keyviz

Keyviz is a free, open-source desktop tool that shows your keyboard presses and mouse actions on screen in real time. If you are recording a tutorial, giving a presentation, or sharing your screen with a team, Keyviz displays what keys you are pressing so your audience can follow along without guessing.

It handles both keyboard shortcuts and mouse actions. Modifier combinations like holding a system key while clicking, or dragging while holding another key, are shown alongside standard keypresses. Mouse clicks and scroll wheel movements can also appear on screen with a visual indicator near your cursor.

Almost everything about the display is configurable. You can adjust colors separately for modifier keys and regular keys, change the size and layout, add or remove a border and background, and pick where on the screen the overlay appears. There are animation options for how inputs appear and disappear, a history mode that keeps a trail of recent inputs visible, and filtering controls to show only the keys you want.

Installed versions are available for Windows and macOS through the GitHub Releases page. On macOS, the app needs Input Monitoring and Accessibility permissions granted in system settings before it can see your inputs. Linux support exists for systems using the X11 display protocol, though on Linux you currently need to build the app from source rather than downloading a pre-built file. Building from source requires Node.js and Tauri, a framework for building desktop apps with web technologies.

There is also a paid tier called Keyviz Pro for users who want additional features and want to support ongoing development.