Ukrainian-English keyboard layout fix for Mac
Switching between Ukrainian and English all day means half your messages start in the wrong layout. Boomkey converts what you already typed, so a mangled word is one keystroke away from being right.
What "wrong layout" looks like in Ukrainian
You want to type привіт, but the US layout is still active. Every key lands on its Latin twin and you end up with this — probably the most recognisable gibberish in the Ukrainian-speaking internet:
You meant
привіт
You got
ghbdsn
Ukrainian layout key map
The Ukrainian - PC layout maps onto a US QWERTY keyboard like this. That pairing is what turns the gibberish back into what you meant.
- q
- й
- w
- ц
- e
- у
- r
- к
- t
- е
- y
- н
- u
- г
- i
- ш
- o
- щ
- p
- з
- [
- х
- ]
- ї
- a
- ф
- s
- і
- d
- в
- f
- а
- g
- п
- h
- р
- j
- о
- k
- л
- l
- д
- ;
- ж
- '
- є
- z
- я
- x
- ч
- c
- с
- v
- м
- b
- и
- n
- т
- m
- ь
- ,
- б
- .
- ю
- `
- ґ
How Boomkey fixes it
Select the text and double-tap Shift. Boomkey rewrites it in the layout you meant to use, in either direction.
With auto-correction on, you do not select anything at all: type a word, press space, and a wrong-layout word is rewritten immediately. English paired with Ukrainian is one of the supported auto-correction pairs.
Each language has its own dictionary, so real words get corrected while names, logins, and passwords are left alone.
Both Ukrainian layouts are supported
macOS ships two Ukrainian layouts. "Ukrainian - PC" matches the standard PC keyboard most people are used to. The older "Ukrainian" layout is nearly identical but swaps two keys: і and и sit on B and S the other way round, and the apostrophe and ґ are placed differently.
Whichever one you have installed works correctly, including ґ, є, і, and ї.
Per-app rules
Pin English to your terminal and code editor while your messenger and notes stay Ukrainian. Terminals and code editors are excluded out of the box, and you can add any word to an exceptions list so it is never touched.
Frequently asked
What does ghbdsn mean?
It is the word привіт typed while the US layout was active. Select it, double-tap Shift, and Boomkey converts it back.
Does it handle ґ, є, і and ї?
Yes. The Ukrainian-specific letters come out correctly on both the Ukrainian - PC and the older Ukrainian layout.
Can I use Ukrainian, English and a third layout?
The conversion hotkey works between any two installed alphabetic layouts, so a three-layout setup is fine. Auto-correction on space runs for one chosen pair at a time.
Is my typing sent anywhere?
No. Everything is processed locally on your Mac, and the typing buffer holds only the current word before it is cleared.