While Windows comes with the UK Extended keyboard layout and only needs a very simple adjustment to add the German ß letter, macOS doesn’t seem to have the layout at all. Sure, there are Apple’s ideas of the “perfect” British keyboard layout, namely “British” and “British – PC”. But neither one matches the actual UK Extended layout.
Luckily, there’s an app called Ukelele (sic!) which lets you create custom keyboard layouts.
I’ve recreated the Linux-version of “UK Extended” which you can download here:
To use it, unpack the file to get the British Extended.bundle. Move that to either /Library/Keyboard Layouts/ or your user’s ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts/ folder.
After that, the layout should pop up in Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources (under the Text Input group).
Quick References for German users
Umlauts: ⌥ + 2, then press the desired vowel
ß: ⌥ + S
€: ⌥ + 4
@mbirth
Option-S will type ß letter on the GB layout (as I've just proven 😊).
Remote Reply
Original Comment URL
Your Profile
Yes, it does. But most other special characters and things like umlaut dots are at completely different locations compared to the “official” UK Extended layout.
E.g. for umlauts, the combo is ⌥ + U followed by the vowel.
If you only live in the Apple world, it’s great. But if you regularly switch between Windows, Linux and Apple machines, using one layout for all is much better for touch typing IMHO.
@mbirth
Ah yes… tricky to try and remember all these hidden things.
I'm kind of used to it, because I mix between English and French (so lots of accents) but only ever on Mac.
(I expect you know, but in case you don't.. Keyboard Viewer can be opened via the Menu Bar and 'floats' above all windows. It can be resized to be tiny.. Also, press-hold a key and any options will appear in a popup, as on iOS.)
Remote Reply
Original Comment URL
Your Profile