A dual layout keyboard is one that is compatible across different operating systems (OS) such as macOS, Windows, iOS, Chrome, Android, and so on.

Some keys on a dual layout keyboard can perform actions on different operating systems while they maintain their original position. When a key is capable of performing different functions on different operating systems, the functions and operating system are indicated by label colors and split lines.

What are modifier keys, and what do they do?

Modifier keys are special keys on your keyboard that temporarily modify the normal action of another key when pressed together. By themselves, modifier keys usually do nothing; that is, pressing any of the ⇧ Shift, Alt, or Ctrl keys alone does not generally trigger any action from the computer.

Modifier keys on dual layout keyboards
While the Windows layout has an Alt key on either side of the space bar, macOS has a CMD key in the same positions. On a dual layout keyboard, the keys next to the space bar can do both the Alt and CMD actions, depending on what OS the keyboard is connected to. The label on these keys mention both OS-specific functions they can perform, separated by a line.

Key label color/format
Depending on the language layout of the keyboard, some symbols are accessed by pressing certain keys with dedicated modifiers. These key+modifier combinations can be identified by the similar color or text formats printed on them.

Example:

The @ sign is reserved for macOS. It is accessed by pressing the OPT key together with the L key. The µ symbol is reserved for Windows and is accessed by pressing ALT GR and M simultaneously.

For example, in the image above the keys outlined in yellow have symbols that are bold and on the left to indicate they are used by the specific OS. The keys that are outlined in blue have symbols on the right and aren’t in bold, indicating they are used by a different OS.

What do you want to do today?

Smart Actions in the Logi Options+ App is a new feature. It gives you the power to skip repetitive actions by automating multiple tasks with a single keystroke so you can streamline your workflow.

Click here to learn more about Smart Actions.

MX Keys S comes with three new F row keys.

1 – Dictation
2 – Emoji
3 – Mute/unmute microphone

Dictation

The dictation key lets you convert speech-to-text in active text fields (notes, email, and so on). Simply press and start speaking.

Emoji

You can quickly access emojis by pressing the emoji key.

Mute/unmute microphone

You can mute your microphone with a simple press during video conferencing calls. To enable the key, download Logi Options+ here.

On macOS, the Play/Pause and media control buttons by default, launch and control the macOS native Music app. The default functions of keyboard media control buttons are defined and set by macOS itself and therefore cannot be set in Logitech Options+.

If any other media player is already launched and running, for example, playing music or a movie onscreen or minimized, pressing the media control buttons will control the launched app and not the Music app.

If you wish your preferred media player to be used with the keyboard media control buttons it must be launched and running.

We’ve identified a few cases where devices aren’t detected in the Logitech Options+ software or where the device fails to recognize customizations made in the Options+ software (however, the devices do work in out-of-box mode with no customizations).

Most of the time this happens when macOS is upgraded from Mojave to Catalina/BigSur or when interim versions of macOS are released. To resolve the problem, you can enable permissions manually. Please follow the steps below to remove the existing permissions and then add the permissions. You should then restart the system to allow the changes to take effect.

• Remove existing permissions
• Add the permissions

Remove existing permissions

To remove the existing permissions:

1. Close Logitech Options+ software.
2. Go to System Preferences -> Security & Privacy. Click the Privacy tab, and then click Accessibility.
3. Uncheck Logi Options+.
4. Click on Logi Options+ and then click on the minus sign ‘–’ .
5. Click on Input Monitoring.
6. Uncheck Logi Options+.
7. Click on Logi Options+ and then click on the minus sign ‘–’.

Add the permissions

To add the permissions:

1. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Click the Privacy tab and then click Input Monitoring.
2. Check Logi Options+ and click Quit Now.
3. In Security & Privacy, on the Privacy tab, click on Accessibility.
4. Check Logi Options+ and click the lock key for authentication.
5. Restart the system.
6. Launch the Logi Options+ software and then customize your device.
   

Your keyboard has by default access to the Media and Hotkeys such as Volume Up, Play/Pause, Desktop view, and so on.

If you prefer to have direct access to your F-keys simply press Fn + Esc on your keyboard to swap them.

You can download Logitech Options+ to get on-screen notifications when you swap from one to the other. Find the software here.

Logitech Options+ is supported on Windows and Mac only.

You can find out more about Logitech Options+ features here.

To pair your device to a second computer:

1. Plug the Logi Bolt receiver into a USB port.
2. Open Logitech Options, and select: Add devices > Add a Bolt Device and follow the on-screen instructions.

Once paired, a short press on the Easy-Switch button will allow you to switch channels.

The two most common Logitech keyboards are mechanical and membrane, with the primary difference being how the key activates the signal that is sent to your computer.

With membrane, the activation is made between the membrane surface and circuit board and these keyboards can be susceptible to ghosting. When certain multiple keys (usually three or more*) are pressed simultaneously, not all of the keystrokes will appear and one or more may disappear ( ghosted).

An example would be if you would type XML very rapidly but don’t release the X key before pressing the M key and subsequently press the L key, then only X and L would appear.

Logitech Craft, MX Keys and the K860 are membrane keyboards and may experience ghosting. If this is a concern we would recommend to try a mechanical keyboard instead.

*Pressing two modifier keys (Left Ctrl, Right Ctrl, Left Alt, Right Alt, Left Shift, Right Shift and Left Win) together with one regular key should still work as expected.

If your MX Keyboard doesn’t turn on the keyboard backlight after you wake it up, we recommend updating the firmware using the instructions below:

1. Download the latest Firmware Update Tool from the download page.
2. If your mouse or keyboard is connected to a Unifying receiver, follow these steps. Otherwise, skip to step 3.
   1. Make sure to use the Unifying receiver that originally came with your keyboard/mouse.
   2. If your keyboard/mouse uses batteries, please take the batteries out and put them back in or try replacing them.
   3. Unplug the Unifying receiver and reinsert it into the USB port.
   4. Turn off and on the keyboard/mouse using the power button/slider.
   5. Press any button on the keyboard/mouse to wake up the device.
   6. Launch the downloaded Firmware Update Tool and follow the on-screen instructions.
   7. If your keyboard/mouse still does not work, please reboot your computer and repeat the steps at least two more times.
3. If your mouse or keyboard is connected using Bluetooth and is still paired to your Windows or macOS computer:
   1. Turn off and on your computer’s Bluetooth or reboot your computer.
   2. Turn off and on the keyboard/mouse using the power button/slider.
   3. Launch the downloaded Firmware Update Tool and follow the on-screen instructions.
   4. If your keyboard/mouse still does not work, please reboot your computer and repeat the steps at least two more times.
4. If your mouse or keyboard is connected using Bluetooth but is no longer paired:
   1. Remove the Bluetooth pairing from the computer (if any).
   2. Unplug the Unifying receiver (if any).
   3. Launch the downloaded Firmware Update Tool and follow the on-screen instructions.
   4. On the ‘connect receiver’ window, press any button on the keyboard or mouse to wake up the device.
   5. The devices will be connected and the firmware update should proceed.

If the issue persists, please contact our customer support team.

It is not possible to use one Easy-Switch button to at the same time change both your mouse and keyboard to a different computer/device.

We do understand that this is a feature that a lot of customers would like. If you are switching between Apple macOS and/or Microsoft Windows computers, we offer Flow. Flow allows you to control multiple computers with a Flow-enabled mouse. Flow automatically switches between computers by moving your cursor to the edge of the screen, and the keyboard follows.

In other cases where Flow is not applicable, one Easy-Switch button for both mouse and keyboard might look like a simple answer. However, we cannot guarantee this solution at the moment, as it is not easy to implement.

If your Bluetooth mouse or keyboard does not reconnect after a reboot at the login screen and only reconnects after the login, this might be related to FileVault encryption.

When FileVault is enabled, Bluetooth mice and keyboards will only re-connect after login.

Potential solutions:

• If your Logitech device came with a USB receiver, using it will solve the issue.
• Use your MacBook keyboard and trackpad to login.
• Use a USB keyboard or mouse to login.

Note: This issue is fixed from macOS 12.3 or later on M1. Users with an older version might still experience it.

Your keyboard is equipped with a proximity sensor that detects your hands whenever you come back to type on your keyboard.

Proximity detection will not work when the keyboard is charging — you have to press on a key of the keyboard to turn the backlight on. Turning the keyboard backlight off while charging will help with the charging time.

The backlighting will stay on for five minutes after typing, so if you are in the dark, the keyboard won’t turn off while typing

Once charged and the charging cable removed, the proximity detection will work again.

Your keyboard is equipped with an ambient light sensor that adapts the keyboard backlight according to the brightness of your room.

There are three default levels that are automatically if you do not toggle the keys:

• If the room is dark, the keyboard will set the backlighting to a low level.
• In a bright environment, it will adjust to a high level of backlighting to add more contrast to your environment.
• When the room is too bright, over 200 lux, the backlighting will turn off as the contrast is no longer visible, and it won’t drain your battery unnecessarily.

When you leave your keyboard but keep it on, the keyboard detects when your hands approach and it will turn the backlight back on. The backlighting won’t turn back on if:

• Your keyboard has no more battery, below 10%.
• If the environment you’re in is too bright.
• If you’ve turned it off manually or using Logitech Options software.