EurKEY-macOS

The keyboard layout for Europeans, coders, and translators. This repo contains a modified version of the EurKEY base layout for macOS, bundling multiple versions so users can pick what they need.

EurKEY-macOS targets MacBooks with the physical English International keyboard (ISO) instead of the ANSI layout from the official upstream. Since it is an ISO layout, it has one additional key (`) and the big Enter key.

The keyboard layout should be compatible with the other ISO layouts typically available in Europe (e.g., German ISO). However, the printed keys will obviously be different. I tested the layout on the current tenkeyless MacBook keyboard (MacBook Air 2024). Working numpad keys are therefore not guaranteed.

Versions

The bundle ships 4 layout versions:

Version	Description
v1.3	Official EurKEY spec implementation. Recommended for most users.
v1.2	Legacy version based on Leonardo Schenkel's port. Predates the v1.3 spec (no ¬ dead key, § instead of ẞ on Shift+Option+S).
v1.4	v1.3 with ẞ (capital sharp s) on Caps+§ key.
v2.0	Custom edition — complete rework. Every key configures exactly as printed on the MacBook keyboard. Removes left/right modifier key distinction. New monochrome template icon.

Installation

From DMG (recommended)

1. Download the latest EurKEY-macOS-YYYY.MM.DD.dmg from Releases.
2. Open the DMG.
3. Drag EurKey-macOS.bundle to the Install Here (Keyboard Layouts) folder.
4. Log out and back in (or restart).
5. System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → click + → select the EurKEY version you want.

Manual

1. Download or clone this repo.
2. Copy EurKey-macOS.bundle to /Library/Keyboard Layouts/ (system-wide) or ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/ (user-only).
3. Log out and back in.
4. System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → click + → select EurKEY.

Validation

The project includes automated validation to catch regressions. The validation script parses each .keylayout XML file and compares key mappings and dead key compositions against the v1.3 reference.

# validate all layouts
python3 scripts/validate_layouts.py

# parse a single layout to JSON
python3 scripts/parse_keylayout.py "EurKey-macOS.bundle/Contents/Resources/EurKEY v1.3.keylayout" --summary

# build the bundle (validates + generates Info.plist)
bash scripts/build-bundle.sh

# create a DMG installer
bash scripts/create-dmg.sh

Dead key compositions (v2.0)

v2.0 renames all dead key states to their initializing key combination:

Key combination	Dead key symbol
⌥`	`
⌥⇧`	~
⌥'	´
⌥⇧'	¨
⌥6	^
⌥⇧6	ˇ
⌥7	˚
⌥⇧7	¯
⌥m	α
⌥⇧m	√
⌥\	¬

Customization with Karabiner-Elements

macOS .keylayout files cannot distinguish between the FN key and other modifiers, and cannot remap FN to act as a custom modifier. To use FN (or any other key) as an additional modifier layer, use Karabiner-Elements:

1. Install Karabiner-Elements.
2. In Simple Modifications, remap fn to a modifier key (e.g., right_option).
3. In Complex Modifications, add rules that map your desired key combinations to Unicode character outputs.

Hammerspoon is an alternative for Lua-based automation but does not intercept keystrokes at the same level as Karabiner.

Known issues

• Icon not visible in keyboard switcher badge (macOS Sonoma/Sequoia): The template icon (which adapts to light/dark mode) disappears in the input source switching badge attached to text fields. This is a macOS bug affecting third-party template icons — Apple's built-in layouts are not affected. Non-template icons work correctly but lose dark mode adaptation.

Notes on Ukelele and template icons

Template icons switch color with the system theme (dark/light). Ukelele's GUI checkbox for template icons does not save correctly — the TISIconIsTemplate flag must be set manually in Info.plist:

<key>TISIconIsTemplate</key>
<true/>

The build script (scripts/build-bundle.sh) generates Info.plist with this flag set correctly for all layout versions.

Changelog

v2.0 (WIP)

• Configures every key exactly as it is printed on the MacBook keyboard (ISO, English International).
• Removes distinction between left/right modifier keys.
• Uses the *.bundle format to group the layout versions.
• Adds new monochrome macOS template icon that switches color with the system theme.
• Renames all dead key states to their initializing key combination for easier identification.

v1.4

• Adds ẞ (capital sharp s) on Caps+§ key.

v1.3

• Implements the layout according to spec. Based on Leonardo Schenkel's version 1.2.

v1.2

• Original macOS port by Leonardo Brondani Schenkel.

Attribution

The original EurKEY layout is by Steffen Brüntjen. The macOS port is originally based on the work of Leonardo Brondani Schenkel.

License

• The EurKEY Layout is licensed under GPLv3. See: eurkey.steffen.bruentjen.eu/license.html.
• The EU flag icon is from Iconspedia, created by Alpak and licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.