How to use Keyware

01

Getting started

Keyware is a single program file. There's no installer and nothing to sign up for.

1. Download

   Click Download for Windows and save Keyware.exe (v1.3.5, 20.2 MB) somewhere you'll find it again, such as your Desktop or a Tools folder. Keyware runs on Windows 10 and 11.

2. First launch: “Windows protected your PC”

   Keyware isn't code-signed yet, so Microsoft Defender SmartScreen may show a blue warning the first time you open it. Click More info, then Run anyway. You only need to do this once.

   Windows protected your PC

   Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.

   More info

   App: Keyware.exe
   Publisher: Unknown publisher

   Run anywayDon't run

3. Turn it on

   The window opens with a few sample bindings so you can see how things look. Keyware stays off until you switch it on: click the status dot next to the KEYWARE title (green means on), or save a binding, which turns Keyware on automatically.

   

The Keyware window

1. 1
   Status dot. Green when Keyware is on. Click to toggle.
2. 2
   Profiles. Global, Gaming, Browser, Code and any you add. Select one to see its bindings.
3. 3
   Bindings. Every shortcut in the selected profile, with a switch to enable or disable it, plus Edit, Run and delete.
4. 4
   Quick binder. Where you create shortcuts, in Manual or Text mode.
5. 5
   Log. What Keyware did and why. Hide it with Hide log. It's also saved to %APPDATA%\Keyware\keyware.log.
6. 6
   Settings gear. Opens Settings: sounds, Dry run, Start with Windows, the leader key, your own AI key and feedback. Back returns to your bindings.

The tray icon

Closing the window doesn't quit Keyware. It keeps running in the system tray (the area by the clock; click the ^ arrow if you don't see the keyboard icon). Right-click the icon for:

02

Triggers: how a key fires

Every binding has a trigger. Pick one in the Quick binder's trigger dropdown.

Tip. Tap, Hold and multi-tap only apply when no modifier is held, so Ctrl P still prints even if you've bound Hold P. Turn on Audio ticks at hold tiers in Settings to hear when a hold has lasted long enough.

Tap vs hold: two jobs on one key

Pick the Hold trigger, choose what holding does, then pick what a quick tap does under Tap. The tap can type the key as normal, do nothing, send another key or shortcut, open a URL or app, or type text.

• Time. With a Tap action the hold starts from 100 ms (200 ms is a good default). Press longer than that and it counts as a hold.
• Keep the keys held. When the hold action is a key combo such as Ctrl, tick Keep the keys down while I hold and the key acts as Ctrl for as long as you hold it, so Caps Lock + C copies. Pressing another key while it's down counts as a hold straight away, so fast typing works.
• No lag anywhere else. Only keys that have a hold action wait to see if you're tapping or holding. Every other key types instantly.

In Text mode you can just say it: “tap caps lock for escape, hold it for ctrl”.

The Copilot key and Caps Lock

Copilot key

Many new laptops have a Copilot key where Right Ctrl used to be. Inside, it presses Win Shift F23 all at once, which is why most remappers can't bind it on its own. Keyware recognises that burst as one key called Copilot key:

1. Press Capture in the Quick binder and press the Copilot key. It records as Copilot key.
2. Pick any action, or use the Hold trigger for separate tap and hold actions.
3. Save. While the binding is on, Copilot or Search no longer opens, and Win and Shift don't leak or stick. Other Win Shift shortcuts, like Win Shift S, keep working.

Built into Windows. If you only want it to open Search, Copilot or one app, you don't need Keyware: go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Keyboard › Customize Copilot key. Newer Windows 11 updates also offer Right Ctrl and the Context menu key there. Set it back to the default if you'd rather Keyware handle the key, because Windows' choice runs first.

Good to know: a few keyboards send the Copilot key differently, and it may not be recognised there. Keyware can't see it in windows running as administrator, and if the binding is off or paused the key does what Windows normally does.

Caps Lock

Bind Caps Lock like any other key: tap for Esc and hold for Ctrl, open an app, or choose Do nothing to turn it off. While it's bound, pressing it doesn't switch on capitals, and if the Caps Lock light was on when you bound it, Keyware turns it off once. Shift Caps Lock still toggles capitals when you need them.

Macropads and stream decks

Macropads and stream decks are great with Keyware because their buttons can send keys no normal keyboard has, so they never clash with your typing.

1. Set the pad to send F13 to F24. In the pad's own software (VIA, QMK, or the maker's app), give each button a keyboard key from F13 to F24. For more buttons, use Ctrl F13, Alt F13 and so on.
2. Record the button in Keyware. Press Capture and press the pad button. It records as F13, F14 and so on.
3. Bind it per app. Make a profile for each app and give the same button a different job in each one.

Stream deck apps that can send a hotkey work the same way: set the button to send F13 to F24 and bind it in Keyware. Text mode knows these apps too: “F13 in OBS starts recording”.

03 · Organize your keys

Organize your keys with Profiles

A profile is a group of bindings for one part of your day: Gaming, School, Coding, whatever you need. The same key can do something different in each one, and Keyware switches between them on its own when you change windows.

1. 1
   Your profiles. Click one to see and edit its bindings. The highlighted profile is the one you're editing.
2. 2
   + Profile adds a new group. Edit live profile jumps to whichever profile is active right now.
3. 3
   Name and apps. The profile's name and the programs that switch it on. Global says “Every other window”.

The built-in profiles

• Global works in every window. Put shortcuts you want everywhere here.
• Gaming switches on when a game is in front. Out of the box it covers Minecraft (javaw.exe, minecraft.exe); add your own games' .exe names. Called “Minecraft” in earlier versions. It's renamed to Gaming automatically when you update.
• Browser for Chrome, Edge, Firefox and friends.
• Code for your editor, such as VS Code (Code.exe).

How switching works

Keyware checks the window in front about twice a second. App profiles add to Global, so your everyday shortcuts keep working. If an app profile uses the same trigger as a Global binding, the app's version wins while that app is in front, and Keyware shows a short note when you save.

Make your own, e.g. a School profile

1. Click + Profile and name it School.
2. In the apps field, list the programs it's for, for example WINWORD.EXE, ONENOTE.EXE or Teams.exe. (Task Manager → Details shows a program's exact name.)
3. Leave Enabled on and press Save. With School selected, add its bindings in the Quick binder.

Turn a whole profile off with its Enabled switch, for example during exams or a tournament, without deleting anything.

04

Manual mode

Manual is the Quick binder's default view. You choose every field yourself.

1. Pick the profile on the left that the binding belongs to.
2. Optional: type a Label such as “Open YouTube”.
3. Click Click here, then press the keys (or Capture) and press the key or combo you want. You can also type it, like Ctrl + Shift + R.
4. Choose the trigger: Tap, Hold, Double-tap, Triple-tap, Chord or Leader.
5. Choose the action and fill in its details.
6. Press Save binding. It works straight away.

To change a binding later, press Edit on its card; to try it without pressing the keys, press Run.

Action types

Six things a key can do. Each card shows a real binding you can copy.

05

Text mode (AI)

Don't want to fill in fields? Switch the Quick binder from Manual to Text and describe what you want in plain words.

1. Type something like “F2 opens YouTube and searches minecraft”.
2. Press Generate (or Ctrl Enter). In a second or two, a Proposed binding card shows the label, trigger, action, details and profile.
3. Happy? Press Save binding. Want to tweak it? Press Edit in Manual. Nothing is saved until you press Save.

One description, several bindings

You can ask for up to 8 bindings in one go. Keyware proposes each one separately so you can review them all before saving.

When it says no

Text mode only makes key bindings. If you type something unrelated, like “write me a poem” or “what's the weather”, you'll see:

That doesn't look like a key binding. Describe what you want your keys to do, like “F9 opens YouTube”.

For your safety it also refuses shell commands and scripts (cmd, PowerShell, .bat…), links that aren't http/https, typing into the Run box, apps with command-line arguments, and the panic chord. If the trigger is already used, you get the normal conflict message.

Free daily limit

Text mode works out of the box with Keyware's free AI. To keep it free for everyone there's a daily limit of 20 requests per PC, reset every day. If you reach it, Keyware says “Daily AI limit reached, try tomorrow or add your own free key” and offers a button to add one. Manual mode is never limited.

Use your own AI key

With your own free key, Text mode talks to the AI directly and Keyware's daily limit doesn't apply. Your key is stored encrypted on your PC with Windows (DPAPI), never in plain text, and it's only ever sent to the AI provider you got it from.

1. Recommended: Google Gemini (free). In Keyware, click the gear (top right) to open Settings, scroll to AI key (optional) and turn on Use my own free key.
2. Press Get a free key. It opens aistudio.google.com/apikey. Sign in with your Google account and click Create API key.
3. Copy the key. A Gemini key starts with AIza.
4. Paste it into Paste your key, press Save, then Test. You should see that the key works.
5. Alternative: Groq (free). Create a key at console.groq.com/keys. It starts with gsk_. Paste, Save and Test it the same way.

Keyware detects which kind of key you pasted and tells you straight away if it doesn't look like a Gemini or Groq key. To go back to Keyware's free AI, turn Use my own free key off.

Privacy. Text mode is the only part of Keyware that goes online for AI. It sends just the sentence you typed (plus a short summary of your existing triggers and profile names) to an AI model so it can draft the binding (through Keyware's server, or straight to Google or Groq if you use your own key). Your keystrokes, bindings and settings never leave your PC. See the privacy statement.

06

Conflict prevention

One trigger can only do one thing. If you try to save a binding whose trigger is already used in the same profile, Keyware stops and tells you which binding has it:

Press Replace to swap the old binding for the new one, or choose a different key. Keyware also catches subtler overlaps: a Tap, a Hold and a Double-tap on the same key count as the same key. The exception is Holds of different lengths, which work as tiers (for example hold P 800 ms for one thing and 2 s for another). Using the same trigger in an app profile and in Global is allowed: the app's version wins while that app is in front.

Deleting a binding (with Undo)

Every binding card has a trash icon. Click it and the binding is removed right away, no confirmation dialog. A small bar appears at the bottom of the window for 5 seconds:

Press Undo and the binding comes back exactly where it was. To keep a binding but stop it firing, flip its switch off instead.

07

Pause, panic stop and dry run

08

Use cases

Ideas to steal. Every example works with Manual mode, or just paste the sentence into Text mode.

09

FAQ

Is Keyware free?

Yes, completely: no trial, no paid tier, no ads and no account.

Is Keyware open source?

Yes, under the MIT license. The app, its tests and this website's code are on GitHub, so anyone can read exactly what Keyware does, build it themselves or suggest a change.

Is it safe to use?

Keyware runs as a normal app without administrator rights. It only acts on keys you've bound; every other key passes straight to Windows. It never injects keys into elevated (admin) windows, and the panic stop Ctrl Alt Shift Esc switches it all off instantly.

Open URL only accepts web links, Open app can't pass command-line arguments, and Text mode refuses shell commands and scripts.

What about my privacy? Is anything tracked?

No tracking, no analytics, no ads. Keyware doesn't log what you type: the log only notes which bindings fired. Your bindings and settings live on your PC in %APPDATA%\Keyware\config.json.

The key engine never goes online. Only Text mode connects to the internet for AI, and it sends just the sentence you type into the Text box, plus a short summary of your existing triggers and profile names so the AI avoids clashes.

If you send an idea, feedback or a bug report from Settings, Keyware sends your message, the email you enter and the app version, so we can reply if we need more information. Nothing else is attached, and it's never shared or used for marketing.

Read the full privacy statement for exactly what is sent, where it is stored and for how long.

Why does Windows warn me when I open it?

Keyware isn't code-signed yet, and SmartScreen warns about any new app without a signature and many downloads. Click More info → Run anyway.

Does it work in games?

Yes, in most games. Put game shortcuts in the Gaming profile and add your game's .exe. Games running as administrator won't receive Keyware's keys. Some online games with strict anti-cheat ban macros and auto-clickers, so check the rules first.

Will my normal typing be affected?

No. Unbound keys aren't touched. A Hold or multi-tap key still types normally on a short press, and modifier shortcuts like Ctrl C keep working.

Can I back up or move my bindings?

Yes. Copy %APPDATA%\Keyware\config.json to the other PC (same folder) and choose Reload config from the tray.

How do I uninstall it?

1. Right-click the tray icon and choose Quit.
2. Delete Keyware.exe.
3. Optional: delete the %APPDATA%\Keyware folder to remove your settings.

10

Troubleshooting