Menu key as additional Windows key with Kb options

Trying to get a “Super” key on the right side of my keyboard.

The problem

The Hyprland tiling Wayland compositor uses the Windows key as a part of most of its keyboard commands. The Windows key is referred to as the “Super” key. E.g., to the command to switch to a new workspace is “Super + <workspace number>”. The positioning of the Windows key on my keyboard (most keyboards(?)) leads to some awkward hand movements. To fix the issue, I want to add an additional Windows key on the right side of the keyboard.

Configuring the Menu key to act as an additional Windows key

On (most (?)) Linux systems, use XKB (X Keyboard Extension) to handle keyboard layouts: The XKB Configuration Guide . It defines mappings between keys and characters/actions.

Hyprland kb_options setting

Hyprland exposes the XKB XkbOptions setting through its “Input” variables configuration: https://wiki.hypr.land/Configuring/Variables/#input . Here’s how I configured Hyprland to use the “Menu” key as an additional “Windows” key:

input {
  # ...

  # This literally swaps the alt and windows keys!
  # kb_options = altwin:swap_alt_win

  # Make the Menu key an additional Windows key
  kb_options = altwin:menu_win

  # ...
}