QWERTY is the most widely used keyboard layout globally, originally designed for typewriters in the 1870s to prevent key jams. It remains standard in the US, Canada, Australia, and many English-speaking countries.
ANSI and ISO are physical layout standards primarily differentiated by the shape of the Enter key and the Shift key. ANSI (used in the US) features a rectangular Enter key and a wide left Shift key, while ISO (common in Europe and parts of Asia) has an L-shaped Enter key, a split left Shift, and an extra key near the Z key for accented characters.
AZERTY is the standard layout in French-speaking countries like France and Belgium, with the A and Q keys swapped, and Z and W reversed compared to QWERTY.
QWERTZ is used in German-speaking regions (Germany, Austria), where the Z and Y keys are swapped to accommodate the higher frequency of Z in German.
Alternative layouts include:
Dvorak: Designed to increase typing speed and reduce finger movement by placing high-frequency letters on the home row.
Colemak: A more ergonomic alternative to QWERTY with minimal changes, making it easier to learn than Dvorak.
Workman: Optimized for efficiency and comfort, with a focus on reducing finger strain.
Bépo: A French-specific alternative layout that improves efficiency for French typing with dedicated keys for accents.
Region-specific layouts include:
JCUKEN: Standard for Russian Cyrillic typing.
Hangeul (Hangul): Designed for Korean syllabic input.
Turkish: Includes special characters like Ç, Ğ, İ, Ö, Ş, Ü.
Nordic/Swedish: Supports Å, Ä, Ö for Scandinavian languages.
Many countries use customized layouts tailored to their language’s unique characters and typing needs.
any specific mechanical, visual, or functional arrangement of the keys of a keyboard or typewriter
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Keyboard_layout
Keyboard layout - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Although it has been demonstrated that the QWERTY layout is not the most efficient layout for typing, it remains the standard. Sholes chose the size of the keys to be on three-quarter [3⁄4, or 0.75] inch centers (about 19 mm, versus musical piano keys which are 23.5 mm or about 0.93 inches wide). 0.75 inches has turned out to be optimum for fast key entry by the average-size hand, and keyboards with this key size are called "full-sized keyboards". On a manual typewriter, the operator could press the key down with a lighter touch for such characters as the period or comma, which did not occupy as much area on the paper.
GravaStar
gravastar.com › home › learn › learn
Keyboard Layout | Types of Keyboard Layouts & Standards
October 28, 2024 - ANSI keyboards are also considered to be more ergonomic because it’s easy to reach frequently used keys. This layout is widely available, with many keycap and customization options. The ISO layout is more common in Europe and parts of Asia. It has 105 keys and features an L-shaped Enter key, a split left Shift key, and an extra key near the Z key to accommodate the diverse characters used in European languages. The layout helps users type accented characters and other symbols more easily.
A guide I made on keyboard sizes V2
Ortho users everywhere are upset. It's me I'm Ortho users
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January 19, 2021Guide to keyboard layouts
Nice job. I started doing this a long time ago and completely forgot about it until you posted this. I only started on the Leopold FC660 and Filco Minila. I was going to add the legends to each key as well.... but at some point completely forgot that I was doing it lol.
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/f3fd3d89d60108f7804901d3e26ed849
http://www.keyboard-layout-editor.com/#/layouts/535b499a857a070cc3a974776f7f5e03
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December 25, 2015A brief summary of alternative keyboard layout options
This reminds me of a Ron White skit, "You can't fix stupid." No matter how much lipstick you apply to a board with staggered rows, it's still a pig. Of course there is no excuse in this day and age for QWERTY, but QWERTY isn't the only offender. It may not even be the biggest offender, but this of course, is a topic for another debate. IMHO, staggered columns not only make more sense from an anatomical perspective, but a board with staggered columns just feels darn good to use ... especially if it is of a split design. Personally, I never want to go back to staggered rows for love, nor money. Then again everyone is different (or so they tell me), so YMMV. I'm also a Workman adherent and very satisfied with this alternative. I have nothing bad to say about Colemak, but Dvorak just felt odd to me and we never got on together. With solid alternative layouts like these available to us, it would seem to me that we are nearing the point of diminishing returns with all of the exhaustive research being plowed into yet more QWERTY alternatives. I suspect that we would realize much larger improvements, if we focus our scrutiny on the hardware side of things. I will apologize in advance for this heretical point of view and reassure you all that I sing the virtues of Colemak, Dvorak and Workman at every opportunity. Regards. More on reddit.com
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March 7, 2020Keyboard Layout Analyzer - which layout is best for the kind of text you write?
What always scares me about switching keyboard layouts is then being stuck having to use both Qwerty and another one like Colemak. It's easy to switch out the keys on my desktops but what about my laptop or using someone else's keyboard? ... You don't look at the keys so it doesn't matter. Moreover, if you're borrowing someone else's keyboard, you just revert to qwerty. ... Easier said than done. I got quite fast on Dvorak over the course of a week or two. Then I tried to type ... More on reddit.com
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November 21, 2009Videos
02:55
Different keyboard layouts around the world explained! - YouTube
10:45
What's The BEST Keyboard Layout? 8 Alternatives To QWERTY - YouTube
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Best keyboard layout - YouTube
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I tried an alternative keyboard layout... and I kinda regret it ...
Understanding Keyboard Layouts: A Guide for English ...
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Using the Keyboard (Part 1) [Intro to Computers Ep. 3] - YouTube
Keyshorts
keyshorts.com › blogs › blog › 44712961-how-to-identify-laptop-keyboard-localization
80 Keyboard Layouts for Windows - Identification Guide + Illustrations
June 12, 2025 - Different characters, letters and symbols are not the only things that differ from layout to layout. There are also four different key arrangements commonly found in keyboards: ANSI (commonly known as US/American type), featuring horizontal, rectangular enter key and wide left Shift key;
Das Keyboard
daskeyboard.com › home › qwerty vs. dvorak vs. colemak keyboard layouts
QWERTY vs. Dvorak vs. Colemak Keyboard Layouts - Das Keyboard Mechanical Keyboard Blog
June 7, 2022 - In this article we will be comparing three different keyboard layouts, QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak, to help you make an educated decision on which layout might be best for you. QWERTY was the first typing layout invented in the 1870s to complement ...
Autonomous.ai
autonomous.ai › ourblog › different-keyboard-sizes-layouts
All About Different Keyboard Sizes & Layouts
January 6, 2025 - This type of keyboard is useful for people who need the use of all types of keys, including alphabets and numbers. Also known as 80%, the TKL keyboard is the Tenkeyless keyboard. This one is a default option for gamers and people who don't have much to do with numbers. Just without the Numpad, the TKL keyboard is a full-sized keyboard with 88 keys. The separated allow cluster allows navigation, and getting used to this layout is pretty straightforward.
Typing Pal
typingpal.com › en › blog › curious-keys-keyboard-layouts
Curious Keys: Keyboard Layouts
Colemak keyboard Attempts at layout optimization continue even to this day! An algorithmically designed layout named Engram was created in 2021 using a computerized scoring system to improve key positioning for the most frequently typed letter combinations and to integrate general ergonomic principles.
Lenovo
lenovo.com › home
How do I know what type of keyboard layout I have? | Lenovo US
Keyboard layouts vary globally across regions and languages, with popular types like QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ, and Dvorak. The QWERTY layout, named after its top row letters, is the standard worldwide. Originating from typewriters, it prevents jamming by separating common letters.
Quora
quora.com › How-many-keyboard-layouts-are-there-Which-one-is-the-most-common
How many keyboard layouts are there? Which one is the most common? - Quora
Answer: For US English (and other Latin variants) there are three layouts I know of: Qwerty, Dvorak, Colemak. Qwerty is BY FAR the most popular of the three, the other two are notable nice layouts, and I wouldn't be surprised if others existed.
Facebook
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Types of Keyboard Layouts and Standards The physical ...
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Thekapco
thekapco.com › blogs › article › keyboard-layouts-by-country-everything-you-need-to-know-about-typing-in-different-languages-and-regions
Keyboard Layouts by Country: Everything You Need to Know About Typing – Thekapco
May 8, 2023 - Your preference: If you type in English or a language that uses Latin script, you may have more options for keyboard layouts. You may prefer a keyboard layout that matches your region or culture such as QWERTY for US users or AZERTY for French users.
Kinesis
kinesis-ergo.com › uncategorized › alternatives to qwerty
Alternatives to QWERTY - Kinesis
February 14, 2020 - The 100+ year QWERTY layout was originally designed for a mechanical typewriter with the goal of reducing the frequency of key mechanisms jamming during typing. That meant physically spacing out the most commonly used letters so they weren’t hit consecutively by the typist. However, in the digital age, spacing out the most common letters makes typing highly inefficient as fingers are forced to traverse the keyboard ...
iNVINTIX
invintix.com › en › sider › ulike-layout-oversikt
Keyboard layouts - What are QWERTY, ANSI and ISO? - iNVINTIX
December 5, 2025 - Drekiskip, with QWERTY ISO Layout. Are there other common keyboard layouts? Other common layouts, based on QWERTY, include QWERTZ (used in many German-speaking countries) and AZERTY (used in French-speaking countries).
Credkeys
credkeys.com › blogs › news › all-you-need-to-know-about-keyboard-layouts
All You need to Know about Keyboard Layouts – Credkeys
February 20, 2024 - So, if you're typing a message, you're using the trusty QWERTY layout without thinking about it! Dvorak, developed by August Dvorak in the 1930s, is like a sleek keyboard with a plan. The main letters you use most frequently are on the main row, so you can type faster and feel comfy.
HHKB
hhkeyboard.us › home › the ultimate guide to keyboard layouts
The Ultimate Guide to Keyboard Layouts - HHKB
Read more about Dvorak in our article, What Is the Dvorak Keyboard Layout? ... Power users are an inquisitive sort, always experimenting to try to make a better new version of what came before. That was the drive behind Colemak, a layout first created by Shai Coleman in 2006 that took a new approach to presenting a more efficient alternative to QWERTY. Place the most frequently used keys on the home row. Minimize the amount of common words typed with only one hand.
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › globalization › windows-keyboard-layouts
Windows keyboard layouts - Globalization | Microsoft Learn
Choose a keyboard below to view its layouts.
Keyboard Layout Info
kbdlayout.info
Keyboard Layout Info
Find everything you ever needed about keyboard layouts - scan codes, virtual keys, shift states, dead keys, ligatures, flags, history, Unicode. Plan keyboard shortcuts and type text in different layouts.
Credkeys
credkeys.com › blogs › news › keyboard-layouts-based-on-language-localization
Keyboard Layouts Based on Language & Localization – Credkeys
February 22, 2024 - The countries in the Arabic-speaking region, e.g., Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Yemen, use a specific keyboard layout for Arabic. The design considers the features of the Arabic alphabet as it helps users type conveniently and accurately from any part of these regions.
Typing Pal
typingpal.com › en › blog › what-is-the-difference-between-QWERTY-QWERTZ-and-AZERTY-keyboards
What is the difference between QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY keyboards?
The QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY keyboards are named after the first six characters along their upper rows. The main difference between them is the position of the Y, Z, Q, W and A keys, as you can gather from their names.
Workman Keyboard Layout
workmanlayout.org
Workman Keyboard Layout
Being a programmer, I type a lot and I suffer from Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and tendonitis on my wrist. I’ve tried many different ways to help make it better. One way to do this is to switch to a different keyboard layout other than QWERTY. QWERTY was supposedly designed for typewriters to solve a very specific problem–to keep the types from jamming against each other.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/mechanicalkeyboards › a guide i made on keyboard sizes v2
r/MechanicalKeyboards on Reddit: A guide I made on keyboard sizes V2
January 19, 2021 - The compact 1800 has 98 keys while the 1800 layout has 101/102 keys. 60% has 60 to 64 keys and not just 62 keys. 65% ranges from 66 to 68 keys and there are 2 different layouts for the exploded 68-key (see ikki68 layout). Keyboard size and layout are not the same thing and you're erroneously making a 1 to 1 correlation.