GlowKeys: Keystroke Visualizer for Mac Screencasts

GlowKeys: Keystroke Visualizer

Show every key you press right on screen - so viewers can follow the shortcut instead of guessing what just happened.

Built for screencasts, tutorials, live streams, and classrooms. Six themes, typing sounds, click ripples, and a shortcuts-only mode that stays out of the way. Everything runs on-device - nothing you type ever leaves your Mac.

macOS Six themes Typing sounds On-device

Everything a Screencast Needs

Your audience sees the shortcut the moment you press it - no narration, no rewinding, no "wait, what did you just do?"

Show Every Keystroke

Every key you press appears as a clean, readable overlay - modifiers, letters, arrows, and function keys included.

Shortcuts-Only Mode

Hide ordinary typing and surface just the shortcuts, so the overlay never gets in the way while you write.

Six Overlay Themes

Pick a look that matches your recording - from bold neon to a subtle, minimal style that blends into any UI.

Typing Sounds

Optional mechanical key sounds add tactile feedback to silent screen recordings and live demos.

Follow the Cursor

Anchor the overlay to your pointer so it stays where the action is, instead of parked in a fixed corner.

Click Ripples

Mouse clicks get a visible ripple, so viewers can tell a click from a keypress at a glance.

Works Fullscreen

The overlay floats above fullscreen apps and Spaces - Keynote, Xcode, Final Cut, anything you present in.

Typing Stats

See your keystroke counts and most-used shortcuts, handy for tuning a workflow or a lesson plan.

Menu Bar Control

Start, stop, and switch modes from the menu bar without breaking your recording or your train of thought.

Built for People Who Teach on Screen

If your audience needs to reproduce what you just did, they need to see the keys.

Course & Tutorial Creators

Record once and skip the "press Command-Shift-4" narration - the overlay says it for you, in every clip.

Streamers & Presenters

Live viewers follow along in real time, and chat stops asking which shortcut you used.

Teachers & Support Teams

Demo a workflow to a class or a colleague and let them copy the keys straight off the screen.

Perfect For

Course creators recording macOS tutorials where every shortcut has to be reproducible.
Streamers and presenters whose audience follows along live.
Teachers demonstrating software to a class or a lab.
Support teams recording a fix once and sending it to everyone who asks.
Developers showing off an editor workflow at a meetup or in a conference talk.

What Makes It Different

Shortcuts-only mode: show the commands that matter and hide the typing that does not.
Follows your cursor: the overlay goes where the action is, not to a fixed corner.
Click ripples: viewers can tell a click apart from a keypress instantly.
Fullscreen ready: floats above fullscreen apps and Spaces without breaking your recording.
100% on-device: keystrokes are drawn, never stored, never uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

What does it show on screen?

Every keystroke and shortcut as you press it, with six overlay themes, optional typing sounds and click ripples. There is also a shortcuts-only mode when raw typing would just be noise.

Does it work in full-screen recordings?

Yes, and the overlay can follow the cursor so it stays near the action rather than fixed in one corner.

Will it capture passwords I type?

The overlay draws what is typed, so treat it like any screen recording: switch it off, or use shortcuts-only mode, before entering credentials on camera.

Which platform does it run on?

macOS. See showing keystrokes on screen for setup context.

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