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             AppBITS: Visualize Clicks and Keystrokes with KeyCastr

   Adam Engst

   One thing I find awkward about demonstrating software is that I often
   have to force myself to rely more on the mouse than usual. Typically, I
   use the keyboard more than my mouse (which is actually a Contour Design
   RollerMouse Pro connected to my 27-inch iMac or the trackpad on my M1
   MacBook Air), but during demonstrations, people struggle to follow
   along when I press keyboard shortcuts. Even when I try to use the mouse
   pointer so that people can see me clicking buttons and choosing items
   from menus, they sometimes have difficulty pinpointing where I clicked.

   For my next presentation, I plan to use a free and open-source
   keystroke visualizer called[1]KeyCastr. In my testing so far, it seems
   to provide the core features I need, displaying keystrokes in a
   customizable lozenge and indicating mouse clicks with a circle around
   the pointer, as in the Audio Hijack drag shown below.

   If the circle around the pointer isn't sufficient, KeyCastr can display
   a visualizer (a picture of a Magic Mouse) or both. The default
   visualizer seems excessive for mouse clicks in most situations since
   the circle is clear, but I'm sure there are cases where it's useful.
   (KeyCastr's alternative Svelte visualizer is smaller and combines keys
   and clicks'it may be too subtle for some.)

   For keystrokes, the default visualizer shows a lozenge that you can
   drag to your desired location and customize with your preferred font
   size, bezel color, and text color. You can configure KeyCastr to
   display command keys, all modified keys (which includes Shift), or all
   keys. Additional options allow you to adjust the linger time and fade
   duration. If you wish to display all the text you're typing, extend the
   line break delay so each key appears to the right of the previous one
   instead of stacking on top of one another.

   General options let you put KeyCastr in the menu bar, Dock, or both,
   and set a keyboard shortcut to toggle its 'casting' on and off. I'm
   just quitting the app entirely until the next time I need to
   demonstrate how to accomplish some task during a presentation.

   KeyCastr is compatible with macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later. It needs
   permission to monitor keyboard input while you're using other apps. On
   the first launch, you'll be prompted to provide this in System Settings
   > Privacy & Security > Input Monitoring.

   One final note: If you're unfamiliar with downloading software from
   GitHub, go to the[2]Releasespage and look for the KeyCastr.app.zip link
   under the latest release. Download and unzip the file, then drag
   KeyCastr into your Applications folder.

   If KeyCastr doesn't offer all the features you need, commercial
   alternatives include[3]Keystroke Proand[4]Mouseposé.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://github.com/keycastr/keycastr
   2. https://github.com/keycastr/keycastr/releases
   3. https://appahead.studio/apps/keystroke-pro/
   4. https://boinx.com/mousepose/

   Hidden links:
   5. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/03/KeyCastr.png
   6. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/03/KeyCastr-display.png
   7. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2025/03/KeyCastr-general.png

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