An IME (Input Method Editor) is an application that provides the ability to enter thousands of different characters used in East Asian written languages without requiring special keyboards. A Chinese (Simplified) IME converts keystrokes into Chinese characters.

Chinese (Simplified) language versions of Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 include the full-featured Microsoft IME (MSIME). MSIME, however, was designed to run on Chinese (Simplified) language versions of Windows. The Microsoft Global IME for Chinese (Simplified) is an ActiveX-based IME that enables the input of Chinese (Simplified) characters in supporting applications (such as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express) on other language versions of Windows.