3rd level key

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:57:37 +0200

I did a rubber ducking session with my brother and we solved a problem that was nagging me for quite some time. In a previous blog post I mentioned that I was not able to use the EurKEY keyboard layout nor map the compose key. If only I had known earlier what the 3rd level on my keyboard is.

The keyboard I am using looks like this:

Right of the space bar is a “Win” or “Super” key instead of the “Alt Right” key. This is a major nuisance when you want to access umlauts on the keyboard. I used to solve this problem by mapping the key signal to another signal, but for some reason it would not work in a KDE enviroment.

While talking it through with my brother I learned about the different levels on a keyboard. Here is the long story:

An umlaut like “ö” sits on the “o” key. One key can have up to four characters. To access these different characters you use designated keys:

o = o
shift+o = O
alt right+o = ö
shift+alt right+o = Ö

But of course it does not have to be shift or alt right. You can assign any key you want. In my case I had to make this configuration: “System Settings > Keybaord > Key Bindings > Key to choose the 3rd level > Right Win”

Instead of using a compose key to create the umlauts I simply press the right Win key and the vowel.

What a relief!

Keychron on Janik von Rotz

3rd level key