KeyStruck
A floating glass HUD names every keyboard shortcut you fire — so you don't have to squint at the menu-bar flash to confirm. Double-tap ⌘ and KeyStruck shows you every shortcut the active app has bound.
Or pick it up in a bundle with over twenty other apps. Also available on Setapp.
What it does
Names every shortcut
Hit any keyboard shortcut bound to a menu item — Save, Quit, Reload, anything — and KeyStruck flashes the action's name in a floating capsule. No more "wait, did that fire?"
Glass that fits the OS
Real frosted-glass HUD with a specular highlight, inner-curve shadow, and edge fresnel — the way a macOS overlay should look. Auto-flips light/dark for contrast against your UI.
Cheat sheet on demand
Double-tap ⌘ and hold the second press for half a second. KeyStruck lists every ⌘-shortcut the active app has bound, grouped by menu. Add ⇧, ⌥, or ⌃ while holding to filter to that combination. Click any row to fire the action.
- Reads the action from your menu. Uses the macOS Accessibility API to pick up menu titles from the frontmost app — works in any native app whose menus are AX-exposed.
- Cheat-sheet rows are clickable. Click any shortcut to fire its menu action without touching the keyboard. KeyStruck doesn't steal focus from the source app — the action lands where you want it.
- Optional shortcut prefix. Display "⌘S Save" or just "Save" — your call. Special keys (arrows, F-keys, return, escape) are formatted as you'd expect.
- Light, dark, or auto. Auto picks the opposite of your system mode, so the capsule always contrasts your UI.
- Frosted glass or flat fill. Translucent vibrancy by default; switch to a solid capsule with adjustable opacity if you prefer something simpler.
- Pop animation, sound, position. Optional spring-scale entrance, six built-in macOS sounds, seven screen positions.
- Exclude apps or shortcuts. Suppress the HUD in apps where you don't want it (your password manager, your editor, whatever). Or define specific shortcuts to ignore — ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ chips plus the key, scoped Everywhere or to one app.
- Stays out of the way. Lives quietly in the menu bar — or hide it entirely. Optional Start at login. Featherweight pure SwiftUI + AppKit; tiny binary, instant launch, no background services.
Screenshots
Get KeyStruck
Free trial, then a one-time license. Requires macOS 13 or later. Auto-updates via Sparkle. Buying more than one app? KeyStruck is included in my bundles, along with over twenty other apps. Also available on Setapp.
Download free trialSupport
Questions, bug reports, or feature requests? Email ben.dansby@gmail.com and you’ll get a reply, usually within a day or two.
For how-to documentation, see the KeyStruck documentation.
For privacy questions, see the privacy policy.