Mac keyboards are available in different layouts and localization options for a region or country. You must determine your localization option per country to get more out of your keyboard. This Mac keyboard layout guide will help you to understand better.

mac keyboard layout guideYou can select a keyboard layout among US English, US English International, Chinese, Korean, Lithuanian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Uranian, Vietnamese, and other language preferences.  

This article refers to some standard keyboard layouts to help you understand what layout would be best for you per your location and language preferences. We noted the complete Mac keyboard layout guide for you to follow.

How to Adjust macOS Settings to Setup Keyboard Layouts

Some language layouts are not available on Macbooks and Apple keyboards. In that case, you can tweak the keyboard settings in macOS per your language preferences. Also, learn how to add Grammarly to work by clicking here.

Any additional tweaks can make your Macbook work slower; you may need to figure out the actual reason to optimize the device. Follow this Mac keyboard layout guide for a better understanding. 

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To change keyboard settings in macOS, navigate to the System Preferences and tap on the Keyboard pane. In the left pane, you can check the keyboard layouts active on your device. The Input Sources tab will display the keyboard layout per language selection.

Click on the + sign to add more languages or remove the – symbol to remove a language from the list.  

See Also: MacBook Air Won’t Play Videos? 13 Ways To Fix That

Keyboard Layouts Available on MacBook and Apple Keyboard

Several other Mac keyboard layout guides that you can find on MacBooks and Apple keyboards are:

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  • US English layout is used in the US, Australia, Canada, Guam, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Hongkong, and many other countries. 
  • US English International layout used worldwide
  • UK English (British) layout used in the UK and Ireland
  • Bosnian layout is used in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • Bulgarian layout used in Bulgaria
  • Belgian layout used in Belgium 
  • Chinese (Taiwanese) layout used in Taiwan and Hong Kong
  • Czeck layout used by the people of the Czech Republic
  • Croatian layout used in Croatia and Montenegro
  • Danish layout used in Denmark, Faroese Island, and Greenland
  • Dutch layout that works similarly to English International is used in the Netherlands.
  • German layout used in Germany, Liechtenstein, and Austria  
  • Finnish layout used in Finland
  • French layout used in France
  • Greek layout used in Greece
  • Hebrew layout used in Israel
  • Hungarian layout used in Hungary
  • Icelandic layout used in Iceland
  • Italian layout used in Italy
  • Japanese layout used in Japan
  • Korean (2-Set) layout used in South Korea
  • Norwegian layout used in Norway and Svalbard
  • Portuguese layout used in Brazil and Portugal
  • Russian layout used in Russia 
  • Slovak layout used in Slovakia
  • Slovene layout used in Slovenia
  • Spanish ISO layout used in Spain
  • Sweden and Finland use Swedish layout
  • Swiss layout is used in Switzerland.
  • Thai layout is in use in Thailand.

Some other layouts you can set up by tweaking macOS keyboard settings are as follows.

  • Armenian (Western) layout used in Armenia
  • Burmese layout used in Myanmar
  • Kazakh layout used in Kazakhstan
  • Cherokee layout used in the US
  • Estonian layout used in Estonia
  • Georgian layout used in Georgia
  • Hindi (Devanagari) layout used in India
  • Khmer layout used in the countries of Vietnam and Cambodia
  • Arabic layout is used in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, and Oman. 
  • Inuktitut (Nunavut) layout used by native people of Inuktitut, Ojibwe, Blackfoot, and Cree
  • Kurdish (Sorani) layout used in Iran and Iraq
  • Latvian layout used in Latvia
  • Lithuanian layout used in Lithuania
  • Macedonian layout used in Macedonia
  • Malay (Jawi) layout used in Malaysia
  • Maltese layout used in Malta
  • Nepalese layout used in Nepal and parts of north India
  • Northern Sami layout used in northern parts of Sweden, Finland, and Norway
  • Pashto layout used in Pakistan and Afghanistan
  • Persian (Farsi) layout used in Iran
  • Polish layout or Polish Pro layout used in Poland
  • Portuguese (Brazilian ABNT2) layout used in Brazil
  • Russian language learners use Russian Phonetic layout
  • Serbian layout is famous in Serbia
  • Sri Lanka uses Sinhala (QWERTY) layout
  • Tibetan (QWERTY) layout is helpful in Tibet
  • Turkish F and Turkish Q layouts are in use in Turkey
  • Ukrainian layout is used in Ukraine
  • Urdu layout is used in India and Pakistan
  • Uyghur layout is used in Western China and Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan
  • Uzbek layout is used in Afghanistan and Western China

Keyboard Layout Facts: Good to Know

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  • The US-English international layout is similar to the US-English layout with identical characters. It uses ISO European shapes and is used widely in Poland. If you wish to switch from a European language to English, this layout is for you. 
  • Writers and programmers use the Dvorak layout as an alternative to QWERTY keyboards. 
  • Colemak layout is helpful to programmers and writers for faster typing and is considered an efficient alternative to QWERTY.
  • Dutch keyboards look and work similar to English International but have a Euro (€) symbol added on the keyboard. 
  • French keyboard is widely famous in multiple countries, including French Guiana, Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, Chad, Belgium, and Algeria, as well as in some parts of Switzerland and Luxembourg.
  • French Canadian layout is available as a variant of the French layout. In Canada, by French-speaking users, especially in Quebec. 
  • Greek Polytonic layout is available with more language-specific keys and is an alternative to the standard Greek keyboard layout.
  • The Japanese layout design uses distinct key shapes. You may find a different placement for keys like Control, Caps Lock, and Fn. Also, there are additional keys next to the space key. 
  • Maltese layout includes language-specific symbols and is an alternative to Italian or UK English keyboard layouts. 
  • The Polish Pro layout is in use extensively by the people of Poland. 
  • Russian layout keyboards are famous in parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. 
  • Serbian (Latin QWERTY) layout features identical keys and symbols to Croatian, Slovene, and Bosnian layouts. 
  • Spanish ISO (Spain) layout uses Latin American countries, including Peru, Mexico, Cambodia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Cuba, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Ecuador, Paraguay, Salvador, Surinam, Bolivia, Belize, and Nicaragua. 

FAQs

What is the Mac keyboard layout?

macOS supports a large number of languages and their accepted input sources. You can also change the keyboard layout on your Mac to type faster in a specific language based on your preferences. So, whether you prefer to write in Dutch or Chinese, there is a layout for you. Allow me to walk you through the simple steps!

Can I change the MacBook keyboard layout?

Yes, you can set the keyboard layout according to your preference. To do this, you have to follow some simple: In the apple main menu, go to system preference. In input resources, click on the + icon and change the layout. Click add and select the layout created by you, then close the window. Enjoy.

Why is the keyboard layout of the Mac different?

Apple laptop keyboards and Apple's wireless keyboard have fewer keys than Apple's wired stand-alone keyboard. There is no separate numeric keypad. By activating the Num Lock function (Control+F6), you can use a group of keys on the right side as a keypad. As their system uses different operating systems so, their keyboard layout is according to the system match.

Conclusion

The keyboard is a core part of the computer, and just like us, it types different languages. We have mentioned all the information that will help you set up and understand the Mac keyboard. Hope this complete Mac keyboard layout guide will help you to understand the Mac keyboard layout clearly.

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