Which firmware
Svalboard boards run one of two firmwares. Svalboard QMK, configured with Keybard, is the current firmware and the main track of these docs. Svalboard’s Vial firmware is legacy.
| Svalboard QMK (current) | Svalboard’s Vial firmware (legacy) | |
|---|---|---|
| Firmware | svalboard/qmk release vLaunch2 |
svalboard/vial-qmk release v2025-11-01 |
| File names | ..._sval_vLaunch2.uf2 |
..._vial_v2025-11-01.uf2 |
| Configure with | Keybard: https://keybard.svalboard.com | Vial (https://vial.rocks or the desktop app), or legacy Keybard |
| Layout backup file | .svil |
.vil |
Check your board
Section titled “Check your board”Open https://keybard.svalboard.com in Chrome or Edge and choose Connect Keyboard.
- If Keybard shows your layout, you are on Svalboard QMK. See Keybard and What’s new compared with Vial.
- If Keybard shows Update your Svalboard’s firmware and says the board is running the old Vial firmware, you are on Vial. To update, see Moving from Vial. To stay on Vial, see Vial firmware (legacy).
Svalboard QMK and Keybard
Section titled “Svalboard QMK and Keybard”Svalboard QMK is the current firmware, svalboard/qmk, release vLaunch2. You configure it with Keybard in your browser. The keyboard stores and runs your setup, so you can close Keybard and keep typing.
- Keybard, stable: https://keybard.svalboard.com
- Keybard, bleeding edge: https://next.keybard.svalboard.com, built from every change. Use it to try new features early.
Keybard needs Chrome or Edge on a desktop. Firefox and Safari can’t connect to the keyboard. You can open layout files without a board.
How these docs are organized
Section titled “How these docs are organized”- Hardware: the halves, fit, typing, pointing modules and troubleshooting. These apply to every Svalboard.
- Firmware: flashing, Svalboard QMK files and recovery, the bleeding-edge firmware, and moving between Vial and Svalboard QMK.
- Keybard: the configurator, layer lights, and the Keybard Host overlay.
- Vial (legacy): for boards that stay on Vial.