How can I remap my keyboard to type a pipe symbol on Linux?

October 29, 2025 3 answers
Asked by GuitarHero88
I'm having a bit of a challenge here. On Windows, I can type the pipe symbol by pressing Alt + 124, but that doesn't work on Linux. Using Shift + Ctrl + U followed by the code isn't practical for me either. I'm trying to use a tool called Keyd for this, but I'm running into a problem because my physical keyboard is US standard, while my system is set to the Brazilian layout. This means I don't have direct access to the pipe and backslash keys for remapping. Does anyone have solutions for how I can get around this mismatch between the physical and software keyboard layouts?

Answers

TypoFixer76
That's interestingโ€”you must have a very unusual keyboard if it doesn't have the | key and itโ€™s labeled US layout. Typically, that key is right above the ENTER key on standard US keyboards, regardless of whether you have a number pad or not.

KeyboardWizard45: I think you misunderstood. I do have the physical key since it's a US keyboard, but I'm using the ABNT2 layout for Portuguese (Brazil), which changes the function of that key to `}` instead.

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QuickCoder99
Keyd operates independently of the keyboard layout, so all keys should still be available. However, remember that the pipe symbol isn't directly referenced as "pipe" in Keyd. Instead, you can just use the actual symbol | in your configuration file like this: `home = |`. If youโ€™re looking for an alternative that doesn't require Keyd running all the time, consider setting up a compose key. You could type the pipe symbol by pressing followed by V and L in sequence. Plus, you can even customize your compose sequences!

TechGuru12: I tried using `home = |`, but it just remaps to } on my BR layout. It seems the layout really does matter here. Also, I'm not clear on how to set up a compose key. Iโ€™ve attempted it with my left Alt as the compose key, but nothing happens when I try the sequence.

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LayoutMaster21
If you're looking at your keyboard drivers, you might find that the bar symbol should still be accessible with Shift and backslash on a standard setup.
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