The layout at a glance
This Polish virtual keyboard mirrors the QWERTY layout of a physical Polish keyboard. Its 47 character keys reach the 35 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: ó ą ć ę ł ń ś ź ż €.
10 further characters come from the AltGr key (Alt on mobile): ę € ó ą ś ł ż ź ć ń.
| Script | Latin |
|---|
| Layout | QWERTY |
|---|
| Reading direction | Left to right |
|---|
| Character keys | 47 |
|---|
| Letters available | 35 |
|---|
| Non-ASCII characters | 10 |
|---|
| Unicode range | U+0041–U+005A, U+0061–U+007A, U+00C0–U+024F |
|---|
| Third layer (AltGr) | Yes |
|---|
| Transliteration | No |
|---|
How to type in Polish
- Click the on-screen keys or type on your physical keyboard — both write into the same text area.
- Shift shows the second layer of every key: capitals and the characters printed at the top right.
- AltGr (Alt on mobile) shows the third layer, the characters printed at the bottom right.
- The Copy button puts the whole text on the clipboard, ready to paste into an email, a document or a form.
- 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.
| Key | With Shift | With AltGr |
|---|
| ` | ~ | — |
| 1 | ! | — |
| 2 | @ | — |
| 3 | # | — |
| 4 | $ | — |
| 5 | % | — |
| 6 | ^ | — |
| 7 | & | — |
| 8 | * | — |
| 9 | ( | — |
| 0 | ) | — |
| - | _ | — |
| = | + | — |
| q | Q | — |
| w | W | — |
| e | E | ę |
| r | R | — |
| t | T | — |
| y | Y | — |
| u | U | € |
| i | I | — |
| o | O | ó |
| p | P | — |
| [ | { | — |
| ] | } | — |
| \ | | | — |
| a | A | ą |
| s | S | ś |
| d | D | — |
| f | F | — |
| g | G | — |
| h | H | — |
| j | J | — |
| k | K | — |
| l | L | ł |
| ; | : | — |
| ' | " | — |
| z | Z | ż |
| x | X | ź |
| c | C | ć |
| v | V | — |
| b | B | — |
| n | N | ń |
| m | M | — |
| , | < | — |
| . | > | — |
| / | ? | — |
The characters on this layout
The 10 characters this layout can produce:
Other keyboards in the Latin script
These keyboards are written in the same script and share much of their character set.
Further reading
The AltGr pattern: how all nine Polish letters are placed
This page uses the Polish programmer's layout (Polski programisty), the standard in Poland. All the letters are where they are on a US keyboard, and each Polish letter sits on AltGr plus its base letter:
AltGr+A gives ą, AltGr+C gives ć, AltGr+E gives ę, AltGr+L gives ł, AltGr+N gives ń, AltGr+O gives ó and AltGr+S gives ś.
Only the two z letters break the pattern. ż (dotted) is on AltGr+Z, and ź (acute) moves to the next key, AltGr+X. For a capital letter, hold Shift as well: Shift+AltGr+Z gives Ż, and Shift+AltGr+L gives Ł. Note that the euro sign is AltGr+U here, not AltGr+E, because E is taken by ę.
On a real keyboard, AltGr is the right Alt key. The left Alt does nothing on Windows. Ctrl+Alt also works as AltGr, which sometimes clashes with app shortcuts. With "Type with my physical keyboard" turned on, this page reads right Alt, Ctrl+Alt, or Option on a Mac. On the on-screen keyboard (and on phones, where the key is labelled Alt), tap AltGr first and then the letter.
Why you shouldn't drop the diacritics
Writing Polish without diacritics (bez polskich znaków) is common in quick messages, but it changes words. Kąt (angle) becomes kat (executioner). Łaska (grace) becomes laska (walking stick, or slang for a girl). Żona (wife) becomes zona (zone). In names, addresses and anything official, a missing diacritic is a real error. Łódź is not Lodz, though English-language media often write it that way.
Two pairs need care because they sound the same:
- ó and u are pronounced identically. Spelling depends on the word's history (góra, ołówek vs ul, uczeń), so a spellchecker is your friend.
- ż and rz also sound the same (żaba vs rzeka). Typing rz never needs AltGr. Typing ż does.
Programmer's layout vs typist's (214)
You may run into the other Polish layout, "Polish (214)" on Windows and "Polish" on Mac. It is QWERTZ, like German: Y and Z swap, and the Polish letters have their own keys on the right side of the keyboard. If letters come out wrong after you switch, for example z appears when you press Y, you have probably picked 214 by mistake. On Windows, adding the Polish language gives you programmer's by default. On macOS, the matching layout is called "Polish Pro", and it uses Option where Windows uses AltGr.
Installing Polish on your devices
- Windows 11: Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Add a language > Polish. Check that the keyboard listed under it is "Polish (Programmers)". Switch layouts with Windows+Space.
- macOS: System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input > Edit > + > Polish Pro.
- Android (Gboard): Add the Polish keyboard, then long-press a base letter (a, c, e, l, n, o, s, z) to choose its Polish form. Long-pressing z offers both ż and ź.
- iPhone/iPad: Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Polish. The long-press works the same way.
If you need Czech or Slovak letters as well, use the Czech keyboard or the Slovak keyboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type Polish special characters (ą, ć, ę, ł, ń, ó, ś, ź, ż)?
Polish has nine special letters with diacritics. They have dedicated keys on Polish keyboards or can be accessed via AltGr combinations on international layouts.
What is the Polish QWERTY keyboard layout?
Polish uses a QWERTY-based layout (called Programmers layout) with Polish letters accessible via AltGr, or a dedicated Polish layout with direct access to all special characters.
How do I type the ł (l with stroke)?
The ł represents a 'w' sound in Polish. It has its own key on Polish keyboards or is accessed via AltGr+L on international layouts.
What's the difference between ź and ż?
They are two different letters with different sounds: ź is a soft, palatal 'zi' sound (as in źle, 'badly'), while ż is pronounced like Polish rz, similar to the 's' in 'measure' (as in żaba, 'frog').
How do I type the ogonek (ą, ę)?
The ogonek (tail) marks nasal vowels in Polish. Ą and ę have dedicated keys on Polish keyboards or use AltGr combinations.
How do I type the acute accent (ć, ń, ó, ś, ź)?
These letters with acute accents (kreska) have dedicated keys on Polish keyboards. They represent palatalized or different sounds from their base letters.
Can I use this keyboard for typing in Czech or Slovak?
Polish keyboard includes some characters used in Czech/Slovak, but you'll need a Czech/Slovak keyboard for all special characters like č, š, ř, ů, ď, ť, ň.
How do I type the Euro symbol €?
Press AltGr + U to type the Euro symbol on Polish keyboards.
What's the difference between Polish programmers and Polish (214) layout?
Programmers layout uses AltGr for Polish letters, keeping symbols in standard positions. Polish (214) has Polish letters on direct keys but moves some symbols.
How do I type quotation marks in Polish?
Polish traditionally uses „...” (a low opening mark „ and a high closing mark ”) for quotations, though "..." is also common in modern usage.
