How can I tell exactly what keys are being pressed on the Mac?

Question

At the moment I'm trying to remote control my machine and command and ctrl do not seem to be working properly. Is there some type of 'keyboard sniffer' functionality so I can see exactly what is and is not being received?

I was looking for the same thing, It's called "keystroke visualizer". — Ihab Shoully, Dec 01 '15 at 00:20

score 81 · Accepted Answer · edited May 12 '16 at 10:30

81

I don't know if the built-in keyboard viewer is sophisticated enough, but it should highlight pressed keys.

If you do not see those options, make sure it is checked off under your System Preferences > Keyboard

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There are also apps like Keycastr that display bezel elements for pressed keys.

edited May 12 '16 at 10:30

whaley

199

answered Feb 13 '12 at 09:43

Lri

105,117

no need in terminal. need octal/hex numbers. otherwise you don't know what is being sent. – mathtick Mar 02 '19 at 12:51
4

In 10.15.5 this checkbox appears to be moved to Preferences -> Keyboard -> Input Sources -> "Show Input menu in menu bar" – mathandy Jun 20 '20 at 02:18

score 25 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 13 '12 at 21:18

25

The application Key Codes from Many Tricks, available for free from the App Store, displays the key code, unicode value, and modifier keys state for any key combination pressed on your computer. If you need more extensive information than that provided by the Keyboard Viewer, you might find it helpful.

answered Feb 13 '12 at 21:18

Daniel

34,803

5

I tried Key Codes and it doesn't work for media keys. – Dan Mandle Mar 11 '15 at 22:20
This is exactly what I needed to debug a firmware of int'l keyboard. – epx May 18 '19 at 02:22
Let's try on macOS. – Smeterlink May 20 '20 at 23:21
As @epx highlights, this is very helpful for alternative keyboard layouts, including Dvorak. – Chris Redford Mar 27 '22 at 14:16
For my CLoudnine C959 Egotkl gaming keyboard it doesn't show what I need to change. But it looks like no apps do. – Sridhar Sarnobat Sep 07 '22 at 20:25

score 7 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 28 '21 at 23:27

7

Karabiner Elements includes an Event Viewer that works really well. For example, Apple's Keyboard Viewer just ignores keypad keys; Karabiner-EventViewer shows them.

answered Apr 28 '21 at 23:27

bronson

239

I needed to log which keys are pressed during my daily usage so I know whether I really need a numpad or not. This was very useful for that. Although it does not directly give stats, it allows me to copy it to clipboard. I can then hopefully generate a summary using a program. Thanks. – Danyal Mar 24 '23 at 03:49
1

Update: Karabiner Elements only gives the last 10 or so keypresses. Can't use it for this. – Danyal Mar 24 '23 at 03:54

How can I tell exactly what keys are being pressed on the Mac?

3 Answers3

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