I made a lightweight, free, portable open-source Windows tray program that makes Kana input mode persist across windows: KanaLock.
This is an issue I've long struggled with when using my PC. Unlike the native IME on macOS, both Microsoft's IME and Google Japanese Input default the input mode to Direct Input (romaji) whenever you focus a new app or text box during a session.
I originally wrote this script for myself but decided to share it because this problem has existed for a very long, loong time. At this point it seems to be the intended behavior: the IME resets the mode depending on the language each program is set to. However, like many others, when I switch to the Japanese keyboard it’s because I want to write Japanese… so there’s very little use in having Direct Input selected by default. If I wanted that, I’d just switch back to English.
KanaLock keeps the Japanese keyboard in Hiragana mode. Whenever a new window or input field gains focus, it checks the IME state and switches it back to Hiragana if necessary. It runs quietly in the Windows tray and works with well with Microsoft IME.
Hopefully this doesn’t count as self-prom… it’s fully free and open source. Just sharing in case it help can help anyone else. If there are any bugs, wishes or anything else, feel free to open an issue on the GitHub Repo or reach out to me. 役に立てばうれしいです~！
by ItsLaro