Engram

Engram is a hand-designed layout that, uniquely, fills the center columns with symbol keys to minimize lateral stretches.

Versions

Engram

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10
Usage	6.00% (P54)	7.46% (P48)	12.04% (P67)	15.38% (P89)	17.5%	13.30% (P74)	12.60% (P64)	7.76% (P24)	3.88% (P18)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	1.69% (P81)	0.28% (P95)	1.09% (P37)	1.85% (P21)
Skipgram	4.45% (P37)	0.23% (P44)	1.94% (P31)	4.11% (P34)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.82% (P57)	0.80% (P57)
Weak Redirects	0.27% (P33)	0.13% (P40)
Other Same Finger	18.94% (P56)	12.88% (P74)
Rolls : Alts	1.53 (P43)	1.38 (P25)
2-Roll In : Out	2.04 (P72)	1.44 (P69)
3-Roll In : Out	5.07 (P71)	2.26 (P67)

Author

Arno Klein

Year

2025

Finger Map

Traditional

Official Website

Engram

base

shift

Finger	1	2	3	4	5	7	8	9	10
Usage	4.51% (P27)	7.43% (P40)	15.62% (P91)	10.73% (P18)	17.5%	12.90% (P69)	11.82% (P33)	8.68% (P46)	6.73% (P38)

	Same Finger	Full Scissor	Half Scissor	Lat. Stretch
Bigram	1.14% (P74)	0.08% (P36)	0.67% (P6)	1.71% (P17)
Skipgram	4.94% (P49)	0.22% (P41)	2.42% (P63)	3.97% (P31)

	No Thumbs	With Thumbs
Weak-ish Redirs.	0.50% (P36)	0.57% (P31)
Weak Redirects	0.64% (P76)	0.30% (P79)
Other Same Finger	19.13% (P61)	12.48% (P64)
Rolls : Alts	1.34 (P14)	1.36 (P19)
2-Roll In : Out	2.29 (P81)	1.77 (P81)
3-Roll In : Out	7.61 (P78)	5.14 (P85)

Author

Arno Klein

Year

2021

Finger Map

Traditional

Official Website

Install

Kanata

Kanata is a keyboard remapper that works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

1. Install Kanata by following “Step 1: Set Up Kanata” in Nova’s Kanata setup guide:

   Step 1: Set Up Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

2. Download the Kanata config file for the desired version of Engram:

   Engram (v2025.10.31)

   Engram (v2.0)

3. Make sure you know how to type your computer password using Engram.

   Caution

   Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using Engram, look up Engram on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.

4. Run Kanata with the downloaded config file and make sure the layout works as you expect:

   kanata --cfg path/to/config.kbd

5. To have Engram activate whenever your computer starts up, follow the instructions to “Automatically start Kanata”:

   Automatically start Kanata (Kanata Guide for Alt Layouts)

macOS

There are two downloads available for macOS:

Method	Admin Required	Notes
Native	Optional	Does not require 3rd party key remapping software. Admin is required to install for all users and use on first login.
Karabiner-Elements	Yes	Requires 3rd party key remapping software, including the installation of a Driver Extension. Allows for remapping of only specific keyboards.

Native

1. Download the .keylayout file for the desired version of Engram:

   Engram (v2025.10.31)

   Engram (v2.0)

2. Install the .keylayout file:

   Single User

   Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts. Create the folder if it does not exist.

   All Users

   Copy the downloaded .keylayout file to /Library/Keyboard Layouts.

   Note

   By default, macOS hides the “Library” folder. To navigate to it in Finder, open the Go to Folder dialog (Go → Go to Folder… in the menubar, or Command-Shift-G) and type in the path shown above.

3. Restart macOS.

4. Open System Settings.

5. Go to Keyboard → Text Input → Input Sources → Edit… and add your new Engram layout.

6. Press the “+” button at the bottom left.

7. Search for “Engram,” select your new layout, and press Add.

Note

If you forget how to type your password on Engram and get stuck on the Lock Screen, you can switch to your old layout using the Input menu at the top of the screen.

Karabiner-Elements

1. Install Karabiner-Elements:

   Karabiner-Elements

2. Download the Karabiner rule file for the desired version of Engram:

   Engram (v2025.10.31)

   Engram (v2.0)

3. In Karabiner-Elements Settings, go to “Complex Modifications,” then press “Add predefined rule” at the top.

4. Make sure you know how to type your computer password using Engram.

   Caution

   Skipping this step will lock you out of your computer. If you forget how to type your password using Engram, look up Engram on another device, such as a phone, when unlocking the computer.

5. Scroll down to the “Engram” section and enable the rule you want.

   “All keyboards” remaps Engram onto all keyboards while connected to this computer. Select this reason unless you want to exclude some keyboards from remapping.

   “Built-in keyboard only” remaps your device's built-in keyboard, as well as any other keyboard for which “Treat as built-in keyboard” (under the “Devices” section) is enabled. Select this option if you plan to map Engram onto an external keyboard using custom firmware.

6. To use Engram on the password entry screen before logging in, follow the official instructions:

   How to enable before login