Keyboard layout 键盘布局
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![The MIT](/Images/godic/202501/22/Space-cadet0648.jpg")
![Keyboard of a Letter-Printing Telegraph Set built by Siemens and Halske in Saint Petersburg, Russia, ca. 1900](/Images/godic/202501/22/Telegraph_Keyboard0648.jpg")
![ANSI Keyboard Layout used primarily in the United States. Percentages and relevant values of keys denote the presence of keys at common keyboard sizes.](/Images/godic/202501/22/ANSI_Keyboard_Layout_Diagram_with_Form_Factor.svg0648.png")
A keyboard layout is any specific mechanical, visual, or functional arrangement of the keys, legends, or key-meaning associations (respectively) of a computer, typewriter, or other typographic keyboard.
Most computer keyboards are designed to send scancodes to the operating system, rather than directly sending characters. From there, the series of scancodes is converted into a character stream by keyboard layout software. This allows a physical keyboard to be dynamically mapped to any number of layouts without switching hardware components – merely by changing the software that interprets the keystrokes. It is usually possible for an advanced user to change keyboard operation, and third-party software is available to modify or extend keyboard functionality.