The Danish keyboard layout
The Danish keyboard layout is an ordinary QWERTY keyboard with three extra letter keys: æ and ø sit to the right of L, and å sits to the right of P. Some symbols move too, so @ is no longer above the 2. Here is where everything is, how to switch on the Danish keyboard on your computer and phone, and how to type æ, ø and å without it.
What does a Danish keyboard look like?
The letters are where you expect them. Q, W, E, R, T, Y are on the top row, and Y and Z have not swapped places as they do in German. The difference is on the right side, where an English keyboard has punctuation keys:
| Row | English (US) keyboard | Danish keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Top letter row, after P | [ and ] | Å and ¨ (for ü, ë) |
| Middle row, after L | ; and ‘ | Æ and Ø, in that order |
| Bottom row, after M | , . / | , . and – (the hyphen) |
| Top left, before 1 | ` and ~ | ½ and § |
A small thing that confuses people who also use a Norwegian keyboard: Norway has the same three letters, but there ø comes before æ. On a Danish keyboard the order follows the alphabet: æ, ø, å, the last three of the 29 Danish letters.
Where are the symbols on a Danish keyboard?
Most symbols are on the number row with Shift, as on any European keyboard. The ones you look for in the first week:
- @: AltGr and 2 on Windows. AltGr is the Alt key to the right of the space bar.
- “: Shift and 2. #: Shift and 3. &: Shift and 6.
- /: Shift and 7. ( and ): Shift and 8 and 9. =: Shift and 0.
- ?: Shift and the + key, next to 0.
- : and ;: Shift and the full stop and the comma.
- { [ ] }: AltGr and 7, 8, 9, 0 on Windows. €: AltGr and E.
On a Mac with the Danish layout, some of these symbols sit on other keys. The quickest way to find them is the Keyboard Viewer in the input menu at the top of the screen, which shows the whole layout and changes when you hold Option or Shift.
How do you get the @ sign, and what is it called in Danish?
On a Danish Windows keyboard, @ is AltGr and 2. If you only press 2 with Shift, you get ” instead. In Danish the sign is called snabel-a, pronounced “sna-bel-a”: the a with an elephant’s trunk. When you give your e-mail address, the dot is punktum, pronounced “pong-tom”.
- snabel-athe @ sign
- punktumdot, full stop
- bindestreghyphen
- understregunderscore
How do I change my keyboard to Danish?
You do not need a new keyboard. Add the Danish layout in the settings, and switch between it and your own whenever you want. The keys will not show the Danish letters, so a small sticker on the æ, ø and å keys helps for the first weeks.
Windows 11
- Open Settings, then Time & language, then Language & region.
- Add Danish as a language, or click the three dots next to your language and add the Danish keyboard under Language options.
- Switch between layouts with the Windows key and the space bar.
Mac
- Open System Settings, then Keyboard, then Text Input, and click Edit.
- Click + and choose Danish.
- Switch with the globe key (fn) or Control and the space bar, or in the menu at the top of the screen.
iPhone and Android
On an iPhone, go to Settings, General, Keyboard, Keyboards, and add Danish. On Android with Gboard, open the Gboard settings, then Languages, and add Danish. On both, you switch with the globe key. The Danish phone keyboard has its own æ, ø and å keys, and it also corrects Danish words for you.
How do you type æ, ø and å without a Danish keyboard?
If you only need the letters now and then, you can keep your own layout:
| Letter | Mac (English keyboard) | Windows (number pad) | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| æ | Option and ‘ | Alt and 0230 (Æ: 0198) | hold a |
| ø | Option and o | Alt and 0248 (Ø: 0216) | hold o |
| å | Option and a | Alt and 0229 (Å: 0197) | hold a |
On a Mac, add Shift for the capital letter. When there is no way to type them at all, Danes write ae, oe and aa. That is also how the letters are written in most e-mail addresses: Søren becomes soeren. Never just drop the line or the ring: en sø is a lake, but en so is a female pig.
Learn the sound with the key. Every time you type one of the three letters this week, say it out loud. æ is like the e in “bed”, ø is a Danish e with round lips, and å is like the aw in British “saw”. The guide to the Danish ø has the trick for the hardest one.
Questions people ask
Is the Danish keyboard the same as the Norwegian or Swedish keyboard?
Almost. All three have three extra keys to the right of the letters. Norwegian has ø and æ in the opposite order, and Swedish has ö and ä instead of ø and æ. A Swedish keyboard is fine for typing Danish if you can live with the wrong letters printed on two keys.
Do I need a Danish keyboard to learn Danish?
No. Add the Danish layout in your settings, or use the shortcuts in the table above. A Danish laptop only makes sense if you live in Denmark and write Danish every day.
What is a keyboard called in Danish?
A keyboard is et tastatur, and a key is en tast.
Updated 25 October 2026