Show your keystrokes on screen on Mac

How to turn it on

Turn on the Keystroke Display card, or use the Studio list in the menu bar. The hotkey does not switch it on. It pauses and resumes it.

Grant Input Monitoring first. Until you do, the card says Needs Input Monitoring and offers an Open Settings button.

What you can change

• Style: Shortcuts or Full keyboard. The default is Shortcuts.
• The first time you pick Full keyboard, Phosphor asks you to confirm. Cancel keeps Shortcuts.
• Appearance, with Full keyboard: Black or Silver. The default is Black.
• Mouse, with Full keyboard: on or off. The default is on.
• Size and position: set by hand on screen with hover controls to move, resize or close, and remembered for each display.

Hotkey

Control+Option+Command+K pauses and resumes Keystroke Display. You can change it on the card. Pause is never saved, so Keystroke Display starts un-paused each time.

Permissions

Input Monitoring. Without it nothing runs, no prompt appears, and the card shows the Open Settings button. Nothing you press is stored or logged.

Good to know

• Shortcuts style shows a banner only while Command, Control or Option is held. Shift alone counts as typing and shows nothing, and held-down repeats are ignored.
• A banner stays for 1.5 seconds, then fades.
• Full keyboard shows the keys you type and the mouse buttons and scrolling. Mouse movement is never read.
• In a password field, Shortcuts shows nothing and Full keyboard lights no keys.
• With more than one display, the banner appears on the display that holds the cursor and moves when the cursor does.
• It is visible in screen shares, and it ignores typing in Invisible Notes.