German Keyboard Online: Type ä ö ü ß on a QWERTZ Layout

This German keyboard gives you the QWERTZ layout in your browser, with ä, ö, ü, ß, the euro sign and German quotation marks. Type on your own keyboard, where the keys are remapped to the German layout, or tap the on-screen keys, then copy the text. Nothing to install, and it works on phones.

How to type German online

  1. Click the text area above.
  2. Type on your physical keyboard, or tap the on-screen keys. Your keys are mapped to the German layout, so on a US keyboard the key where you see [ types ü.
  3. Use Shift for capitals (tap once, or double-tap to lock) and AltGr for the third layer. If your keyboard has no AltGr key, tap it on the screen.
  4. Press Copy and paste the text into your email, form or document.

It works as an online German keyboard on a shared computer, a school PC or any device with no German layout installed.

Where ä, ö, ü and ß are

German letters have their own keys, so no key combination is needed. Positions are given by the US key name, with the German keycap in brackets:

The capital ẞ is AltGr+Shift+ß. Many German texts still write SS for capital ß, so use ẞ only when you need it. Tap „ and “ in the extras strip above the keyboard for German-style quotation marks, along with €.

German keyboard keys that differ from US QWERTY

The layout is called QWERTZ. These are the changes you will notice coming from a US keyboard:

Austrian and Swiss keyboards are variants. Swiss German is QWERTZ too but has no ß, and a few symbols sit elsewhere, so this page follows the layout used in Germany. To check what your own keys print, open the keyboard tester.

Accents with dead keys

The ^ key at the top left and the ´ key right of ß are dead keys. Press one, then a vowel: ^ then e gives ê, and ´ then e gives é. Shift on the ´ key gives a dead grave, so ` then a gives à. A dead key followed by Space types the mark itself. The Windows | Mac switch above the keyboard shows both versions. In the data, ä, ö, ü and ß are on the same keys in both, while the Mac layout moves < and > to the top-left key.

German keyboard to English: fixing a wrong layout

If your computer suddenly types Z where you press Y, or symbols appear in the wrong place, a German input language was probably added or switched on by accident.

If keys still do nothing or repeat, see keyboard not working.

Typing German on your phone

On a phone the page uses its own compact Gboard-style German keyboard with three letter rows and a ?123 page for digits and symbols. It docks to the bottom while you type, and ä, ö, ü and ß sit in a scrollable strip above it. To use your phone's own German keyboard instead, switch on Use my phone's keyboard.

Add a German keyboard to your device permanently

Another layout with accents on dead keys is the French keyboard; for AltGr letters see the Polish keyboard. Browse every language on the online keyboards page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I type ä, ö, ü and ß on an English keyboard?

Use this page. Your keys are mapped to the German layout, so on a US keyboard the [ key types ü, the ; key types ö and the ' key types ä. The ß is on the key right of 0. You can also tap them on the screen. Press Copy and paste the text where you need it.

Why are Y and Z swapped on a German keyboard?

German uses the QWERTZ layout. The key in the US Y position types z and the key in the US Z position types y. Other letters are in the same places, so the swap and the umlaut keys are the main adjustment.

Where is the @ symbol on a German keyboard?

Press AltGr+Q. The euro sign is AltGr+E. On the on-screen keyboard, tap AltGr to show the third layer, then tap the key.

How do I type curly brackets, square brackets and a backslash?

They are on the number row with AltGr: AltGr+7 gives {, AltGr+8 gives [, AltGr+9 gives ] and AltGr+0 gives }. AltGr+ß gives a backslash. The | symbol is AltGr on the < > key left of Y on ISO keyboards.

How do I type a capital ß (ẞ)?

Press AltGr+Shift+ß on the Windows layout, or tap ẞ in the extras strip. Standard German often writes capital ß as SS, so check whether you need the capital letter at all.

My keyboard types Z instead of Y. How do I switch back?

A German layout is active. On Windows press Win+Space or Alt+Shift to switch, and remove the extra layout in Settings, Time & language, Language & region. On a Mac press Ctrl+Space or use the input menu in the menu bar. If problems remain, see the keyboard not working page.

Is this the same as the Swiss or Austrian keyboard?

Not exactly. This page follows the layout used in Germany. Swiss German is also QWERTZ but has no ß, and Austrian and Swiss keyboards are variants, so a few symbols can sit in different places.

Can I use the German keyboard on my phone?

Yes. On mobile the page shows a compact German keyboard with ä, ö, ü and ß in a strip above the keys and a ?123 page for digits. Copy the text when you finish, or turn on "Use my phone's keyboard" to use your own.

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