QWERTZ-Bridge Chris Dreysse

Use this command to install QWERTZ-Bridge with WinGet:

winget install --id=ChrisDreysse.QWERTZ-Bridge -e

QWERTZ-Bridge is a portable Windows tray application designed to remap unused AltGr key combinations on ANSI (US) keyboards running the German QWERTZ layout, enabling users to type <, >, and | directly without copy-paste.

Key Features:

Zero configuration required; default mappings work immediately.
Portable single-file executable with no installer or admin rights needed.
Hot-reloadable JSON configuration for customizing key remaps.
Tray controls for toggling the app, opening config, managing autostart, and exiting.
Autostart via a per-user registry entry that follows the EXE when moved.

Audience & Benefit: Ideal for developers, writers, or anyone using ANSI keyboards with German QWERTZ layout who frequently need <, >, or | in their work. It eliminates the frustration of missing these characters and saves time compared to copy-pasting or switching layouts.

Install via winget for seamless integration into your workflow.

QWERTZ-Bridge

Type <, > and | on an ANSI (US) keyboard running the German QWERTZ layout. A small portable Windows tray app for keyboards without the ISO 102 key, such as the Ducky One 3 SF. It remaps free AltGr combos instead of forcing you to copy-paste angle brackets.

> Deutsche Kurzanleitung: README.de.md

The problem

Physical ANSI (US) keyboards lack the ISO 102 key between left Shift and Y/Z. On the German layout that key is the only source of <, > and |. Painful if you write C#, shell pipes, generics or HTML all day.

The solution

QWERTZ-Bridge installs a low-level keyboard hook and adds three AltGr combos that are unused on the German layout:

Key combo (physical key)	Output
AltGr + `,` (comma)	`<`
AltGr + `.` (period)	`>`
AltGr + `-` (right of period, ANSI `/`)	`\|`

All standard AltGr characters (@ € { } [ ] \ ~) keep working. The defaults only use combos that produce nothing on a stock German layout.

Features

Zero config: start the EXE, the default remaps work immediately
Portable: one self-contained EXE, config lives next to it, no installer, no admin rights
Hot reload: edit the JSON config, changes apply instantly. Invalid configs fall back to the defaults with a notification, the app never crashes over a typo
Tray control: toggle on/off (the icon shows the state), open config, autostart, exit
Autostart via per-user registry Run key that follows the EXE when you move it
QwertzBridge.exe --selftest verifies the remap pipeline from the CLI

Quickstart

Download QwertzBridge.exe from the latest release
Run it. A tray notification shows the active key combos
Press AltGr + , anywhere and you get <

Optional: enable Start with Windows in the tray menu.

Configuration

On first run, qwertzbridge.json is created next to the EXE:

{
  "rules": [
    { "scanCode": "0x33", "altGr": true, "output": "&lt;" },
    { "scanCode": "0x34", "altGr": true, "output": "&gt;" },
    { "scanCode": "0x35", "altGr": true, "output": "|" }
  ]
}

scanCode identifies the physical key independent of the Windows layout, as a hex string ("0x33") or a decimal number (51). Comments and trailing commas are allowed.
altGr: true (default) fires only while AltGr is held, false remaps the plain key.
output is any text, including Unicode and multiple characters.

Invalid configs never crash the app: it falls back to the built-in defaults and shows a tray notification. Edits to the file are picked up live.

Useful scan codes:

Physical key (ANSI)	Scan code
`,`	`0x33`
`.`	`0x34`
`/` (German: `-`)	`0x35`
`;` (German: `ö`)	`0x27`
`'` (German: `ä`)	`0x28`
`[` (German: `ü`)	`0x1A`

Why not AutoHotkey or PowerToys?

Both are excellent tools. This app exists because neither fits this exact niche well:

PowerToys Keyboard Manager remaps keys or shortcuts to other shortcuts. Sending a layout-independent literal character on AltGr+key without breaking the existing AltGr assignments is exactly the case it handles poorly. It is also a large install.
AutoHotkey can do it, but you carry a scripting runtime and a script per machine, and the AltGr edge cases (synthetic LCtrl, modifier handling around sends) are easy to get subtly wrong.
QWERTZ-Bridge is one portable EXE with tested AltGr semantics and a config file you can copy between machines.

FAQ

My antivirus or SmartScreen complains. The app installs a global keyboard hook (WH_KEYBOARD_LL), the same API every remapping tool uses. Heuristic scanners sometimes flag unsigned single-file EXEs that hook the keyboard. The code is open source, build it yourself with ./publish.ps1 if in doubt. QWERTZ-Bridge never logs keys and never sends anything anywhere.

Does it need admin rights? No. The hook, the config and the autostart entry are all per-user. As a consequence, keystrokes are not remapped inside elevated (admin) windows, Windows blocks that by design.

Does it work in games? Games that read raw input bypass low-level hooks. Disable via tray double-click if a game misbehaves.

Why scan codes instead of letters? Scan codes identify the physical key regardless of the active Windows layout. That is the whole point on a mismatched physical/logical layout setup.

AltGr + comma types < twice or not at all. Check that no other remapping tool (AutoHotkey, PowerToys Keyboard Manager, vendor software) touches the same combo.

Building from source

dotnet build          # build everything
dotnet test           # run the unit tests
./publish.ps1         # tests + portable single-file EXE into ./dist

Requires the .NET 10 SDK or newer. See docs/ARCHITECTURE.md for the internals and CONTRIBUTING.md for how to contribute.

License

MIT