L ak

A keyboard layout discovered by a genetic algorithm. Vowels under your left hand, the most common consonants under your right — and almost no reach.

Download Lak

The layout

Click any key to type with it. Toggle Shift to see the shifted character on each key, or turn on QWERTY ghost to see what physical key you'd be pressing.

_
?
`
#
1
1
~
2
2
`
3
3
$
4
4
@
5
5
[
6
6
]
7
7
/
8
8
=
9
9
|
0
0
*
^
-
%
!
=
⌫
Tab
&
-
Q
G
g
W
Y
y
E
;
:
R
Z
z
T
W
w
Y
D
d
U
F
f
I
C
c
O
B
b
P
"
'
[
X
x
]
Q
q
\
Caps
O
o
A
A
a
S
E
e
D
I
i
F
U
u
G
S
s
H
R
r
J
N
n
K
T
t
L
H
h
;
P
p
'
Enter
Shift
{
.
Z
}
(
X
\
)
C
<
,
V
>
+
B
L
l
N
M
m
M
K
k
,
V
v
.
J
j
/
Shift
Ctrl
Win
Alt
␣
Alt
Win
Menu
Ctrl

Notice the home row: every English vowel sits under the left hand (o a e i u), and several of the most-typed consonants sit under the right (s r n t h p). Together those eleven letters account for roughly three-quarters of every letter you'll type in English — without your fingers ever leaving home.

Download

Lak is available for Windows and macOS. Pick your platform below — install instructions for each are further down the page.

Lak for Windows Windows 10 / 11 · double-click Lak-installer.exe to install
Download installer

Windows heads up: if you have Smart App Control turned on (Windows 11), it will silently block the installer because Lak isn't signed by a commercial code-signing authority. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → App & browser control → Smart App Control settings and switch it to Off before running the installer. (Note: Microsoft only lets you turn Smart App Control off once — turning it back on requires reinstalling Windows.)

Lak for macOS macOS 11 Big Sur or later · drop Lak.keylayout into your ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts folder
Download for Mac

Mac heads up: macOS only scans for new keyboard layouts at login, so after you drop the file into ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts you'll need to log out and log back in before Lak shows up in System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources. Installation is per-user — no admin password required, and other accounts on the Mac are unaffected.

Lak for Linux Any modern distro with X11 or Wayland · extract the tarball and run ./install.sh
Download for Linux

Linux heads up: the installer registers Lak as a system-wide XKB layout (it needs sudo to write to /usr/share/X11/xkb/), then Lak appears in Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources on GNOME, KDE, XFCE, Cinnamon, and so on. Requires python3, which ships on every desktop distro. Works on both X11 and Wayland sessions.

Installing on Windows

  1. Turn off Smart App Control (Windows 11 only) If you're on Windows 11 with Smart App Control on, it will block the installer with no obvious error. Go to Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → App & browser control → Smart App Control settings and switch it to Off. Skip this step if you're on Windows 10 or already have it off.
  2. Run Lak-installer.exe Double-click the file you downloaded. Windows SmartScreen will show a warning because Lak isn't signed by a major publisher — click More info → Run anyway. If Windows says "the system administrator has set policies to prevent this installation," right-click the file → Properties → check Unblock at the bottom → OK, then try again.
  3. Follow the installer Accept the UAC prompt — admin rights are required to register a system keyboard layout. The installer copies the layout DLL into C:\Windows\System32 and registers it with Windows.
  4. Add Lak as an input language Open Settings → Time & Language → Language & Region. Click your language → Options → Add a keyboard, and pick Lak from the list.
  5. Switch to it Press Win + Space to cycle keyboards, or click the language indicator in the taskbar. Try typing a sentence — you're now using Lak.
  6. Optional: remove QWERTY Once Lak feels natural, you can remove the default US layout from the same Keyboards screen so Win + Space doesn't accidentally switch it back.

Installing on macOS

  1. Unzip the download Double-click Lak-mac.zip in your Downloads folder. You'll get a folder containing Lak.keylayout and a README.
  2. Open your Keyboard Layouts folder In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder… (or press Shift + Cmd + G) and enter ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. If the folder doesn't exist, create it.
  3. Drag Lak.keylayout into that folder That's the entire install — no admin password, no installer to run. The file is plain XML and stays in your home folder, so other accounts on the Mac are unaffected.
  4. Log out and log back in macOS only scans for new keyboard layouts at login. Without this step, Lak won't show up in System Settings. (A full restart works too.)
  5. Add Lak as an input source Open System Settings → Keyboard. Next to Input Sources, click Edit…, then the + button. Scroll to the Others group at the bottom of the language list and pick Lak. Click Add.
  6. Switch to it Press Ctrl + Space to cycle input sources, or click the input-source icon in the menu bar and choose Lak. Try typing a sentence — you're now using Lak.
  7. Optional: remove QWERTY Once Lak feels natural, you can select the US layout in the Input Sources list and click − to remove it, so Ctrl + Space doesn't accidentally switch you back.

Installing on Linux

  1. Extract the tarball Open a terminal in your Downloads folder and run tar xzf Lak-linux.tar.gz && cd Lak-linux. You'll get the XKB symbols file (lak), an installer, an uninstaller, and a README.
  2. Run the installer chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh — it will ask for your sudo password. The script copies lak into /usr/share/X11/xkb/symbols/ and adds a layout entry to /usr/share/X11/xkb/rules/evdev.xml so your desktop's settings GUI can find it. Backups of any modified file are saved with a .lak-backup suffix.
  3. Add Lak as an input source Open your desktop's keyboard settings:
    GNOME: Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources → + → "Other" → "English (Lak)"
    KDE: System Settings → Keyboard → Layouts → Add Layout → "English (Lak)"
    XFCE / Cinnamon: Keyboard settings → Layouts tab → Add → pick "English (Lak)"
  4. Switch to it Press Super + Space (works on most desktops) or click the layout indicator in your panel. Try typing a sentence — you're now using Lak.
  5. If Lak doesn't show up in the picker Log out and log back in. GNOME, KDE, and friends cache the XKB rules database on login, so they only see new layouts after a fresh session starts.
  6. Optional: remove QWERTY Once Lak feels natural, remove the default US layout from the same Input Sources list so Super + Space doesn't cycle back to it.

To uninstall later, run ./uninstall.sh from the same extracted folder. It removes the symbols file and the registry entries; if backups exist, they're restored.

Why Lak?

QWERTY was never designed to be fast. Lak was — by a computer that tried thousands of layouts until it found one that couldn't be beaten.

Lak was found by a genetic algorithm: thousands of candidate keyboards were scored on how far your fingers would travel typing real English text, the best ones were kept and randomly tweaked, and the cycle repeated for thousands of generations. The result is the layout you see above.

Vowels left, consonants right

Every English vowel (a, e, i, o, u) lives on the left home row, and the most common consonants live on the right. So most words have your hands taking turns — one of the strongest predictors of typing speed and comfort.

Most letters don't move

About three quarters of every letter you type in English already sits on Lak's home row. Letters like j, q, and x — which appear less than 1% of the time — get sent to the corners where they belong.

Strong fingers do more work

The algorithm penalises movement on the pinkies and ring fingers, so common keys end up under the index and middle fingers and the weaker ones get the rarely-used keys.

31% less finger travel

Typing the same sample of English text, Lak's fingers travel 31% less distance than they would on QWERTY — less movement, on stronger fingers, for the same words.

A short history of keyboards

Why does a 19th-century typewriter still shape how you type emails today? Here's the lineage Lak grew out of.

FAQ

Trying Lak

What is Lak, exactly?
Lak is a replacement for QWERTY — the layout that decides which letter each key on your keyboard produces. Installing Lak doesn't change your physical keyboard; it changes what each key types when you press it. Lak puts the vowels under your left hand and the most-used consonants under your right, so your hands take turns and your fingers barely have to move. The same text takes about 37% less finger travel than it does on QWERTY.
Why should I switch from QWERTY?
Three reasons people usually cite. Less strain: common letters sit under stronger fingers and rarely leave the home row, so your hands work less for the same amount of typing. More comfort: hands alternate evenly instead of one racing ahead while the other waits. Potentially faster: less travel correlates with faster typing once muscle memory is in place. The catch is real, though — you'll be slow for a few weeks while you relearn. If you type for hours every day, the long-term payoff usually justifies the dip. If you only type occasionally, it may not.
How does Lak compare to Dvorak and Colemak?
All three share the same goal: put common letters home, alternate hands, and reduce reaching. They got there differently. Dvorak (1936) was designed by hand from typing studies — solid, but every punctuation key moves too, which makes the learning curve steep. Colemak (2006) was designed to minimize relearning — most QWERTY shortcuts (Z, X, C, V) stay in place, which is why it's the most popular alternative today. Lak (2026) was found by a genetic algorithm searching across thousands of layouts, prioritizing raw efficiency over staying close to QWERTY. It moves more keys than Colemak but typically scores better on finger-travel benchmarks.

Learning the layout

How long does it take to learn?
It varies a lot by person and how much you commit. A realistic picture: the first few days feel terrible — typing your own name takes thought. After a week or two of daily use, most people are slow but functional. Returning to your old QWERTY speed usually takes somewhere between a few weeks and a few months, depending on how many hours a day you type and how strictly you avoid switching back to QWERTY when it gets hard. Some never quite reach their old peak; others surpass it. The honest answer is that you should expect it to feel slow for a while, and the only way through is consistent practice. Free typing trainers like keybr.com, monkeytype, and Klavaro can shorten the curve.
Will I forget how to type on QWERTY?
Almost certainly not. After a transition period, most people can switch between Lak and QWERTY without much trouble, though your QWERTY speed may dip slightly while Lak is your primary layout. If you regularly use shared or public machines, keeping QWERTY installed alongside Lak (so you can toggle with Win + Space) is the practical solution.

Day-to-day use

Will my keyboard shortcuts still work?
Mostly, but it depends on the app. Many modern Windows applications bind shortcuts to the layout character — so Ctrl+C is wherever Lak puts c (the physical-O position on a QWERTY keyboard). Others bind to physical key positions, in which case Ctrl+C stays on the QWERTY-C position regardless of layout. In practice you'll relearn the most common shortcuts naturally as part of relearning the layout. The biggest adjustment is usually Ctrl+S, Ctrl+Z, and Ctrl+F — they'll feel wrong for a week or two, then stop feeling wrong.
What about programming? The symbols are in different places.
Yes — the brackets, quotes, colons, slashes, and so on are all rearranged in Lak. The good news is that they're placed deliberately: paired brackets sit near each other, common code punctuation stays close to the home row, and the digits row is unchanged. Programmers who switch to alternative layouts usually adapt within a few weeks. The discomfort is real but temporary.
What about games?
Most games let you rebind controls, so WASD or any other movement keys can stay where your fingers expect them. For games that hardcode QWERTY layouts and don't allow rebinding, the simplest fix is to switch back to QWERTY with Win + Space before launching them. Both layouts can live on your machine at once.
Can I use Lak on multiple computers, including ones I don't own?
On your own machines, yes — install on each. On a friend's computer, a library, or a work machine where you can't install software, you're stuck with whatever layout is installed there (usually QWERTY). The realistic plan is to keep QWERTY installed alongside Lak on your own machines so you can stay current with both. Most touch typists who use alternative layouts maintain at least passable QWERTY for exactly this reason.
Does Lak work on Mac, Linux, or phones?
Lak ships for Windows, macOS, and Linux today. On Mac it's a .keylayout file you drop into ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. On Linux it's an XKB symbols file installed by a small ./install.sh script. A phone app (iOS and Android) is next on the roadmap.

About the project

Why is it called "Lak"?
It follows the same naming convention as the layouts before it. Coleman named his keyboard Colemak after Dvorak — his surname plus the "ak" suffix. Pierce Lang, the creator of Lak, did the same thing: his surname plus "ak".
How was Lak actually generated?
A genetic algorithm: start with a batch of candidate keyboards, score each one on how far the fingers would travel typing a long sample of real English text, keep the best, randomly tweak them, and repeat. After thousands of generations, the same layout kept winning — that's Lak. The full source code is on GitHub.
Is the installer safe?
The layout DLL itself was generated with Microsoft's official Keyboard Layout Creator (MSKLC), then packaged with Inno Setup so it works on modern Windows. It contains a single small DLL that maps key codes to characters — it doesn't run in the background, log keystrokes, or talk to the network. Windows SmartScreen (and Smart App Control) warn about it because the file isn't signed by a major commercial code-signing authority, not because anything in it is harmful.
What if I don't like it?
Open Settings → Apps, find Lak, and click Uninstall. Windows will fall back to whatever layout you had before. No registry surgery required.

Still have questions? Email contact@lakkeyboard.com.