The Canadian French layout

Canadian French (Windows’ default for French (Canada), keyboard ID 00001009) keeps the QWERTY letters and the digits on the number row. What changes is the punctuation and accents:

• | \ share the key left of 1; Shift+2 types “ and Shift+3 types /, and Shift+6 types ?.

• É has its own key, next to right Shift.
• The other accents come from dead keys: ^ right of P, ¸ and ¨ after it, and ` two keys right of L. Press one, then the letter.
• < and > sit next to Enter, and « » on the key next to left Shift.
• AltGr, the right Alt key, gives @ on 2, the brackets and braces on the accent keys, and ± £ ¢ ¤ ¬ ¦ ² ³ ¼ ½ ¾ on the number row.

The table under this text lists every key that differs from a US keyboard, with the dead keys marked.

Canadian Multilingual Standard

Windows also offers the Canadian Multilingual Standard (CMS), based on the Canadian standard CAN/CSA Z243.200 and printed on many bilingual keyboards. It gives è, à, ù and ç their own keys, puts / \ | left of 1, and uses right Ctrl as a second AltGr. The keys light up the same in the tester either way; only what they type changes. The second table under this text lists every key where the two layouts differ, so you can tell which one your keycaps show.

Switching layouts

• Windows: Settings, Time & language, Language & region, French (Canada), Language options, Add a keyboard: Canadian French or Canadian Multilingual Standard.
• macOS: System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, Edit, +, Canadian French – PC, or Canadian French – CSA for the Multilingual Standard.
• Linux (GNOME): Settings, Keyboard, Input Sources, +, French (Canada); the Multilingual Standard is listed as Canadian (CSA).

The Canadian French 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).

Canadian French vs the Canadian Multilingual Standard

The keys that differ between the two layouts Windows offers for French (Canada), from the same CLDR data. If your keycaps match the right-hand column, set Windows to the Canadian Multilingual Standard instead.