Skip menu

ZoΓ« Blade's notebook

70% layout

𐑕𐑧𐑝𐑩𐑯𐑑𐑦 𐑐𐑼𐑕𐑧𐑯𐑑 𐑀𐑱𐑬𐑑

A 70% layout is a QWERTY keyboard layout roughly 70% the size of a full IBM PC layout. It appears to only be used by a handful of manufacturers, chiefly Keychron.

Keychron's version offers 72 keys total, laid out in typical QWERTY fashion across five rows:

β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β” Alpha Mod Total
β”‚Escβ”‚ 1 β”‚ 2 β”‚ 3 β”‚ 4 β”‚ 5 β”‚ 6 β”‚ 7 β”‚ 8 β”‚ 9 β”‚ 0 β”‚ - β”‚ = β”‚ ←Back β”‚Insβ”‚   β”‚    12   4    16
β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€
β”‚ Tab β”‚ Q β”‚ W β”‚ E β”‚ R β”‚ T β”‚ Y β”‚ U β”‚ I β”‚ O β”‚ P β”‚ [ β”‚ ] β”‚  \  β”‚Endβ”‚Delβ”‚    12   4    16
β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€
β”‚ Caps β”‚ A β”‚ S β”‚ D β”‚ F β”‚ G β”‚ H β”‚ J β”‚ K β”‚ L β”‚ ; β”‚ ' β”‚  Enter β”‚Homβ”‚PUpβ”‚    11   4    15
β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€
β”‚ ↑Shift β”‚ Z β”‚ X β”‚ C β”‚ V β”‚ B β”‚ N β”‚ M β”‚ , β”‚ . β”‚ / β”‚ ↑ Shift  β”‚ ↑ β”‚PDnβ”‚    10   4    14
β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”¬β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”¬β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”¬β”΄β”€β”€β”¬β”΄β”€β”€β”¬β”΄β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”¬β”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”Όβ”€β”€β”€β”€
β”‚Ctrlβ”‚Optnβ”‚Alt β”‚ Space                  β”‚Altβ”‚Ctlβ”‚Fn1β”‚Fn2β”‚ ← β”‚ ↓ β”‚ β†’ β”‚     1  10    11
β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”΄β”€β”€β”€β”˜
                                                                       = 46  26    72

It has no function keys or number pad. The keys it does have are arranged very neatly indeed, into a perfect rectangle with no gaps, while still having the usual QWERTY staggering.

It's very much like the more popular 60% layout, only with an extra two columns on the right, and shorter righthand meta keys the size of regular keys. This makes just enough space to comfortably squeeze in a standard inverted-T style set of arrow keys in the bottom-right corner, and the other cursor-moving keys above them.

It's not quite as pleasingly symmetrical as a 60% layout, but having visible, easily accessible arrow keys can be very useful. They're also an opportunity to add an accent colour, as with the DSA Dolch keycaps.

It's used by, for example, the Q7.

Keyboard layouts: 70% layout | Southpaw