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Mac keyboard: switching layout, shortcuts and replacement
Two situations look alike and have nothing in common: a Mac typing in QWERTY while the keys read AZERTY is a setting. Keys physically engraved in the wrong layout are a part to replace. Here is how to tell them apart, and everything else worth knowing about a Mac keyboard.
The thirty-second answer
- The keys read correctly but the Mac types something else: that is a software setting, nothing to buy. System Settings, Keyboard, Input Sources, add your language and move it to the top.
- The keys are physically engraved in the wrong layout: no setting will change that, the printed letters stay wrong. You need new keycaps or a whole new keyboard.
Changing the layout: the setting
macOS keeps the physical layout and the software layout separate. The two can disagree, and that is the most common source of confusion. Changing it takes three steps and under a minute.
- Open the Apple menu, then System Settings.
- Go to Keyboard, then Input Sources, and click Edit.
- Click the + button, pick your language, then the layout you want.
- Drag your layout to the top of the list: that is the one used by default at startup.
Once two layouts are installed, Control + Space switches between them. The flag or language code appears in the menu bar, top right: it is the quickest way to tell which layout you are typing in.
Identifying your physical layout
Three keys are enough to tell. This matters when ordering a part: a keyboard is chosen by layout, not only by machine model.
- US QWERTY: first letter row starts Q, W, E. The Return key is low and rectangular, and there is no extra key between the left Shift and the Z.
- ISO QWERTY, usually British: first row Q, W, E as well, but the Return key is tall like on a French keyboard and an extra key sits to the left of the Z.
- French AZERTY: first letter row starts A, Z, E. Tall Return key shaped like a reversed L, and digits require the Shift key.
The shortcuts you use every day
On a Mac, the Command key replaces the PC's Control key for most shortcuts. Special characters go through Option, sometimes labelled Alt.
Command + C, X, V
copy, cut, paste
Command + Z
undo the last action
Command + Q
quit the application entirely
Option + Delete
delete the whole word to the left
Fn + Delete
delete the character to the right
Caps Lock then an accented letter
accented capitals: É, À, Ç
Option + Shift + a letter
special characters, depending on layout
Command + Shift + 3
capture the whole screen
Command + Shift + 4
capture a selected area
Control + Space
switch keyboard layout
When the keyboard has to be replaced
A dead key, a letter that repeats on its own, spilled liquid, or an engraving that does not match your language: in those four cases a setting is no longer enough. Three different parts answer three situations.
- Keycaps, sold individually or as a full language set. This is the cheapest repair when only one or two keys are broken, or when converting a QWERTY keyboard without dismantling anything.
- The complete keyboard, with its ribbon cable and backlight. This is the classic part up to the 2015 models, where the keyboard unscrews from the case.
- The whole top case, on MacBook Pro and Air from 2016 onwards: the keyboard is riveted to the chassis and cannot be removed on its own. Case, keyboard and battery are replaced together.
Before ordering, read the model number engraved on the underside: an A followed by four digits. That determines the part, not the year you bought it — several generations shared the same year.
FAQ
My keyboard types numbers instead of letters. What now?
The virtual numeric keypad is on. Press Num Lock if your keyboard has one, or go to System Settings, Accessibility, Pointer Control, and turn Mouse Keys off.
How do I type accented capitals on a Mac?
Turn on Caps Lock and type the letter: É, À and Ç come out directly. You can also hold a key down for a second to bring up the accent menu.
The keyboard does nothing at startup, before the desktop appears.
Try a USB keyboard. If that works, the internal keyboard's ribbon cable or its connector is at fault. If nothing responds at all, the problem is on the logic board, not the keyboard.
Can a QWERTY keyboard be converted without replacing it?
Yes, by swapping the keycaps for another language set, provided the mechanism underneath is identical. Be aware that on a US layout the Return key has a different shape, so the result will not match an original keyboard exactly.
