# setxkbmap(1) - man - phpMan

[SETXKBMAP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETXKBMAP/1/markdown)                           General Commands Manual                          [SETXKBMAP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETXKBMAP/1/markdown)



## NAME
       setxkbmap - set the keyboard using the X Keyboard Extension

## SYNOPSIS
       **setxkbmap** **[** _args_ **]** **[** _layout_ **[** _variant_ **[** _option_ _..._  **]** **]** **]**

## DESCRIPTION
       The **setxkbmap** command maps the keyboard to use the layout determined by the options specified
       on the command line.

       An XKB keymap is constructed from a number of components which are compiled only  as  needed.
       The source for all of the components can be found in _/usr/share/X11/xkb_.

## OPTIONS
### -compat
               Specifies  the  name  of the compatibility map component used to construct a keyboard
               layout.

### -config
               Specifies the name of an XKB configuration file which describes the  keyboard  to  be
               used.

### -device
               Specifies  the  numeric device id of the input device to be updated with the new key‐
               board layout. If not specified, the core keyboard device of the X server is updated.

### -display
               Specifies the display to be updated with the new keyboard layout.

### -geometry
               Specifies the name of the geometry component used to construct a keyboard layout.

### -help

### -I
               Adds a directory to the list of directories to be used to search for specified layout
               or rules files.

### -keycodes
               Specifies the name of the keycodes component used to construct a keyboard layout.

### -keymap
               Specifies the name of the keymap description used to construct a keyboard layout.

### -layout
               Specifies  the  name of the layout used to determine the components which make up the
               keyboard description. The _-layout_ option may only be used once. Multiple layouts  can
               be specified as a comma-separated list.

### -model
               Specifies  the name of the keyboard model used to determine the components which make
               up the keyboard description.  Only one model may be specified on the command line.

### -option
               Specifies the name of an option to determine the components which make  up  the  key‐
               board  description;   multiple  options  may be specified, one per _-option_ flag. Note
               that **setxkbmap** adds options specified in the command line to the  options  that  were
               set  before  (as  saved in root window properties). If you want to replace all previ‐
               ously specified options, use the _-option_ flag with an empty argument first.

### -print
               **comp**  (an XKB keymap compiler) and exits. The option can be used for tests instead of
               a verbose option and in cases when one needs to run both the **setxkbmap** and  the  **xkb**‐‐
               **comp** in chain (see below).

### -query
               options, then exits.

### -rules
               Specifies the name of the rules file used to resolve the requested layout  and  model
               to a set of component names.

### -symbols
               Specifies the name of the symbols component used to construct a keyboard layout.

### -synch

### -types
               Specifies the name of the types component used to construct a keyboard layout.

### -variant
               Specifies which variant of the keyboard layout should be used to determine the compo‐
               nents which make up the keyboard description. The _-variant_ option may  only  be  used
               once.  Multiple  variants  can  be  specified  as  a comma-separated list and will be
               matched with the layouts specified with _-layout_.

### -verbose|-v
               Specifies level of verbosity in output messages.  Valid levels range  from  0  (least
               verbose)  to  10  (most  verbose).  The default verbosity level is 5.  If no level is
               specified, each _-v_ or _-verbose_ flag raises the level by 1.

### -version
               Prints the program's version number.

### USING WITH xkbcomp
       If you have an Xserver and a client shell running on different computers and some XKB config‐
       uration files on those machines are different, you can get problems specifying a keyboard map
       by model, layout, and options names.  This is because **setxkbmap**  converts  its  arguments  to
       names  of  XKB  configuration  files according to files that are on the client-side computer,
       then sends these file names to the server where **xkbcomp** has to compose  a  complete  keyboard
       map  using  files  which  the  server has.  Thus if the sets of files differ in some way, the
       names that **setxkbmap** generates can be unacceptable on the server side.  You  can  solve  this
       problem by running the **xkbcomp** on the client side too.  With the _-print_ option **setxkbmap** just
       prints the file names in an appropriate format to its stdout and this output can be piped di‐
       rectly to the **xkbcomp** input.  For example, the command

### setxkbmap us -print | xkbcomp - $DISPLAY

       makes both steps run on the same (client) machine and loads a keyboard map into the server.

## SEE ALSO
       [xkbcomp(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/xkbcomp/1/markdown), [xkeyboard-config(7)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/xkeyboard-config/7/markdown)

## FILES
       _/usr/share/X11/xkb_



X Version 11                               setxkbmap 1.3.2                              [SETXKBMAP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/SETXKBMAP/1/markdown)