Limelight

Show your keystrokes on screen on a Mac

If you make tutorials or screencasts, viewers constantly wonder "what did you just press?" Limelight shows the keys you press on screen, live, with one hotkey — so every shortcut is visible.

macOS has no built-in way to display the keys you press. For a tutorial that teaches shortcuts, that is a real problem: the audience sees a result but never the keystroke that caused it. They rewind, guess, or give up.

Limelight fixes this. Press ⌃⌥2 and every shortcut you hit — ⌘C, ⌘⇧P, ⌥↑ — appears as a clean, large badge at the bottom of your screen, then fades. It runs as a lightweight menu-bar app and works on top of any application, so it pairs with QuickTime, OBS, Screen Studio, Zoom, anything.

To keep recordings clean, it only shows shortcut combinations (anything with ⌘/⌥/⌃) and special keys — not your normal typing — so you can teach shortcuts without exposing what you write.

Why Limelight

  • One global hotkey (⌃⌥2) toggles the on-screen keystroke display
  • Shows shortcuts and special keys, hides normal typing — clean recordings
  • Works over any app — no recording or screen capture of its own
  • Native SwiftUI, Apple-notarized, runs in the menu bar
Try it free — download

7-day free trial · no card required · macOS 14+

Or buy now — $9 one-time · See how it works →

One-time payment, no subscription. 7-day free trial, then $9 (launch price, regular $15). macOS 14+, notarized by Apple.

FAQ

Does macOS show keystrokes on screen by default?
No. macOS has no built-in keystroke display. Limelight adds it as a global hotkey overlay that works in any app.
Will it show everything I type?
No — it shows shortcut combinations and special keys, not normal typing, to keep your recordings clean.
Does it record my screen?
No. Limelight is a live overlay only. Use it alongside any recorder like QuickTime, OBS, or Screen Studio.

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