AZERTY Keyboard Layout

AZERTY is a specific keyboard layout used primarily in France, Belgium, and several French-speaking African nations. Unlike the standard QWERTY layout used in English-speaking countries, AZERTY is tailored to the linguistic requirements of the French language, providing direct access to accented characters such as 'è', 'é', 'ç', and 'à'. Its history dates back to the late 19th century as a variation of the early typewriter layouts.

Today, AZERTY keyboards are produced globally by major hardware manufacturers like Logitech, Dell, and Apple to serve regional markets. While the layout itself is a standard rather than a single branded product, it remains the cultural and professional norm in Francophone regions. Ownership of the standard's definition is managed by organizations such as AFNOR (Association Française de Normalisation) in France to ensure typing efficiency and modern compatibility.