loadkeys

TLDR

Load keyboard layout

$ sudo loadkeys [en|de|dvorak]

Load default keymap

$ sudo loadkeys --default

Load keymap for specific console

$ sudo loadkeys -C /dev/ttyN [layout]

Load from file

$ sudo loadkeys -C /dev/ttyN [path/to/keymap]

Create binary keymap

$ loadkeys --bkeymap > [output.bmap]

Parse keymap without loading

$ loadkeys --parse [keymap]

SYNOPSIS

loadkeys [options] [keymap...]

DESCRIPTION

loadkeys loads the kernel keymap for the Linux console. It reads keymap files and loads them into the kernel, changing the keyboard layout for virtual consoles.

PARAMETERS

-d, --default

Load default keymap

-C, --console DEVICE

Target specific console device

-m, --mktable

Output kernel source table

-b, --bkeymap

Output binary keymap

-p, --parse

Parse keymap without loading

-q, --quiet

Suppress output messages

-u, --unicode

Force Unicode mode

CAVEATS

Only affects Linux virtual consoles, not X11 or Wayland. Requires root privileges. Changes are temporary and reset on reboot.