicitis in your stomach; you dont need it but its a part of your body.
Smooth! Thanks for this
Thanks dude!!! Worked fine for me
Since this little pest does not inhabit my task list, I presume it is a little gift from the developers of MSOffice, which I also do not have. Another plus for Open Office.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Even mighty Microsoft, with all their infinitely inscrutable wisdom, was unable to provide straightforward instructions about how to turn this service off. You are not only a geek, you are a gift and a genius!
By the way, I also have NO WINDOWS XP OFFICE products installed, and never have.
Thank-You Sooo Much for providing a Fast & Simple Solution!! Removing ctfmon from Windows XP was Amazingly Simple..Puter Runs Lightning Fast after disabling!! Your Fantastic!! “Happy New Year”
As others have pointed out: If you use the language toolbar (not just Asian languages, but for any TWO or more languages) then you need this service running. Annoying that Microsoft have added it as an external feature, when in XP Home and XP Pro SP1 is was integral with other functionality, but never mind.
One thing to add to this.
As they said, I went to check the following:
>Regional and Language Options.
> Languages tab and then click on Details
> Advanced tab – you can choose to “Turn off advanced text services”,
>which should immediately close ctfmon.
When I viewed this setting, it was NOT checked and regedit showed the value under
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
When I then checked the box (clicked apply) and then unchecked it (again clicking apply), the reg entry went away.
I’ve seen Microsoft do things like this more than once.
Just a heads up for future traveler who run across this.
You are my new hero getting mycomputer cleaned up is very easy with your help.
thanks! it no longer is there to suck my processor down–or up however you wish to view it. Yes, that file was infected and i could never totally get rid of it.
Hello i have 4 CTFMON.EXE proceses on startup list is this normal or it should only be 1 ctfmon starting?
I did just what you said and it took outlook off my computer!!!!! HELP I need that I have so many email on there, this is my work computer. How do I get it all back???
I had to put ctfmon.exe BACK IN in order to get task manager icon to show in the system tray——
Does anyone have a explanation/ solution for this?
Chuck, task manager does not have an icon in the system tray. Could you explain that more carefully?
Thanks to your clear illustration…I no longer have a “ctfmon” problem.
Thank You
Thanks, from Vancouver Island!!
Thanks so much. ctfmon.exe would not end at shut down. Boot times got agonizingly long and I run a slippery fast machine! It now boots in a few seconds with XP. So easy…:)
It’s excellent!
But you may have forgotten to tell people and then to close each tab and dialog window.
I think that you should tell me that you used the American lanaguage as an example and that people should select their own language, which in my case is English UK.
I give up. The software is creating errors in translating from English to American:
Me should be people.
I have used the word select in stead of placing Apply and OK between less than and greater than symbols.
Thank you for helping me understand why there are so many processes running on my computer. Thank you for helping me stop them
A big THANK YOU from me too!
CHrist! I’ve got office 2007, and it didn’t have the alternative setting thing. So I disabled it in XP, then removed it from startup via control panel, spybot s&d, and msconfig. I restart and it’s stiiiillll there.
Oh and I just did the “completely unregister the dlls” step too, rebooted and it’s still there.
Another useless process gone, 2 bazillion to go … give me Linux any day …
Anyway, great tip. Thanks!
Great article! Thanks, one less annoying process to bother me.
Thanks, one less.
Wonderful tips! Thxxxxx
thanx a lot for ur help n support , this is for the first time i had ever got genuine solution of my problem n my pc is moving like hot knife in the butter…once again thank you a lot