The ABNT2 board
ABNT2 is the Brazilian keyboard standard. Physically it’s an ISO board with one more key: next to left Shift there’s the ISO key for \ and |, and next to right Shift an extra key for / ? and °, so right Shift is shorter. Ç sits right of L, the key after it holds the dead keys ~ and ^, and the key right of P holds ´ and `. The full-size picture also has ABNT2’s number pad, where + is a single key with a dot key (.) under it, and the decimal key types a comma.
The browser codes follow the W3C key names: the key next to right Shift is IntlRo, the one next to left Shift IntlBackslash, the number pad’s dot key NumpadComma. The event log shows them as you press.
Dead keys and AltGr
´ ` ~ ^ and ¨ (Shift+6) are dead keys: they wait for the next letter, so ~ then a gives ã and ´ then e gives é. Press Space after one to type the mark itself. AltGr (right Alt) adds / ? ° on Q, W, E for notebooks without the extra key, superscripts ¹ ² ³ on 1 to 3, § on =, ª and º on the bracket keys, and ₢ on C.
Switching to ABNT2
- Windows: Settings, Time & language, Language & region, Português (Brasil), Language options, Add a keyboard, Portuguese (Brazil ABNT2).
- macOS: System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, Edit, +, Portuguese, and choose the Brazilian layout that matches your keyboard.
- Linux (GNOME): Settings, Keyboard, Input Sources, +, Portuguese (Brazil).
The Brazilian ABNT2 keys at a glance
These keys differ from a US keyboard. The browser code is the name the key sends in the event log, taken from the US key in the same place. AltGr is the right Alt key; on Windows, Ctrl+Alt does the same. Keys marked "dead" type nothing on their own: press one, then a letter, for an accented letter (or Space for the mark itself).
| Key | Shift | AltGr | Browser code | US keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ' | " | Backquote | ` | |
| 1 | ! | ¹ | Digit1 | 1 |
| 2 | @ | ² | Digit2 | 2 |
| 3 | # | ³ | Digit3 | 3 |
| 4 | $ | £ | Digit4 | 4 |
| 5 | % | ¢ | Digit5 | 5 |
| 6 | ¨ dead | ¬ | Digit6 | 6 |
| = | + | § | Equal | = |
| Q | / | KeyQ | Q | |
| W | ? | KeyW | W | |
| E | ° | KeyE | E | |
| ´ dead | ` dead | BracketLeft | [ | |
| [ | { | ª | BracketRight | ] |
| Ç | Semicolon | ; | ||
| ~ dead | ^ dead | Quote | ' | |
| ] | } | º | Backslash | \ |
| C | ₢ | KeyC | C | |
| ; | : | Slash | / | |
| / | ? | ° | IntlRo | none (JIS and ABNT2) |
| , | NumpadDecimal | . |
The extra keys of a ABNT2 keyboard
| Browser code | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| IntlBackslash | \ | | The ISO key next to left Shift |
| IntlRo | / ? ° | The extra key left of right Shift, which makes the right Shift short |
| NumpadComma | . | The extra number-pad key under +, for the dot |
| NumpadDecimal | , | Types a comma: the decimal separator in Brazil |