How to type Czech characters on a keyboard

11 Mar 2025 Tue

^{This article is valid for Windows keyboard layouts, but it should be more or less applicable to other operating systems as well.}

The Problem

The Czech alphabet has 42 letters, compared to 26 in English, so entering certain characters requires key combinations.

You need to know

• Which Czech keyboard layout do you use: Czech, Czech (QWERTY) or Czech Programmers. See below the difference for them.
• The AltGr key is the right-hand Alt key. If you have a compact keyboard without a right Alt key, use the Ctrl + Alt combination instead.
• Understand the behavior of the dead key: unlike typical modifier keys such as Shift, which must be held while pressing another key, a dead key is pressed and released before typing the modified character. You can think of it as temporarily changing the keyboard layout for the next key press.
• Below, + refers to the key immediately to the left of Backspace. On some keyboards, this key may be labeled ` or = but should always be adjacent to Backspace. It corresponds to the VK_OEM_PLUS virtual key.

Czech (QWERTY)

• Purpose: Designed for English-style keyboards where Z and Y are mapped as in English. Commonly used in the Czech Republic.
• Entering ěščřžýáíé characters: Use number keys from 234567890. Example: 4 = č
• Entering other Czech characters: Press and release the dead key +, then press the letter key. Example: +, y = ý
• Entering ú and ů: [ = ú, ; = ů
• Entering numbers: Hold Shift + number key. Example: Shift + 4 = 4
• Entering special characters: Hold AltGr + number key. Example: AltGr + 4 = $
• References: learn.microsoft.com, kbdlayout.info

Czech Programmers Layout

• Purpose: Suitable for users who primarily use an English keyboard but occasionally need to type Czech characters. Inefficient for typing full Czech texts.
• Entering ěščřžýáíé characters: Hold AltGr + number key 234567890. Example: AltGr + 4 = č
• Entering other Czech characters: Press and release AltGr + +, then press the letter key. Example: AltGr + +, y = ý
• Entering ú and ů: AltGr + [ = ú, AltGr + ; = ů
• Entering numbers: Same as in the English layout, just press 1, 2, 3, etc.
• Entering special characters: Same as in the English layout, using Shift + number keys.
• References: learn.microsoft.com, kbdlayout.info

Czech or Czech (QWERTZ)

• Purpose: The standard Czech keyboard layout swaps Z and Y compared to the English layout and uses a different mapping for special characters. It is more common in Central Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc.). This layout can be challenging for typical QWERTY users, especially without Czech labels on the keys.
• Entering ěščřžýáíé characters: Use number keys from 234567890. Example: 4 = č
• Entering other Czech characters: Press and release the dead key +, then press the letter key. Example: +, a = á
• Entering ú and ů: [ = ú, ; = ů
• Entering numbers: Hold Shift + number key. Example: Shift + 4 = 4
• Entering special characters: Hold AltGr + letter keys. Example: AltGr + c = &
• References: learn.microsoft.com, kbdlayout.info

Key combinations reference

_{These combinations were tested with US English keyboard layout}

Letters

Numbers

Special characters

#czech_language #en