ANSI vs ISO vs JIS: keyboard layouts explained
Updated August 2026 · TapTest guides
If you have ever seen a keyboard with a tall L-shaped Enter key and wondered why yours is different, this is the reason.
"Layout" actually means two things: the physical shape and size of the keys, and the legends (the symbols printed on them). ANSI, ISO and JIS describe the physical shape; QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY describe the legends. You can test any of them by physical position in the keyboard tester, since a key reports the same position code no matter what is printed on it.
ANSI (common in the US)
The ANSI layout has a wide, horizontal Enter key, a long left Shift, and the backslash key sitting directly above Enter. A full-size ANSI board has 104 keys. It is the standard across North America and is what most gaming keyboards and custom keycap sets are designed around, so it has the widest accessory support.
ISO (common in the UK and Europe)
The ISO layout is easy to spot: the Enter key is tall and L-shaped, spanning two rows. To make room, the left Shift is shorter and there is an extra key wedged next to it, plus an extra key beside Enter (often # or a currency symbol). A full-size ISO board has 105 keys. This is the standard in the UK, Germany, France and much of Europe, and it is what you need if your language uses accented characters.
JIS (common in Japan)
The JIS layout also uses a tall Enter key but adds several more keys again, typically 108 in total. The space bar is shorter to fit extra conversion keys on either side for switching between Japanese input modes. If you import a Japanese keyboard, expect a cramped bottom row compared with ANSI or ISO.
Where QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY fit in
These are legend layouts that sit on top of a physical shape. QWERTY is named after the first six letters and is used across the English-speaking world. QWERTZ swaps Z and Y and adds umlauts for German. AZERTY rearranges several letters and much of the number row for French. Dvorak and Colemak are alternative letter arrangements aimed at typing efficiency. Crucially, the operating system decides which characters a key produces, so you can set a French AZERTY layout in software even on a physically ANSI keyboard, though the printed legends will no longer match.
Which should you choose?
Pick the physical layout that matches the language you type most, since the accented keys need somewhere to live. If you buy custom keycaps or a niche keyboard, check its layout first: ANSI has by far the most keycap and case options, while ISO and JIS sets are less common and pricier. To see the differences side by side, open the tester and switch between US ANSI, UK ISO, German QWERTZ and French AZERTY in the layout menu, and watch how the Enter key and the keys around it change shape.