# Simple utility to change keymap on the fly

**URL:** <https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/simple-utility-to-change-keymap-on-the-fly/3442>\
**Category:** Dev\
**Tags:** e16\
**Created:** [May 15, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/simple-utility-to-change-keymap-on-the-fly/3442 "2023-05-15T13:36:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/simple-utility-to-change-keymap-on-the-fly/3442/1 "2023-05-15T13:36:40Z")

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I made a small little 'yad' app that allows changing the existing keymap to whatever is chosen.....no sudo password required. 🙂  
It's available in 'gitlab here':

> **[Elive / Elive-Quick-Keymap-changer · GitLab](https://gitlab.com/Elive/elive-quick-keymap-changer)**
>
> GitLab.com

But also can be downloaded as a simple clickable script here:  
[https://triantares.ddns.net/Elive/uploads/elive-quick-keymap-changer.sh](https://triantares.ddns.net/Elive/uploads/elive-quick-keymap-changer.sh)

Just a matter of downloading and doing a double-click to make it run.

![](https://gitlab.com/Elive/elive-quick-keymap-changer/-/raw/main/2023-05-15_12-52.png)

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**Author:** ![Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/thanatermesis/32/3_2.png) [@Thanatermesis](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/Thanatermesis)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/simple-utility-to-change-keymap-on-the-fly/3442/2 "2023-05-16T15:22:42Z")

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What's the handiest thing is to have a widget that from a single (or double) click we can select one or other keymap

It's not included by default but I think we had a howto explaining how to set up it, don't remember which app was 🤔, maybe Elive needs a better support for more than one keyboard, but if im not wrong that's already included in E25+

In any case, good alternative app to have 😃 :applause:

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**Author:** ![triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/user_avatar/forum.elivelinux.org/triantares/32/2550_2.png) [@triantares](https://forum.elivelinux.org/u/triantares)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/simple-utility-to-change-keymap-on-the-fly/3442/3 "2023-05-16T15:38:16Z")

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> [@Thanatermesis](#):
>
> What's the handiest thing is to have a widget that from a single (or double) click we can select one or other keymap

Which is exactly what this app does but ..... there's a lot of keymaps to choose from, if you want all of them as an option.  
In time we can add options to set fixed chosen keymaps using either a 'HotKey' combo like 'Alt + Shift' as well as a clickable icon in i.e the 'systray.'....I suspect that's what youre referring to 🤔

> [@Thanatermesis](#):
>
> maybe Elive needs a better support for more than one keyboard

Something like 'gxkb', which has been mentioned before:

> [@Help: Add a second keymap on E16](https://forum.elivelinux.org/t/help-add-a-second-keymap-on-e16/2649):
>
> Hello, I have installed Elive 64-bit and I want to add a secondary language (english). I want to use english and greek, so i can edit files and stuff for my work. And this is a great system and I want to keep using it. I have donated twice to it So i went to preferences / settings, configuration languages and keyboard but when i change the keyboard layout to greek, it changes the language greek. I don't know what I am doing wrong or what I am missing. But i want to keep both languages at the sa…

Maybe we just pull in that app and add a GUI configurator for the wanted keymap- and toggle-choices. 😄

> [@Thanatermesis](#):
>
> In any case, good alternative app to have 😃 :applause:

Not really meant as an alternative but as a replacement for 'elive-reconfigure-language-keyboard' which clearly is written as a script for the 'installer' or on the first run of the 'live'-version....and does that job just fine but is overkill in a running system.

The really 'good' thing is that

1. it doesn't require any elevated (i.e sudo) privileges and works immediately with a minimum of fuss.
2. it keeps the existing 'model' and 'rules' from the installation, practically assuming they're correct.