Show Keys: A Complete Guide to Displaying Keyboard Shortcuts

Best Apps to Show Keys During Presentations and TutorialsWhen you’re teaching software, recording tutorials, or presenting live demonstrations, displaying the keys you press on-screen helps viewers follow along quickly. Showing keystrokes improves clarity, reduces confusion, and makes your content accessible to learners who rely on visual cues. This guide reviews the best apps across platforms, explains how to choose the right tool, and offers setup tips and practical workflows.

Why show keys?

• Improves comprehension: Viewers can match on-screen actions with instructions.
• Reduces repetition: You can demonstrate once while learners replicate steps.
• Enhances accessibility: Helps viewers who cannot hear narration or prefer visual guidance.
• Professional appearance: Clear keystroke overlays make videos and live demos look polished.

What to look for in a “show keys” app

Consider these features when choosing an app:

• Low CPU/GPU overhead for smooth recordings and presentations.
• Customizable appearance (font, size, color, opacity, position).
• Support for modifier keys (Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Cmd) and multi-key combos.
• Ability to display mouse clicks and pointer highlights.
• System compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux) and integration with recording/presentation tools.
• Hotkey to toggle visibility during live demos.
• Option to filter which keys appear (e.g., hide repeated typing).

Top apps by platform

Cross-platform / Browser-based

• Keycastr (macOS open-source; also useful under Wine on Linux with tweaks) — lightweight, simple key overlay; customizable, free.
• Screenkey (Linux) — open-source, configurable, stable for screen recordings; supports themes and modifiers.
• Carnac (Windows open-source) — displays key presses and mouse clicks; themes and filtering.

macOS

• KeyCastr — lightweight open-source app for showing keystrokes. Simple UI, customizable themes, low overhead.
• Mouseposé — paid, polished tool that highlights keys and mouse actions, plus pointer spotlighting for live demos.
• Presentify — combines annotation tools with keystroke display and screen dimming; useful for live teaching.

Windows

• Carnac — open-source, popular for recording tutorials; shows key presses and mouse clicks; supports multiple layouts and theming.
• NohBoard — highly customizable on-screen keyboard visualizer; great for gaming streams and tutorials where exact key positions matter.
• ScreenToGif — primarily a screen recorder but includes tools to show keyboard and mouse actions during capture (useful as an all-in-one solution).

Linux

• Screenkey — the go-to open-source utility for showing keystrokes on X11; configurable and scriptable.
• Key-mon — older but functional; shows keys and mouse clicks as overlay; works well for screencasts.
• Onboard + custom overlays — for accessibility-focused setups, Onboard (on-screen keyboard) can be combined with compositor settings to create visible input cues.

Comparison table

Setup tips for clear keystroke display

• Position: Place overlays near the action but not blocking important UI elements (lower-left or bottom center usually works).
• Size & contrast: Use large, high-contrast text so keys remain readable even on small thumbnails.
• Filter noisy input: Enable settings to collapse repeated typing or hide non-essential keys (e.g., Caps Lock).
• Show modifiers clearly: Display combos like Ctrl+C as a single unit rather than separate key flashes.
• Use animation sparingly: Subtle fades are fine; large animations distract.
• Test with recording software: Ensure the overlay works with OBS, Camtasia, QuickTime, or your recorder of choice and doesn’t get captured behind hardware-accelerated windows.
• Hotkey toggle: Set a quick shortcut to show/hide the overlay during unexpected on-screen moments.

Workflow examples

• Recording a tutorial (Windows): Use Carnac + OBS. Configure Carnac to show combos and mouse clicks, position overlay at bottom center, record with OBS at 60 FPS if demonstrating fast typing or shortcuts.
• Live teaching (macOS): Use Presentify for keystrokes and on-screen annotation. Keep overlay semi-transparent and toggle visibility between sections.
• Linux screencast: Run Screenkey with a theme that matches your terminal/editor color scheme. Pipe audio narration through a headset to avoid ambient noise.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Overlay not visible in recording: Some apps are hidden by hardware acceleration. Disable GPU acceleration in the app you’re recording (e.g., browser) or enable “capture third-party overlays” in OBS settings.
• High CPU usage: Reduce font rendering effects, lower capture framerate, or switch to a lighter tool like KeyCastr/Screenkey.
• Incorrect key detection: Check for conflicting global hotkeys; run the app with elevated permissions if keys from elevated apps aren’t captured.
• Missing modifiers on macOS: Ensure the app has Accessibility permission in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.

Accessibility and inclusivity considerations

• Add captions or a brief on-screen legend for viewer clarity (e.g., “Ctrl = Control, ⌘ = Command”).
• Use high-contrast themes for viewers with low vision.
• Consider adding slower playback or step-by-step overlays for neurodiverse learners.

Final recommendations

• For macOS: try KeyCastr (free) for simple needs or Presentify/Mouseposé for polished live teaching.
• For Windows: Carnac is the best free starting point; use NohBoard if you need an exact on-screen keyboard layout.
• For Linux: Screenkey is the established open-source choice.

Choose a tool that balances performance and readability for your audience. Test settings before a live session and record a short sample to confirm visibility and performance.