Switch the layout of your keyboards

Handy switch if you need to change regularly between layouts of keyboards.


Setxkbmap is a tool to set the keyboard layout. In the options of the tool you're allowed to set a switch.

setxkbmap -option grp:switch,grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll be,us

sets the keyboard to belgium (be) and with alt+shift I can switch to a us layout.

You can find the explanation for the coding in:

/usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/xorg.lst

You might want to execute this command autocratically on login, so you don't have to type it all the time again.

create a file "setxkbmap.desktop" in "~/.config/autostart/"

nano  ~/.config/autostart/setxkbmap.desktop

and enter the setxkbmap command

[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=sertxkbmap
GenericName=set keyboard layout
Comment=Switch with alt+shift the layout of your keyboard
Exec=setxkbmap -option grp:switch,grp:alt_shift_toggle,grp_led:scroll be,us

this file will be run every time you login to your system