Czech Keyboard: ě š č ř ž Up Top, ď ť ň by the Háček Key

Why does the Czech number row type ě, š and č instead of digits?

Because the Czech keyboard layout gives those keys to the letters. In Microsoft's file for the Czech layout, KLID 00000405, the keys from 2 to 0 type ě, š, č, ř, ž, ý, á, í and é without a modifier. Each digit sits on Shift with the same key. The 1 key gives + on its own and 1 with Shift.

Two more long vowels sit where English keeps brackets and punctuation. ú is right of P, with / on Shift. ů is right of L, with " on Shift. The háček letters ď, ť and ň, and ó with its čárka, have no key at all: they come from the accent key before Backspace.

Windows picks this one for cs-CZ in its input profile table. The Czech alphabet page explains what each mark does to a letter. This page is about where the keys are.

How do you get Ě, Č or Ř in capitals on a Czech layout?

Turn on Caps Lock. Shift is taken by the digits, so Shift with the ě key types 2. Microsoft's data gives the number row a Caps Lock state of its own, and that state is the capitals: Ě, Š, Č, Ř, Ž, Ý, Á, Í and É. The ú and ů keys follow it too, with Ú and Ů. Holding Shift with Caps Lock on still gives the digit.

The other way is the accent key. Press Shift with it for the háček, then Shift with E for Ě, or press it alone and then Shift with A for Á. That is how ď, ť and ň get their capitals too, since they have no key of their own.

Which key puts the háček on ď, ť and ň?

The key just left of Backspace. It is a dead key: it types nothing until the next key, and Microsoft's table for it says what that key makes.

1. Hold Shift and press it. That is ˇ, the háček.
2. Press d, t or n for ď, ť or ň. The same works for č, ř, š, ž and ě, although those have keys of their own.
3. Without Shift, the key is ´, the čárka: then o gives ó, and Space gives the mark alone.

The key right of ) holds the two dots, ¨, for ä, ö and ü. AltGr adds more dead keys on the number row, among them ˝ on 0. That one makes the ő of the Hungarian keyboard.

QWERTZ, QWERTY or Programmers: which Czech layout do you need?

The one that matches the keycaps: a Czech QWERTY keyboard needs Czech (QWERTY), a QWERTZ one needs Czech, and a US keyboard suits the Czech programmers keyboard. Windows ships all three, all three from before Windows XP by Microsoft's list. The layout switch draws each one.

	Czech (QWERTZ)	Czech (QWERTY)	Czech Programmers
KLID	00000405	00010405	00020405
Key right of T	Z	Y	Y
2 to 0 without a modifier	ě š č ř ž ý á í é	ě š č ř ž ý á í é	the digits
ú and ů	right of P and of L	right of P and of L	AltGr with [ and with ;
The ´ and ˇ dead key	second key right of 0	the same key	AltGr on it
@	AltGr with V	AltGr with 2	Shift with 2
Default for cs-CZ	yes	no	no

Czech Programmers is a US keyboard underneath: digits and brackets where an English keycap shows them, and each Czech letter is AltGr with the key that carries it on the other two. That is why the board lights AltGr when you switch to it.

On a Mac the input sources are Czech and Czech – QWERTY. Apple's UCKeyTranslate, run on macOS 26.6.2, shows the number row, ú, ů and Caps Lock behaving as on Windows, and the two Mac sources differ only where Y and Z swap. Each system installs a layout from its language settings; the vendor guides are in the sources. Without either, this Czech keyboard online types every letter, and the device cards give each system's shortcuts.