Learn to type on QWERTZ
QWERTZ is the standard keyboard layout in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and much of Central Europe: QWERTY with Y and Z swapped and the German umlauts and ß on their own keys.
The Basic course teaches touch typing on QWERTZ from the first key: every drill, hint and keyboard on screen follows your layout.
Sets your keyboard layout to QWERTZ. You can change it any time in Settings.
- Origin
- Typewriters
- Standard
- DIN 2137 since 1976
- Home row
- A S D F · J K L Ö
- Course
- Free · 65 tasks
The QWERTZ home row
Your fingers rest on A S D F J K L Ö
The first step finds F and J under your index fingers.
- ALeft pinky
- SLeft ring
- DLeft middle
- FLeft index
- JRight index
- KRight middle
- LRight ring
- ÖRight pinky
Step 1 of 65 · Find Your Starting Position
~2 minffff jjjj
jjjj ffff
Index fingers on F and J — feel the bumps.
QWERTZ next to QWERTY
Most letters stay where QWERTY has them; only 2 move: Z and Y. The course still starts from the home row, so the keys that moved are learned in place.
QWERTY
What most keyboards ship with
QWERTZ
Germany and Central Europe. Y and Z swapped, umlauts on their own keys.
- Same key on both
- QWERTZ home row
- Moved
The course
How the course works on QWERTZ
Eight levels, 65 tasks, from the first key to everyday writing.
Positions, not letters
Every lesson names a finger and a row, so each drill is built from the keys on QWERTZ. Your first two keys are F and J.
A QWERTZ keyboard on screen
The next key lights up in its finger’s colour on a QWERTZ keyboard, and the hands show which finger presses it.
Progress that stays yours
Stars and checkpoints are saved as you go. Switch layouts later and nothing is lost: steps passed on another layout are marked, not wiped.
- 16 tasks
Foundations
Where your hands rest, how they move, and why you look at the screen.
- 213 tasks
Home Row Mastery
All eight home keys, one finger at a time, then together and in real words.
- 310 tasks
Upper Row
Reaching up from home, finger by finger, until two rows feel like one.
- 48 tasks
Lower Row
Reaching down, then all three rows and the whole alphabet.
- 57 tasks
Shift and Punctuation
Capitals with the opposite Shift, and the marks that make sentences.
- 67 tasks
Numbers and Symbols
The number row and the symbols above it, in the contexts they appear.
- 78 tasks
Fluency
From letters to patterns, words and paragraphs, and your first timed test.
- 86 tasks
Full Layout Graduation
Real messages, documents, a mixed-character challenge, endurance and the final assessment.
About QWERTZ
Germany and Central Europe. Y and Z swapped, umlauts on their own keys.
QWERTZ has no known designer. It comes from German typewriters and was standardised in Germany as DIN 2137, first published in 1976.
QWERTY adapted to German, with Ä, Ö, Ü and ß on their own keys and Z where German typists need it.
QWERTZ is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard; German keyboards are usually ISO, with an extra key beside the left Shift.
Why people learn QWERTZ
- The native layout across Central Europe, built into every operating system.
- Umlauts and ß are single keystrokes.
- Formally standardised and still maintained as DIN 2137.
Setting it up on your computer
Linux
Built in.
Windows
Built in.
macOS
Built in.
FAQ
Questions about QWERTZ
QWERTZ has no known designer. It comes from German typewriters and was standardised in Germany as DIN 2137, first published in 1976.
Your fingers rest on A S D F on the left and J K L Ö on the right. The course starts by finding F and J under your index fingers.
Most letters stay where QWERTY has them; only 2 move: Z and Y.
Yes. German and the other national QWERTZ layouts are built into Windows, macOS and Linux.
Yes. It runs in your browser; sign in when you want to keep your stars.
No. Steps passed on another layout are marked, not wiped.
Courses for other layouts
Same course, same progress — on the layout you type with.
Ready for F and J?
Free, in your browser. Sign in when you want to keep your stars.