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.
README
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.
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
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
