Works With Your Keyboard

Whether you type on a MacBook, a full-size desktop keyboard, or a 34-key split ergonomic board, KeyPath adapts to match. Select your keyboard and the overlay shows your actual layout — the right keys in the right positions, so your rules and visual feedback always make sense.

Why it matters

Your keyboard’s physical layout determines which keys exist, where they are, and how KeyPath’s overlay and remapping rules map onto them. A rule configured for a full-size keyboard might reference keys that don’t exist on a 40% board. KeyPath handles this by tailoring the overlay and rule display to your selected physical layout.

  Full-size (100%):
  ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │ Esc  F1 F2 F3 F4  F5 F6 F7 F8  F9 F10 F11 F12  │ Ins │
  │                                                    │ Del │
  │ `  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  0  -  =  Backspace │     │
  │ Tab  Q  W  E  R  T  Y  U  I  O  P  [  ]  \       │     │
  │ Caps  A  S  D  F  G  H  J  K  L  ;  '  Enter     │     │
  │ Shift  Z  X  C  V  B  N  M  ,  .  /  Shift   ↑   │     │
  │ Ctrl  Opt  Cmd    Space       Cmd  Opt  ←  ↓  →   │ Num │
  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

  60%:                          40%:
  ┌───────────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
  │ `  1  2  3  4  5  ... │     │ Q  W  E  R  T   │
  │ Tab  Q  W  E  R  T  . │     │ A  S  D  F  G   │
  │ Caps  A  S  D  F  G . │     │ Z  X  C  V  B   │
  │ Shift  Z  X  C  V  .. │     └─────────────────┘
  │ Ctrl  Opt  Cmd  Space  │     No number row,
  └───────────────────────┘     no function keys —
  No function row,              everything through
  no arrow cluster              layers

Supported keyboards

KeyPath includes layouts for 12 keyboards across three categories:

Standard ANSI

Traditional staggered-row keyboards in various sizes. These are what most people use.

Layout Keys Description
ANSI 100% ~104 Full-size with number pad, function row, and navigation cluster
ANSI 80% (TKL) ~87 Tenkeyless — drops the number pad, keeps everything else
ANSI 75% ~84 Compact with function row and arrow keys, minimal gaps
ANSI 65% ~68 No function row, keeps arrow keys and a few nav keys
ANSI 60% ~61 No function row, no arrows — a popular minimalist choice
ANSI 40% ~40 Letters and modifiers only — everything else on layers
HHKB 60 Happy Hacking Keyboard — Unix-inspired 60% with Control where Caps Lock is

Split & Ergonomic

Split keyboards place each hand on its own half, allowing a natural shoulder-width typing position. Most use columnar (non-staggered) key columns, which align better with how fingers naturally move.

  Traditional staggered:         Columnar (split):
  ┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐         ┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
  │ Q │ W │ E │ R │ T │         │ Q │ W │ E │ R │ T │
  └─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┘       ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
    │ A │ S │ D │ F │ G │       │ A │ S │ D │ F │ G │
    └─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┴─┬─┘     ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
      │ Z │ X │ C │ V │ B │     │ Z │ X │ C │ V │ B │
      └───┴───┴───┴───┴───┘     └───┴───┴───┴───┴───┘
   Keys offset diagonally        Keys in straight columns
   (follows typewriter legacy)   (follows finger movement)
Layout Keys Description
Corne 42 Popular 3x6 split with 3 thumb keys per side. The go-to starter split keyboard
Cornix 40 Compact 3x5+3 variant of the Corne with fewer outer columns
Ferris Sweep 34 Ultra-minimalist 3x5+2 split — only 34 keys total, heavy layer use
Sofle 58 4x6 split with encoder knobs and an extra row — more keys for easier transition
Kinesis Advantage 360 76 Premium split ergonomic with sculpted keywells that cup your hands 
  Kinesis Advantage 360:

      ┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐          ┌───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
      │ = │ 1 │ 2 │ 3 │ 4 │ 5 │          │ 6 │ 7 │ 8 │ 9 │ 0 │ - │
      ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤          ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
      │Tab│ Q │ W │ E │ R │ T │          │ Y │ U │ I │ O │ P │ \ │
      ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤          ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
      │Cap│ A │ S │ D │ F │ G │          │ H │ J │ K │ L │ ; │ ' │
      ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤          ├───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
      │Sft│ Z │ X │ C │ V │ B │          │ N │ M │ , │ . │ / │Sft│
      └───┴───┴───┼───┼───┼───┘          └───┼───┼───┼───┴───┴───┘
                  │Del│Hom│                    │End│Bsp│
              ┌───┼───┼───┤              ┌────┼───┼───┐
              │Bsp│Del│End│              │PgUp│Ent│Spc│
              │   │   ├───┤              ├────┤   │   │
              │   │   │Hom│              │PgDn│   │   │
              └───┴───┴───┘              └────┴───┴───┘

    Sculpted keywells — keys are concave to match your fingers' natural arc.
    Each hand gets a dedicated thumb cluster.

How to change your layout in KeyPath

  1. Open KeyPath — the keyboard overlay appears
  2. Click the gear icon on the overlay to reveal the settings tabs
  3. Click the Layout tab
  4. Click your keyboard — the overlay updates instantly

Screenshot Screenshot — Physical Layout picker (2-column grid):

  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  Physical Layout                                    │
  │                                                     │
  │  STANDARD                                           │
  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                 │
  │  │  ▣ ANSI 100% │  │  ANSI 80%    │                 │
  │  │  (selected)  │  │  (TKL)       │                 │
  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘                 │
  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                 │
  │  │  ANSI 75%    │  │  ANSI 65%    │                 │
  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘                 │
  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                 │
  │  │  ANSI 60%    │  │  ANSI 40%    │                 │
  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘                 │
  │  ┌──────────────┐                                   │
  │  │     HHKB     │                                   │
  │  └──────────────┘                                   │
  │                                                     │
  │  SPLIT & ERGONOMIC                                  │
  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                 │
  │  │    Corne     │  │   Cornix     │                 │
  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘                 │
  │  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐                 │
  │  │ Ferris Sweep │  │    Sofle     │                 │
  │  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘                 │
  │  ┌──────────────┐                                   │
  │  │ Kinesis 360  │                                   │
  │  └──────────────┘                                   │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

KeyPath uses your physical layout selection to:

  • Shape the overlay — keys appear in the right positions for your board
  • Display rules visually — see your remapping rules on an accurate representation of your keyboard
  • Show the right keys — a 40% board won’t show function keys that don’t exist

You can combine any physical layout with any logical keymap. For example, select “Corne” as your physical layout and “Colemak-DH” as your keymap to see Colemak-DH labels on a Corne board.

Choosing a keyboard

If you’re thinking about a new keyboard, here’s a rough guide:

If you want a familiar layout but smaller: Start with a 65% or 75%. You keep arrow keys and most shortcuts work unchanged.

If you’re curious about ergonomics: The Sofle is a great first split — it has an extra row compared to the Corne, so the transition from a standard board is gentler.

If you want maximum efficiency: The Corne (42 keys) is the community favorite for a balance of minimalism and usability. Pair it with Shortcuts Without Reaching and layers.

If comfort is the priority: The Kinesis Advantage 360 has sculpted keywells that match your fingers’ natural arc. It’s a significant investment but widely loved for long typing sessions.

If you want the smallest possible: The Ferris Sweep (34 keys) is as minimal as it gets. Everything beyond letters and basic modifiers lives on layers. Not for beginners, but extremely efficient once learned.

Split keyboards and KeyPath

Split keyboards benefit especially from KeyPath’s features:

  • Shortcuts Without Reaching — Split-hand detection is a natural fit when your hands are physically separated. Cross-hand keypresses reliably activate modifiers.
  • Layers — Smaller boards rely heavily on layers. KeyPath’s tap-hold system makes layer switching smooth and customizable.
  • Alternative layouts — Colemak-DH was specifically designed with columnar keyboards in mind. The DH modification moves D and H to more comfortable positions on non-staggered boards.

External resources