ClavierVirtuel.com

Keyboard German online

The layout at a glance

This German virtual keyboard mirrors the QWERTZ layout of a physical German keyboard. Its 48 character keys reach the 30 letters of the Latin script (U+0041–U+005A, U+0061–U+007A, U+00C0–U+024F) straight from the browser, with no software to install and no system setting to change.

The layout reaches 10 characters that an ordinary Latin keyboard does not carry: § ° ² ³ ´ ß ä ö ü €.

10 further characters come from the AltGr key (Alt on mobile): ² ³ { [ ] } \ ~ @ €.

ScriptLatin
LayoutQWERTZ
Reading directionLeft to right
Character keys48
Letters available30
Non-ASCII characters10
Unicode rangeU+0041–U+005A, U+0061–U+007A, U+00C0–U+024F
Third layer (AltGr)Yes
TransliterationNo

How to type in German

  1. Click the on-screen keys or type on your physical keyboard — both write into the same text area.
  2. Shift shows the second layer of every key: capitals and the characters printed at the top right.
  3. AltGr (Alt on mobile) shows the third layer, the characters printed at the bottom right.
  4. The Copy button puts the whole text on the clipboard, ready to paste into an email, a document or a form.
  5. The Google, YouTube and ChatGPT buttons run a search with the text you typed, without retyping it.

Key reference table

Each row is one physical key: the base character, the one produced with Shift, then the one produced with AltGr.

KeyWith ShiftWith AltGr
^°—
1!—
2"²
3§³
4$—
5%—
6&—
7/{
8([
9)]
0=}
ß?\
´`~
qQ@
wW—
eE€
rR—
tT—
zZ—
uU—
iI—
oO—
pP—
üÜ—
+*—
aA—
sS—
dD—
fF—
gG—
hH—
jJ—
kK—
lL—
öÖ—
äÄ—
#'—
<>—
yY—
xX—
cC—
vV—
bB—
nN—
mM—
,;—
.:—
-_—

The characters on this layout

The 10 characters this layout can produce:

  • §
  • °
  • ²
  • ³
  • ´
  • ß
  • ä
  • ö
  • ü
  • €

Other keyboards in the Latin script

These keyboards are written in the same script and share much of their character set.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the German QWERTZ keyboard layout?

QWERTZ is the standard German keyboard layout where Z and Y are swapped compared to QWERTY. It includes German special characters ä, ö, ü, and ß.

How do I type umlauts (ä, ö, ü)?

Umlauts are directly available on the German keyboard: ä is to the right of P, ö is next to L, and ü is next to P on the top row.

How do I type the ß (Eszett) character?

The ß character is located to the right of the 0 key on the number row. It's used in German words like 'Straße' (street).

Can I type uppercase umlauts (Ä, Ö, Ü)?

Yes! Simply use Shift + the umlaut key, or enable Caps Lock. Note that capital ß (ẞ) is a newer addition and may require special input methods.

Why is Z and Y swapped in QWERTZ?

The Z is more common in German than Y, so it was moved to a more accessible position. This makes typing German words more efficient.

How do I type the Euro symbol €?

Press AltGr + E to type the Euro symbol €. AltGr is the right Alt key on German keyboards.

What's the difference between ß and ss?

ß (Eszett) is a German letter representing a sharp 's' sound. While 'ss' can be used as a substitute, ß is preferred in proper German orthography.

How do I access special characters like @ and ~?

Use AltGr combinations: AltGr+Q gives @, AltGr+Plus gives ~. The AltGr key unlocks many special characters on German keyboards.

Can I use QWERTZ for typing in English?

Yes, but you'll need to adjust to the Z/Y swap. All English letters are available, though some symbols are in different positions.

What is the purpose of the ´ (acute) key?

The ´ key is a dead key for creating accented characters. Press ´ then a vowel to create á, é, í, ó, ú - useful for foreign words in German text.