Are ABNT2 and the Portugal keyboard the same thing?

No. They are two distinct layouts for the same language. They agree on the essentials, such as a dedicated C-cedilla key and the accent dead keys, but differ in key count, ordinals and the currency symbol.

How many keys does an ABNT2 keyboard have?

Modern versions have 107 keys, against 104 on the original PS/2 variation. The increase comes from fitting 12 keys between the two Shift keys, where the US standard fits only 10.

Can I type C-cedilla and the accents on both layouts?

Yes, and in the same way. Both carry C-cedilla on a dedicated key and the same five dead keys for accents, so ordinary Portuguese text presents no difficulty on either.

What happens if I type on a keyboard without the extra ABNT2 key?

Slash and question mark move elsewhere, which usually costs a few days of errors. On ABNT2 itself those functions are duplicated on AltGr+Q, AltGr+W and AltGr+E for exactly this reason.

Which should I train on for a public examination?

ABNT2, if the exam is in Brazil, because that is the keyboard the room will have. Since the test is scored in keystrokes, any hesitation over a key position costs you twice.

ANSWER

ABNT2 or the Portugal keyboard: what is the difference?

They are two layouts for one language. Both carry a dedicated C-cedilla key and the same five dead keys for accents, so Portuguese prose types equally well on either. What differs is the mechanics: ABNT2 fits 12 keys between the two Shift keys instead of 10, uses 107 keys in modern versions, and handles ordinals and the currency symbol differently.

Test your keyboard on Portuguese text →

Two layouts for one language

Portuguese is written on two different keyboards. Brazil uses ABNT2, defined by the Brazilian standard and fitted to virtually every keyboard sold there. Portugal uses its own layout, which is a different thing. The confusion arises because they look alike at a glance: both put C-cedilla on a dedicated key, unlike Latin American Spanish, and both offer dead keys for the five accents the language needs. Anyone who only writes running text can go years without noticing the difference.

What actually changes

The most concrete difference is mechanical. ABNT2 combines features of ISO 9995-3 with those of the Japanese keyboard in order to fit 12 keys between the left and right Shift, where the US standard fits 10. That is where the 107 keys of modern versions come from, against 104 on the original PS/2 variation. The extra key, carrying slash and question mark, has its functions duplicated on AltGr+Q, AltGr+W and AltGr+E, precisely because not every keyboard has it. Then come details that go unnoticed until they are needed: in Portugal the ordinal indicators have their own key, while in Brazil they are reached with AltGr. The euro is standard on AltGr+E on the Portugal layout, whereas on ABNT2 the symbol sitting on AltGr+C is the old cruzeiro.

What this means for a typing test

For the text itself, almost nothing, and that is worth saying plainly. C-cedilla is one key on both, and the five accents are produced the same way, dead key then vowel. A test passage types equally well on either layout. Where the difference surfaces is in punctuation and symbols, above all that extra ABNT2 key: anyone who learned on it and moves to a keyboard without it will reach for the slash in the wrong place for days. Because a Brazilian exam is scored in keystrokes rather than words, each such hesitation counts twice, costing time and usually arriving with a wrong key attached.

Which to use

Whichever is in front of you, and preferably always the same one. If you are sitting a Brazilian public exam, train on ABNT2, because that is what the room will have and what the examining board assumes. If you write from Portugal, the Portugal layout is what you will buy and the one that gives you the ordinals without gymnastics. The expensive mistake is not picking one or the other: it is alternating. Muscle memory stores positions, not the names of standards, and two different positions for the same key is the start of a habit that is hard to undo.

Frequently asked questions

Are ABNT2 and the Portugal keyboard the same thing?
+
No. They are two distinct layouts for the same language. They agree on the essentials, such as a dedicated C-cedilla key and the accent dead keys, but differ in key count, ordinals and the currency symbol.
How many keys does an ABNT2 keyboard have?
+
Modern versions have 107 keys, against 104 on the original PS/2 variation. The increase comes from fitting 12 keys between the two Shift keys, where the US standard fits only 10.
Can I type C-cedilla and the accents on both layouts?
+
Yes, and in the same way. Both carry C-cedilla on a dedicated key and the same five dead keys for accents, so ordinary Portuguese text presents no difficulty on either.
What happens if I type on a keyboard without the extra ABNT2 key?
+
Slash and question mark move elsewhere, which usually costs a few days of errors. On ABNT2 itself those functions are duplicated on AltGr+Q, AltGr+W and AltGr+E for exactly this reason.
Which should I train on for a public examination?
+
ABNT2, if the exam is in Brazil, because that is the keyboard the room will have. Since the test is scored in keystrokes, any hesitation over a key position costs you twice.

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