Turkish/Computing in Turkish

Typing in Turkish isn't as hard as you think. However, be aware that there are some major differences.

Keyboard layout

Turkish has two different keyboard layouts: Turkish-F and Turkish-Q, both of which are quite commonly used.

Turkish-F

This keyboard layout was designed in 1955 by İhsan Yener. During its design, the Turkish Language Academy (TDK) investigated letter frequencies in Turkish and used this statistical basis to design the Turkish-F keyboard. It provides a balanced distribution of typing effort between the hands - 49% for the left hand and 51% for the right.

Turkish-Q

Using these keyboard layouts on your computer

You don't have to buy a new keyboard to be able to use these layouts. Below you can find instructions on how to implement these layouts on Windows or MacOSX. Unfortunately information on how to do this on various Linux distros is currently unavailable.

On Windows

1. Click on Start
2. When the Start menu opens up, click on Control Panel
   • If you are on Category View, click on Date, Time, Language and Regional Options, then Regional and Language Options.
   • If you are on Classic View, click on Regional and Language Options.
3. Click on the Languages tab.
4. Under Text services and input languages, click on the Details button.
5. Click on the Add button.
6. Here you will find a large list of languages. Choose Turkish, then tick the Keyboard layout/IME tick box. This will enable you to choose from a wide range of different keyboard layouts. Choose either Turkish-F or Turkish-Q (preferably the latter). Then click OK.
7. The Turkish language (and your chosen keyboard layout) has just been added to your list of Installed services. To easily switch between English and Turkish, click on the Language bar... button under Preferences.
8. When that window pops up, tick the following tick boxes:
   • Show the Language bar on the desktop.
   • Show text labels on the Language bar.
9. Then click OK.
10. Now that you've done that, click on the OK or Apply buttons to have your changes saved.

On macOS

1. Open “System Preferences” (gears icon)
2. Click on “Language & Region” and add Turkish to your list.
3. Go back to the main menu, and choose “Keyboard”.
4. In the fourth tab, “Input Methods” click the + button and search for Turkish. You’ll see 2 variants of the F-keyboard and 2 variants of the Q keyboard.
5. Select one or multiple, and click “Add”.
6. Close the Window.
7. That's all. Once you've done this, a little flag ( for English, for Turkish) will appear in the top bar of your screen. You can use this to change languages, and as a shortcut to your Keyboard settings. Alternatively, use ctrl-space to switch between input methods.

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