Keyboard Maestro 6 and future versions of Keyboard Maestro will not be available on the Mac App Store. Apple requires applications on the Mac App Store to be Sandboxed, and workflow applications like Keyboard Maestro cannot be sandboxed so it is excluded from the Mac App Store. See also the Purchase section. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked 39 alternatives to Keyboard Maestro and many of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to Keyboard Maestro are AutoIt (Free), Actiona (Free, Open Source), Beeftext (Free, Open Source) and TextExpander (Paid). Keyboard Maestro 6.4.8 Hot-key tasking solution. January 14, 2015 Keyboard Maestro is your hot-key solution that allows you to perform a multitude of tasks simply by pressing a keystroke! Keyboard Maestro 9.0.4 Keyboard Maestro is your hot-key solution that allows you to perform a multitude of tasks simply by pressing a keystroke! It also incorporates the wildly popular MacOS Classic utility Program Switcher, which allows you to launch, switch, and quit applications with a simple keystroke. Table of Contents
For more information about a specific Keyboard Maestro feature consult the Keyboard Maestro Documentation, post a question to the Keyboard Maestro Forum, visit the Keyboard Maestro web site or this wiki or contact_us.
We always respond to email, however email is no longer a guaranteed medium and spam filters can delete your message to us or our message to you. Messages sent using the feedback form will always get to us, emails sent to us will pretty much always get to us, but if you do not receive a response within a couple business days check your spam filters to see if they have trapped our reply. If you use the feedback form and want a reply, make sure you enter your email address! Table of Contents Macros Not Firing (Triggered)
A relatively common situation occurs when a macro you expect to fire is not firing. Here is what to do: (v8+)
Choose Interactive Help (previously Assistance) from the Help menu.
Click the Something expected is not happening link.
Keyboard Maestro will verify that things look good, specifically:
The Keyboard Maestro Engine is set to launch at login (optional, but a good idea).
Keyboard Maestro can communicate with the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
Translocation Security is not hampering Keyboard Maestro.
Accessibility Permissions are enabled.
If there are any problems, resolve them. Otherwise, click Continue.
Again, Keyboard Maestro will verify that things look good, specifically:
The containing Macro Group is active.
The macro has a trigger.
If there are any problems, resolve them. Otherwise, trigger the macro.
Keyboard Maestro will show you what macros have been triggered in the window.
If the macro triggers, but does not do what you expect, then you need to look at the actions. Macros Not Firing After I Login
The macros are all enabled by the Keyboard Maestro Engine. You can start it by launching the Keyboard Maestro application, or have the engine start automatically by enabling the Launch Engine at Login preference in the Keyboard Maestro General Preferences pane. Something Unexpected is Happening
Generally Keyboard Maestro will only do what you tell it to do, but sometimes that can still result in something you dont expect happening. Here is what to do: (v8+)
Choose Interactive Help (previously Assistance) from the Help menu.
Click the Quit the Engine link.
If the issue remains, the problem is almost certainly unrelated to Keyboard Maestro.
Click the Launch the Engine link to relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
If the issue returns, check the recently executed macros which are listed in the window.
If the issue remains and there are no macros being triggered, ask Support for help. Run-Away Login Macros
If you have a macro that is triggered by log in that you cannot stop, then you can take these steps to stop the macro and prevent future occurrences of it:
Hold down (that's Control-Option-Shift) and click on Keyboard Maestro Status Menu icon in the Apple Menu Bar.
Launch the Keyboard Maestro editor app without starting its Engine
Hold down (that's Cmd-Control-Option-Shift) and click on the Keyboard Maestro app in the Dock , or double-click in the Applications folder.
This will quit the Keyboard Maestro Engine and start the Keyboard Maestro app without starting its Engine .
Locate the problem Macro, and remove the trigger or disable it
Use this option if none of the above work .
Hold down (that's Shift) immediately after you select Restart. . from the Apple menu.
This will prevent the apps/processes in your System Preferences Users Groups Login Items from launching (opening) when you log in, including the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
Then Hold down when you launch Keyboard Maestro.
As noted above, this will prevent the Engine from starting, and you can fix, disable, or delete the macro causing the issue. App Freezes (Locks up, Spinning Beachball) or Other Strange Behavior due to SIMBL
If Keyboard Maestro freezes, locks-up or is exhibiting very strange behavior, check to see if you have SIMBL installed in this folder:
/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/
SIMBL is very clever, but some of its extensions can lead to bizarre behavior, crashes, freezes and other strange, unexpected behavior in one or more apps or the macOS itself. So if you have it installed, pretty much all bets are off as far as stability goes for your Mac. See How to remove mySIMBL and SIMBL in macOS. Timing
Here's a common situation: You've written your macro, you're sure you've included all the steps, but the macro fails in some way, e.g. it seems to skip steps. This is often caused by timing issues: Keyboard Maestro executes an action in the macro before the receiving program is ready for that action.
Most of the actions in a script are immediate: Keyboard Maestro will execute them and then attempts to wait until they are completed, but for some actions it is not possible to tell when the action is completed. So Keyboard Maestro will move on to the next step immediately. If Keyboard Maestro does not wait sufficiently long for the result of an action, you must tell it to explicitly.
To make the macro wait, there are two options:
Pause Until: this tells Keyboard Maestro to wait until something happens (e.g. a new window opens, a key is pressed, and a dozen more options).
Often, adding pauses to your macro will solve the timing issues. A pause of 0.3 seconds is often enough, but in some cases (e.g. a 'Switch to application' action when there are many applications open and your system is running out of memory) longer pauses (several seconds) may be necessary. Typed String Triggers Not Working Not Being Able To Enter a Hot Key
If Typed String triggers are not working, or if you try to create a hot key and find that when you select the hot key it turns blue, but then when you type a keystroke it is not noticed, then there are two possible causes.
If Access for Assistive Devices is not enabled, then Keyboard Maestro cannot watch the keyboard for keystrokes. Desktop groups 1 3. Keyboard Maestro warns you of this when you launch it, as well as with a small yellow warning triangle in the bottom right corner of the main window. Click on the triangle and follow the instructions to enable access for assistive devices. In Mavericks, the accessibility preferences are in the System Preferences Security Privacy panel, Privacy pane - there are some reports that Mavericks can get confused if you have two different versions of Keyboard Maestro on your Mac, so check that panel closely.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
An alternative cause for this issue is Secure Input Mode. Secure Input Mode
Mac OS X will not let applications watch the keyboard when you are in a password field (to prevent hackers getting hold of your passwords). However, the system can sometimes get into a state where it thinks it is permanently in a password fields. Almost anything that asks for a password could cause the problem (eg, 1Password extension, VPN connections, Mail, etc). Quitting the appropriate affected application or restarting will resolve the issue (until it reappears). Terminal has a Secure Keyboard Entry mode, as does Webroot SecureAnywhere by default.
Keyboard Maestro 6 and later detects the case where the Secure Input Mode flag is left on and alerts you to the issue.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
A related, very unusual case is that Terminal has a Secure Keyboard Entry mode (in the Terminal menu) - if you turn that on, that may also cause problems.
And a final new cause for this may be Parallels Version 8, which apparently can interfere with the keyboard event queue and/or hot keys. Restarting Parallels may help.
There is a forum topic on the subject and the Smile Software folks have a very good page on this subject (as it affects TextExpander similarly to Keyboard Maestro) which lists a lot of possible causes.
Note that there is nothing Keyboard Maestro can do to work around Secure Input Mode - it is a system security feature that has been erroneously left on. Keyboard Maestro can detect and report it, but it can no more work around the problem that it could bipass any other security features of Mac OS X.
As of 7.1+, Keyboard Maestro will tell you if it detects the system is in Secure Input Mode and if possible indicate the process which is causing the issue in the Keyboard Maestro status menu or by clicking the yellow warning triangle in the bottom right corner of the Keyboard Maestro editor. For older versions, there is a macro to find the offending app on the forum. Macros Not Being Saved
If your macros are not being saved (ie, you make changes in Keyboard Maestro, and then quit and relaunch Keyboard Maestro and the changes are lost, and Keyboard Maestro Engine never notices any changes) then this is likely because Keyboard Maestro cannot save the macros file. In Keyboard Maestro, choose Help Open Preferences Folder, and ensure that that folder is writeable and that the Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist file it contains is writeable. If you're still having the problem, consider using the Disk Utilitys Fix Permissions action, and/or removing the Keyboard Maestro preferences folder, creating a new once, and moving the contents of the old one to the new one. Not Working With Parallels
In Parallels, make sure the Enabled Mac OS X system shortcuts preference is enabled, which will ensure Parallels reads the keyboard from the keyboard queue. The Case of the Vanishing Insertion Cursor in Mail
When I hide Mail, and then show it later, the insertion cursor has disappeared, whats up with that?
Congratulations, you have found a bug, but it is a bug in Mac OS X and/or Mail. You can reproduce this vanishing insertion cursor without Keyboard Maestro by quitting Keyboard Maestro and the Keyboard Maestro Engine, switch to Mail, create a new Mail message, with the insertion point blinking away. Command-Tab to the Finder, then Command-Tab, select Mail, press H to hide it, select the Finder. Then Command-Tab, select Mail. You can now type, but there is no insertion point. Switching the front two windows twice restores the cursor.
But, aha! You have Keyboard Maestro! Why do something manually when you can automate the process. Make a macro that is triggered when you activate Mail, with actions:
Bring Window With Index 2 to Front
Problem solved until Apple get around to fixing the issue. This bug in Mail appears to be resolved in Yosemite. Scripts Are Not Working Because the Path is Wrong When Executed in Keyboard Maestro
In essence, the default path in a Keyboard Maestro Execute Shell Script is nothing , since Keyboard Maestro executes scripts using the bash shell in non-interactive mode.
To learn how to set a path in a Keyboard Maestro Execute Shell Script Action, see Execute a Shell Script Sometimes the Wrong Thing is Pasted
Occasionally, you can have cases where you try to Insert Text by Pasting, or Paste from a Named Clipboard or the like, and the wrong thing is pasted.
There are two potential causes of this. The first is that some applications may cache the clipboard, resulting in the new clipboard that Keyboard Maestro sets not being seen by the application. This is particularly prevalent in cross platform applications or applications that expect very large clipboards. A solution to this may require setting the clipboard, and then executing some other action to wake up the application to the change, such as changing out of the application and then back, or clicking in the menu bar.
A more common, but more random, cause is due to the different nature of setting/reading the clipboard, and simulating a Command-C/Command-V to copy/paste. To understand what is going on, keep in mind:
Setting (or reading) the system clipboard is a synchronous action (it happens immediately).
Copy or Paste is done via a Command-C or Command-V, and this is an asynchronous action - the keystroke is posted to the event queue and the system/application will process it at some unknown future time.
Keyboard Maestro includes an automatic delay after posting a command key to allow the application to process it, but it's possible for the system / application to be slow in processing it and thus resulting in the wrong order of execution. For example, if you do this:
The sequence is actually:
If the application / system is slow, then the pause will not be long enough, and what will actually happen on the application end is:
So B will be posted twice. A similar affect can happen if you actively delete the pasted clipboard using the Delete Clipboard action - the old clipboard may be restored before the Command-V is processed.
There are four possible solutions to ensure robustness in these sorts of cases:
Insert all the text in one go. Eg, Insert Text by Pasting CurrentClipboard - PastClipboard1 or NamedClipboardA and NamedClipboardB.
Add an explicit Pause action. Eg, Insert Text by Pasting A, Pause 1 Second, Insert Text by Pasting B.
Explicitly specify the actions and add an explicit Pause. Eg, Command-C, Pause 1 Second, Set Named Clipboard to Current Clipboard.
Increase the inbuilt pause after a Command key is simulated (see the Preferences section of the documentation). Sometimes Typing in Password Fields Drops Characters
When Keyboard Maestro simulates a keystroke, it simulates both the press and the release. If the key is already being held down by you (eg because you pressed the key as a trigger), then Keyboard Maestro notices this, and first releases the key, and then presses and releases the key.
However, in a password field (or any time Secure Input is enabled), Keyboard Maestro and other applications cannot see the state of the keyboard (for obvious security reasons). Because of this, Keyboard Maestro does not know that you are still holding down a key and therefore cannot know to release it. So if it tries to simulate the same key that you are holding down, in a password field, it will still simulate the press and release, but because the key is already held down, the press will not do anything and the keystroke will be lost.
This happens most commonly when you have a hot key trigger with the same key (eg Control-T) as a key you want to type in to a password field (eg Hello there). Because it is a password field, the only indication will be a missing bullet () (so ten instead of 11 bullets) and then an invalid password error, which makes this problem hard do diagnose.
Removing Styles Changes The Text
Although most people consider the clipboard to be a single thing (an image, some styled text, an slide in Keynote, whatever), in truth a single clipboard entry is made up of a variety of different things, each somehow representing the thing you copied.
For example, if you copy some text in Pages, then the clipboard might contain a variety of things like:
Some plain text in UTF16
Some iWork-specific representation of the styled text
A reference to the location in the document
These different forms of the information on the clipboard are called flavors.
When an application pastes anything from the clipboard, it tries to choose the best representation. So Pages or Numbers might use the iWork representation of the text, another word processor might use the RTF version, a plain text application like BBEdit might use the UTF8 text, an image application like Acorn might use the image, and so on.
Generally, these different pieces of information should all be logically the same. That is, you would expect that if you paste in the RTF, and then remove styles, you would get the same result as if you used the plain text.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes, in theory there should be no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.
Sometimes application will put different text in the RTF than in the plain text. For example, if you copy an entry from a styled list, the plain text might have just the characters, and the styled text might also have a bullet character at the front (or vice versa).
When you use any action in Keyboard Maestro that requires only plain text, it will read the plain text version of the clipboard (eg Filter Text: Remove Styles , or Set Variable to Current Clipboard ).
When you use any action that can deal with styled text, it will read the RTF or other styled text version of the clipboard if possible (eg Set Named Clipboard to styled text CurrentClipboard ).
However, when Keyboard Maestro creates a clipboard entry (either for a named clipboard or the system clipboard) based on styled text, the result will always be matching plain and styled text, and any other clipboard flavors will be thrown away).
So if you have a situation where the plain text and the plain text of the styled text differ, you can get the plain text of the styled text by reading the clipboard as styled text, and then storing it somewhere (in a named clipboard or the system clipboard), and then (since that will now be clean without discrepancies) getting the plain text of that.
Eg: Preference Write Failed
If Keyboard Maestro cannot write to its preferences folder, it should alert you to the problem. Alternatively, if changes you are making to macros, variables, or Named Clipboards or the like are not sticking, the problem is likely caused by incorrect ownership or permissions of the Keyboard Maestro preference folder or its contents. This most often happens after a poor migration or backup restore of the folder.
Quit Keyboard Maestro, and open the Keyboard Maestro Preferences folder - in the Finder, hold the Option key down, select the menu Go Library, then drill down into Application Support and find the Keyboard Maestro folder.
Select the folder and choose File Get Info and then look at the Sharing Permissions section, and ensure it is owned by you and you have Read Write privileges. If it is not owned by you, you will need to change the owner. If you do not have Read Write permissions, you need to change that.
Then also look at the contents of the folder and ensure all the files and folders have the correct owners and permissions (you can select multiple files in the Finder and then hold the Option key down and choose File Show Inspector to look at all of them). Correct the ownership and permissions if necessary. No Palettes or Dialogs Appear
If you set the Keyboard Maestro Engine Login Item to launch as Hidden, then it is not able to display palettes or dialogs (like the Alert or Prompt For User Input dialogs). Uncheck the Hide checkbox in the Accounts Login Items system preference and quit and relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine to resolve the issue. This appears resolved in Mavericks. The Global Floating Palette has disappeared
If you close the global floating palette it will not repeat until either you relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine, or you show it again using the Show/Toggle Global Macro Palette action.
If you wish to briefly hide all the palettes (eg while watching a video), you can use the Conceal Macro Palettes until Application Switch action. The Select Menu Item Action Is Not Working in Photoshop, Finale or Another Application
Cross platform apps, including often Adobe apps, and Finale, do not necessarily update or even build their menu bar until the menu is selected with the mouse. When asked for the menus via the accessibility subsystem, the menus are either not there, or not currently correctly built for the context (eg, menus may be disabled or invisible when they should not be).
Options to force the application into updating its menus include:
Switch out and back to the application, and then use the Select Menu Item action.
Simulate a click in the menu bar, and then use the Select Menu Item action.
Desperate measures, simulate a click in the menu bar, and then use arrows and typeahead (Insert Text by Typing) to select the menu item.
Often, simulating a click in the menu bar to the right of the Help menu will be sufficient to cause the menus to be rebuild. White Menus or White Switchers or Palettes
For some people, the menus or switchers sometimes appear completely white. When this happens, restarting Keyboard Maestro Engine is the only solution.It is also seen in Photoshop and maybe other applications. See this thread or this thread
According to those threads, Adobe believe the issue to be a Mac OS X bug, and have a patch solution to resolve it (within Photoshop) and are working with Apple to resolve the problem properly.
This issue appears to have been resolved in 10.9.3 and later. Stuck Modifiers Keys and Wacom Drivers
It appears that recent versions of Wacoms drivers can result in stuck modifier keys (Option, Shift, Command, Control) when used with Keyboard Maestro, either when pressing hot keys or when Keyboard Maestro is simulating keystrokes. See the forum post Keyboard misbehavior triggered by.?. Google Chrome Actions are Not Working
The Chrome (and Safari) actions work by making AppleScript requests.
Chrome's auto-update mechanism seems to frequently break the AppleScript connections. Alternatively, having multiple versions of Chrome and/or Chrome within a Virtual Machine may cause problems.
Restarting Google Chrome, Keyboard Maestro Engine, or restarting your Mac will usually resolve the broken connection.
Configuring an explicit version for the Google Chrome application by using the Terminal command: defaults write com.stairways.keyboardmaestro.engine AppleScriptGoogleChromeName '/Applications/Google Chrome.app'
may resolve the issue if it is caused by multiple versions of Chrome.
An alternative cause can be because the actions work by executing the AppleScript via a osascript, and it is possible for all Execute Script Actions are Not Working. Safari Actions are Not Working
The Safari (and Chrome) actions work by making AppleScript requests.
As of OS X 10.11.5 it appears that Safari defaults to disallowing JavaScript from Apple Events. This will stop various of the Safari actions from working. To resolve this you must:
Enable the Develop menu in Safari if not already enabled in Safaris Advanced preferences.
Enable Allow JavaScript from Apple Events in the Develop menu. Execute Script Actions are Not Working
Your variables are sent to your scripts by placing them in environment variables. However, the total size of the environment variables is 256k. Therefore if the total size of your variables exceeds about 256k scripts will stop working. Adjust your variables to reduce the total size. Yosemite GM and Accessibility Settings Problems Yosemite and Accessibility Settings Problems
Yosemite (10.10 GM1 through 10.10.2) has a serious problem adding applications to the accessibility pane properly. This is affecting other applications that require accessibility as well. It seems to commonly impact Keyboard Maestro by the Keyboard Maestro Engine not being added to the accessibility settings pane.
This bug was finally resolved in Yosemite 10.10.3. So if you are having problems with accessibility under Yosemite, upgrade to 10.10.3 or later, and then launch Keyboard Maestro. Then ensure both Keyboard Maestro and Keyboard Maestro Engine are listed and checked.
If you must stay on version 10.10.0-2 for any reason, see the forum topic on possible solutions. App Translocation Security
To resolve App Translocation, in the Finder, move the Keyboard Maestro.app anywhere (the /Applications folder is generally the best place for it).
Postbox 6 0 8 powerful and flexible email clients . In macOS Sierra, Apple added a strange security feature called App Translocation (sometimes known as Gatekeeper Path Randomization) which means that after downloading an application, if you do not move the resulting application somewhere (anywhere!), the application will be run as if it is located at a randomly chosen path by the system. The consequence of this is that Launch Engine at Login will not work (because the Keyboard Maestro Engine will have a random, different, path each time), and version updates will fail (because Keyboard Maestro cannot replace itself).
Manually moving the application in the Finder will turn off App Translocation. Moving it by other means (eg, PathFinder, Hazel, Keyboard Maestro, whatever) will not remove translocation.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
You can determine if an application is running Translocated by looking at it with the Activity Monitor. Double click on the process in the listing to inspect it, and then look at its Open Files and Ports. One of the first entries will be the application executable, and if it is being Translocated it will have a long path, something like this:
/private/var/folders/9t/ld0kwsdn6mx13x87bw01bh_w0000gn/T/AppTranslocation/A5CA1CC2-10E0-4DD2-9962-7E484D2CFFED/d/Keyboard Maestro.app/Contents/MacOS/Keyboard Maestro
If you still cannot get the flag removed, you can use the Terminal command:
assuming that Keyboard Maestro.app is in the Applications folder. Other troubleshooting information
See also the Troubleshooting page of the Keyboard Maestro documentation and Philippe Martins Debugging Macros section of his extensive Tips Tricks for Keyboard Maestro article. Keyboard Maestro Reviews
Note: This page has not been updated in some years, but it is kept hear to give an idea of the length of time Keyboard Maestro has been around. Web Site Reviews I use [Keyboard Maestro] to add some depth to my clipboard really really handy - think about it the next time you are copy and pasting if you wind up bouncing back and forth between two different apps to paste bits of data, doing it with . a clipboard with some depth . makes a huge difference I cant live without it. If Im using a Mac with any regularity, I have to go and put a license of Keyboard Maestro on it. I just cant live without it. It really has made a difference for me, and I realized today how much I took it for granted and how much longer show preparation would have taken if I didnt have it. Keyboard Maestro 4.3.2 Keyboard Maestro is a less complicated tool that provides the bulk of QuicKeys features. Keyboard Maestro is a fine macro utility offered at a reasonable price. If you dont need the extra power offered by QuicKeysspecifically, decision actions and Web actionsand seek an easier-to-use tool, Keyboard Maestro is a solid option. Pros
Recording feature
Straightforward interface
Lots of command and trigger options Cons
Cant create macros with decision points
Lacks QuicKeys Web interactions Bottom Line Keyboard Maestro, while not as powerful as QuicKeys, is an easy-to-use, capable, and affordable macro utility. Keyboard Maestro 4.2 I really really love Keyboard Maestro. Sometimes you come across applications on the web which are really really truly remarkable and Keyboard Maestro is one of them. It is so blazingly awesome that it is really not easy to find words to describe this application. It has even replaced my beloved LaunchBar history. Keyboard Maestro 4.2 Keyboard Maestro is a general purpose macro utility. Think of it as a way to take any repetitious task, no matter what it is, and automate it. You can do so without being a programmer; in part due to its wonderful user interface, and in part due to its ability to record your actions on the fly. At the very least, watch their video tutorial on creating a complex macro for saving clippings of text. That should get your computing juices flowing so you can estimate some of the other areas in which Keyboard Maestro will save you time. I use Keyboard Maestro hundreds of times per day, if not thousands on a heavy computing use day. Eventually it just becomes part of you; you forget it is there, and muscle memory kicks in. You will slam a few keys around, things will happen, and your life will be easier. To top it all off, technical support is in my top three of all time list . Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Of the two applications, I would say Keyboard Maestro streamlines the process of macro creation a little better; plus unlike QuicKeys, Maestro does not have to be running in order to work. youre going to see a significant increase in your computer workflow once you get the hang of creating shortcuts and automations. You indeed become a maestro of your computerplaying it rather than it playing you. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Die Mglichkeiten erscheinen sehr weitreichend wobei es wohl wie so oft bei Programmen dieser Art etwas Einstiegszeit erfordern wird. Einerseits um die individuellen relevanten Funktionen zu erkennen und andererseits um diese dann mit passenden (und hirnkompatiblen) Macros abzubilden. Sei es nun inkl. Applescript, Shellscript, Growl-Support oder sonstigem PiPaPo. Ist diese Hrde mal gemeistert wird man Keyboard Maestro wohl nicht mehr missen wollen. In meinem Fall greife ich bis dato nur auf einige Bereiche zurck so wird die z.b die Clipboard-Funktion noch komplett ignoriert, der App-Window-Switcher kommt hingegen schon aktiv zum Einsatz. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Keyboard Maestro is a great utility for anyone that spends a lot of time working with text on their Mac. Whether you might be thinking of using it to help you quickly answer repetitive email, create blog posts or just to map certain mouse-based actions to a keyboard shortcut, its definitely worth checking out. Ive tried a number of similar utilities, but in terms of extendability and scope, Keyboard Maestro seems to take the cake. At $36, its not cheap for a utility, but considering the time itll help you save I think its a fair price. Id recommend you try it out and see how well it could fit into your daily workflows. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 People sometimes ask me whether I have any for lack of a better term secret weapon software to recommend. Utility apps like, say, LaunchBar or Quicksilver (on that one, Ive been in the LaunchBar camp for a few years). The sort of apps Batman would keep in his utility belt if his utility belt were a metaphor-stretched Macintosh. Keyboard Maestro is such an app. Its several utilities in one: a powerful macro program, a clipboard history manager, a hot key manager, a keyboard switcher, and more. Version 4 is a great update, including a complete overhaul of my very favorite Keyboard Maestro feature, the clipboard history, and an all-new Automator-esque UI for the macro editor. Keyboard Maestro is copiously documented and comes from one of the longest-standing and most-respected indie Mac developers, Peter Lewiss Stairways Software. Keyboard Maestro 4.0 Reviewer Gazmaz, in a very thoughtful review, said: It has an application switcher which can do much more than the standard command-Tab that you get with Mac OS X, and this is something I like, you can switch to an application and the hide all of the others, great for concentrating the mind. If you do use your Mac for work, or even for pleasure, and you find yourself often doing repetitive jobs and processes, then this application can assist you to make those actions run with a few keyboard clicks and save you hours which you can spend far more productively. Keyboard Maestro 4.0 Among other features, Keyboard Maestro lets you record macros sequences of key presses, mouse clicks, etc. and then invoke them with hotkey shortcuts. Its also a terrific scripting utility. The change list for version 3.0 is long, but my favorite aspects are the re-organized user interface (simpler by far) and improved scripting support (including support for Unix shell scripts). Keyboard Maestro also now has its own built-in web server, which allows you to execute Keyboard Maestro macros on your Mac remotely. The whole thing is exquisitely documented, and introductory examples abound. Keyboard Maestro 3.0 I have to tell you [Keyboard Maestro] is handy. Keyboard Maestro puts speed at your fingertips. Tired of doing the same things over and over? Just create a new shortcut by choosing your own key combinations to do those things you do most. It even comes preinstalled with some already generated ones. Cant Live Without this is a fabulous timesaver Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2 The macosxhints Rating:
[Score: 9 out of 10]
The application switcher has
some very nice features
I was able to easily create some menu-activating
macros that save me time each day. There's also a separate window switcher
-- this alone makes it worth the asking price for me Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2
an attractive package.
Keyboard Maestros versatility
and power set it apart from
those I have tried before.
Keyboard Maestro also sports
the application, window and
clipboard switchers
This is definitely a program that is great for the keyboard macro facility. Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2 Keyboard Maestro is everything QuicKeys should have been but isnt. It has all the features Ive been missing. Of all the macro utilities Ive used in the past 10 or 15 years,
this one is the easiest to use . It is easier to use than QuicKeys, has more features and costs less than half as much. Keyboard Maestro could very well change your computing life. Keyboard Maestro 2.0 superbly easy Its a beautiful piece of software which, like the much more expensive Quickeys,
automates many repetitive tasks on your Macintosh. a brilliant new interface and a powerful rewritten engine A helpful demonstration is well worth a look for anyone who uses a Mac daily. Keyboard Maestro 2.0 If all you do with your Mac is
send a few emails you probably
don't need this software. If
you do more than that though,
its a must have . I find Keyboard Maestro powerful and easy to use. Keyboard Maestro handles all the boring and repetitive tasks for me. Keyboard Maestro 1.2.3 User Reviews
Keyboard Maestro is a fantastic application that I use everyday. Its saved me loads of time and simplified many repetitive tasks. Nothing is quite so nice as setting up a boring task and then walk away. Its easy enough to set up new macros that the barrier to entry before I set one up is quite low. Ive used numerous scripting and automation technologies before, and I still use them when I want something more robust, but for keyboard remapping and quick macros with flow control, I havent found anything that comes close to Keyboard Maestro. Thanks! August 2011
Awesome. Works a treat. Thanks so much for the prompt answers and the amazing program. Im collaborating on a book of traditional Irish tunes using Finale. It has its own scripting language, but its buggy and limited. Ive automated most of my work using Keyboard Maestro and probably have saved hundreds of hours of work. If I take the time to incorporate the new flow control options, itll be even smoother. August 2011
I dont think I have thanked you personally yet for the wonderful software you have created. It is astounding how many activities in my day are more efficient because of Keyboard Maestro 5. In a very short period since I began using what I call Keyboard Heaven, I have designed more than 50 macros I use during work in any given session on my computer. Its no small tweaking you have allowed me to create using your creation. Keyboard Maestro invites users to design a whole new way of seeing enhanced productivity. August 2011
Your product and your support is most excellent, and I appreciate that! July 2011
I am one of those people who knew about Keyboard Maestro but was still blown away by the things I could do with it. I was so impressed that I bought another copy for a friend. June 2011
Keyboard Maestro has been a life saver (well atime saver) since I upgraded to Snow Leopard and found thatQuicksilver no longer worked for launching my apps and web urls. Loveit! Jun 2011
Keyboard Maestro is fantastic! Ill admit, I picked it up as part of the productivity bundle, and never planned on using it. But when I did, it was a pleasure, and I had my Das Keyboard functioning as a standard Apple branded keyboard, function keys and all, in seconds! May 2011
Keyboard Maestro is one of my top three Mac Applications of all time after just five minutes of using it!
It feels like an endless paradise for a Power-User like me. You guys did some awesome work developing this Application.
After installing Keyboard Maestro I was sitting in front of my iMac and speaking to myself, saying Oh my gosh, oh my gosh because of all the new giving possibilities.
Wow! Thank you so much for this app! Nov 2010
I am stuck using Lotus Notes at my workplace but I have the consolation of using a MacBook Pro rather than a Windows machine. Still, even on a Mac, Lotus Notes is not, shall we say, famous for its beauty or usability or efficiency.
So I finally got to try Keyboard Maestro, and I bought it within 4 minutes, after setting up a really simple but wonderful macro that lets me quickly switch typeface color to blue in Lotus Notes (saving me three hundred thousand silly steps and wading through sub-menus). A slight exaggeration on the number of steps but not on the time to decide to buy.
I also smugly showed off to my colleagues how nice life has become.
So, thank you for creating this, and for making it so easy to use. Sept 2010
My main reason for buying Keyboard Maestro 4 was to reprogram thedelete key so that its normal function is forward delete and Fn+Delete is backward delete. This is a Windows hangup I know! It was very easy to set upand I had it working in a remarkably short time because the software is soeasy and intuitive to use.
In the learning process I realised that it could make a whole range ofactivities much easier, especially things like inserting styled text, so Iam going to get a lot of use out of it.
Well done on your design and execution! Aug 2010
Fantastic program by the way - I recently had to use someone elses machine, and the lack of Keyboard Maestro felt like a missing limb. Aug 2010
I just finished a little exercise with respect to automating a bit of data entry in FileMaker Pro Advanced.I had to add a little something by a few step sequence to 363 records.
I tried recording the actions with Automator, it ended up hanging.
I tried recording with Script Debugger, for some reason nothing got recorded.
I tried recording with AppleScript Editor, for some reason nothing got recorded.
Then I thought of trying Keyboard Maestro. After a few minutes, bingo! Works!
Next time I will try Keyboard Maestro first.
Thank you Sir! May 2010
Duration of ownership: 4 Years
Strengths: It is the first non-Apple item to be loaded to any and every new installation. It is a primary tool. Support occurs at light speed.
Weaknesses: A weakness is that for this old brain is that I doubt I have enough years left to me to learn all that can be done with this rapidly evolving tool (its up to 4.3 now, after 3 betas). The developer increases it capabilities faster than I can absorb them :D
Overall: Essential May 2010
Duration of ownership: 4 Years
Strengths: Power, flexibility, small footprint on the system, ease of use, low cost, steady development and frequent addition of new features. Also Stairways Software are very attentive to their users needs.
Weaknesses: I dont see any.
Overall: Definitely one of my top 3 productivity tools! I use it (most of the times without even thinking about it) for tons of things, like running scripts and workflows, adding missing features or hotkeys to applications or fixing hotkeys that are unplayable on my AZERTY keyboards, automating multi-steps user actions, controlling my Macs remotely, working with multiple clipboards, typing text for me, etc, etc, etc. I highly recommend it. May 2010
Duration of ownership: 10 Months
Strengths: Anything (or almost everything) you want to do with keys without moving your mouse can be done using Keyboard Maestro.
Weaknesses: Yet to find one
Overall: Great product, created by great developer, a nice guy and has a great support. Cant imagine my Mac without this app anymore. Any other app that comes even close to this on Mac in terms of must have is Quicksilver May 2010
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Fairly ease to use once you put together a few automations.
Weaknesses: None that I can tell.
Overall: Im surprised that more people are not using these type of automation applications, which are in the long huge time savers when youre working at your computer. Sure, put together macros can be a little tedious at times, but once its done, you own it. It will save you lots of time in the long run. I highly recommend this app or QuicKeys. May 2010
Duration of ownership: 18 Months
Strengths: Background app with separate macro editing app. Super easy to use, quick, powerful. Version 4 even better looking than version 3.
Weaknesses: Keeps being compared to QuicKeys X.
Overall: You can launch the macro editor from the menu bar, make your edits and quit, and the background app still runs. Even better than the venerable Key Xing, which the developer was forced to abandon. May 2010
I have been using Keyboard Maestro for quite some weeks now and I am very very happy with it!
When I first started using it, I really did not realize how utterly invaluable it would turn out to be!
I have about one hundred Mac apps and I consider yours to be my most valuable one. Mar 2010
The only thing more awesome than @keyboardmaestro is Peters customer service cc: @peternlewis Mar 2010
Thank You for your excellent program that I use every day. I do not want to live without it!
It is one of the most useful programs in the world! I cant imagine how people can live without Insert Text macros and Clipboard History. Typing the same text over and over again, No Thanks!
I recommend it on my own website and hope more people will understand how much it helps out in the daily work on a computer.
It is at the top of my recommendations! Feb 2010
Keyboard Maestro is the single strongest productivity enhancer on Mac OS X. Keyboard Maestro allows us to program any repetitive task sequence in a matter of minutes. Weve tried AppleScript and Automator but for sophisticated tasks they take hours of tinkering to get them to do just what we want. With Keyboard Maestro, if you can write the steps down, your macro is already done. Our programming team moving over from Windows was thrilled to be able to set some essential keyboard shortcuts to what they are used to to get off to a fast start on Mac.
Personally I use it to make keyboard shortcuts work the same across multiple applications and to make Apple Mail accept Eudora keyboard shortcuts. I also have hot keys for filing mail. The first software I bought when the office switched from Windows to Mac was a site license for Keyboard Maestro. Jan 2010
Thank you for creating such a wonderful product. The program says it has saved me about 42 minutes so far, but trust me.the frustration it has saved goes well beyond 42 minutes of time!
Its really nice to know that there are people like you out there, creating really solid software that solves specific problems, at a value price. The wonderful customer service is an added bonus! Dec 2009
Ive been using Keyboard Maestro since August of 2008, when Leopard broke Key Xing. Of course, Key Xing was just a launcher, and Keyboard Maestro is so much more. I keep finding new ways to use it, and at this point Id be lost without it. Dec 2009
Great upgrade! Love the new interface. Macaw 1 5 code savvy web design tool . https://freemyweb.mystrikingly.com/blog/best-small-video-camera-for-mac .
Keyboard Maestro was already one of my favorite utilities, and now I like it even better. Dec 2009
Years ago I was a QuicKeys fan, but when I ran into problems with it after moving to OS X, I stopped using it. Recently, I wanted to start using macros again to speed up and automate my work flow, so I decided to take another look at macro creating programs. After comparing the features and ease of use of Keyboard Maestro 3.5 and QuicKeys 4.0.2, I felt that Keyboard Maestro won hands down. The interface of Keyboard Maestro is so intuitive, I was making complex macros right out of the box.
Keyboard Maestro is a powerful, polished piece of software at a great price. Plus, its fun to use! What more could you ask? Highly recommended. July 2009
Thanks for a great product! I use it all day, every day, and I'm working on expanding my use of it since it has always performed flawlessly and has saved me time every day.
How many products can you say that about!? June 2009
Thank you for making Keyboard Maestro. Quite frankly: without it, I wouldhave probably switched back to Windows. Feb 2009
I just purchased the software, and I am very happy with it. I ran through the trial period and found myself finding countless ways to harness the power of smart keyboard shortcuts. It is the perfect product for my large data entry project! When my trial came to an end, I knew that Id have to purchase it; Id feel crippled without it!
Thanks for offering this software at a reasonable price and for giving users time to work through a trial without limiting its features. Dec 2008
Thanks to Keyboard Maestro, my worries about developing repetitivestress injuries in my wrist and elbow are gone. As a bonus, Imgetting my work done more quickly, too! Dec 2008
I am only writing to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
A few weeks ago, I saw mention of Keyboard Maestro in a shortarticle about managing email through automated processes. I useEntourage but found it lacking in many keyboard shortcuts andcustomizations. I downloaded your program and purchased it 5 minuteslater - able to easily create two Macros that I have been lookingfor since my switch in those 5 minutes. Since my purchase, I findnew ways to use Keyboard Maestro every day. I love it so much Irecommended it to a colleague and we now have a running competitionto see who has saved the most time according to our KeyboardMaestro program. Karen Palmer, Director of Technology, Billings Public Schools
Keyboard Maestro 3 saved the day by letting me disable some of themore critical control keys and then 3.2 let me create a notTerminal group to house my favorite launch macros.
Keyboard Maestro has become an indispensable utility. It is abrilliant bit of programming and an absolute bargain, to boot. June 2008
Keyboard Maestro is the first thing I put on each new Mac I buy. Cantimagine my Mac life without it! Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solutions Dave Mark, Author, Founder, SpiderWorks Publishing
I love Keyboard Maestro. Combined with the SafeType keyboard it makes for an ergonomic dream. May 2008
I would like to compliment your on your software. Not only is it very intuitive and it was not necessary for me to read much of the manual, but you have many nice features that other much, much, much more expensive macro programs (I am referring to QuicKeys) do not have, or you have to do some pretty extensive programming to get close to the same thing.
Keyboard Maestro is simple, clean, and very straightforward. April 2008 I have RSI issues and Keyboard Maestro is a huge help and saving my lifehere, thanks for a great product, the upgrade is terrific! April 2008 Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solution Using Keyboard Maestro is a fantastic application and has revolutionised the way I use my Mac. I have a bunch of keyboard-triggered macros for selecting applications, opening Web sites, running Photoshop commands, etc. I also use it to make the F16, F17, and F18 keys on my new flat aluminium keyboards work as volume up, down, and mute. I no longer use the Dock, Expose, or Mac OS X application switcher. April 2008 I love Keyboard Maestro and I think you are doing a great job with it! Quite a few of my clients have also bought your product. I am a software developer myself, and I know how much work it takes. You are doing a great job! Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solution Answer April 2008 So many great new features - my favorites are the recording, the web macroactivation, the inline scripts, and the no-modifier hot keys (whichshould help me fix many of the broken text editing conventions in someapps, like Firefox and Entourage). And self-updates will be nice, too.I feel like a kid in a candy store! April 2008 Nov 2007 I work as both administrative and tech support for a scientific software company. The accounts receivable letters, upgrade letters, and basic tech questions were excessively time-consuming when I started this job. I took 2 hours to write up all the macros I needed, and I save hours and hours every week by using the hot keys. My coworkers were impressed when I did a series of letters that took them 3 hours - in 20 minutes! Thanks for making me look good! Aug 2006 I found Keyboard Maestro in my search to create a keyboard shortcut for menuitems in applications that do not have a shortcut. As a previous OneClickuser, it was a pleasure to find an application that would allow me to easilymanipulate my Mac. Keyboard Maestro is an application that does not requireadvanced experience and has been trouble free. I would have to say that mybiggest problem with Keyboard Maestro is remembering all my shortcuts that I have added. Dec 2004
For more information about a specific Keyboard Maestro feature consult the Keyboard Maestro Documentation, post a question to the Keyboard Maestro Forum, visit the Keyboard Maestro web site or this wiki or contact_us.
We always respond to email, however email is no longer a guaranteed medium and spam filters can delete your message to us or our message to you. Messages sent using the feedback form will always get to us, emails sent to us will pretty much always get to us, but if you do not receive a response within a couple business days check your spam filters to see if they have trapped our reply. If you use the feedback form and want a reply, make sure you enter your email address! Table of Contents Macros Not Firing (Triggered)
A relatively common situation occurs when a macro you expect to fire is not firing. Here is what to do: (v8+)
Choose Interactive Help (previously Assistance) from the Help menu.
Click the Something expected is not happening link.
Keyboard Maestro will verify that things look good, specifically:
The Keyboard Maestro Engine is set to launch at login (optional, but a good idea).
Keyboard Maestro can communicate with the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
Translocation Security is not hampering Keyboard Maestro.
Accessibility Permissions are enabled.
If there are any problems, resolve them. Otherwise, click Continue.
Again, Keyboard Maestro will verify that things look good, specifically:
The containing Macro Group is active.
The macro has a trigger.
If there are any problems, resolve them. Otherwise, trigger the macro.
Keyboard Maestro will show you what macros have been triggered in the window.
If the macro triggers, but does not do what you expect, then you need to look at the actions. Macros Not Firing After I Login
The macros are all enabled by the Keyboard Maestro Engine. You can start it by launching the Keyboard Maestro application, or have the engine start automatically by enabling the Launch Engine at Login preference in the Keyboard Maestro General Preferences pane. Something Unexpected is Happening
Generally Keyboard Maestro will only do what you tell it to do, but sometimes that can still result in something you dont expect happening. Here is what to do: (v8+)
Choose Interactive Help (previously Assistance) from the Help menu.
Click the Quit the Engine link.
If the issue remains, the problem is almost certainly unrelated to Keyboard Maestro.
Click the Launch the Engine link to relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
If the issue returns, check the recently executed macros which are listed in the window.
If the issue remains and there are no macros being triggered, ask Support for help. Run-Away Login Macros
If you have a macro that is triggered by log in that you cannot stop, then you can take these steps to stop the macro and prevent future occurrences of it:
Hold down (that's Control-Option-Shift) and click on Keyboard Maestro Status Menu icon in the Apple Menu Bar.
Launch the Keyboard Maestro editor app without starting its Engine
Hold down (that's Cmd-Control-Option-Shift) and click on the Keyboard Maestro app in the Dock , or double-click in the Applications folder.
This will quit the Keyboard Maestro Engine and start the Keyboard Maestro app without starting its Engine .
Locate the problem Macro, and remove the trigger or disable it
Use this option if none of the above work .
Hold down (that's Shift) immediately after you select Restart. . from the Apple menu.
This will prevent the apps/processes in your System Preferences Users Groups Login Items from launching (opening) when you log in, including the Keyboard Maestro Engine.
Then Hold down when you launch Keyboard Maestro.
As noted above, this will prevent the Engine from starting, and you can fix, disable, or delete the macro causing the issue. App Freezes (Locks up, Spinning Beachball) or Other Strange Behavior due to SIMBL
If Keyboard Maestro freezes, locks-up or is exhibiting very strange behavior, check to see if you have SIMBL installed in this folder:
/Library/Application Support/SIMBL/
SIMBL is very clever, but some of its extensions can lead to bizarre behavior, crashes, freezes and other strange, unexpected behavior in one or more apps or the macOS itself. So if you have it installed, pretty much all bets are off as far as stability goes for your Mac. See How to remove mySIMBL and SIMBL in macOS. Timing
Here's a common situation: You've written your macro, you're sure you've included all the steps, but the macro fails in some way, e.g. it seems to skip steps. This is often caused by timing issues: Keyboard Maestro executes an action in the macro before the receiving program is ready for that action.
Most of the actions in a script are immediate: Keyboard Maestro will execute them and then attempts to wait until they are completed, but for some actions it is not possible to tell when the action is completed. So Keyboard Maestro will move on to the next step immediately. If Keyboard Maestro does not wait sufficiently long for the result of an action, you must tell it to explicitly.
To make the macro wait, there are two options:
Pause Until: this tells Keyboard Maestro to wait until something happens (e.g. a new window opens, a key is pressed, and a dozen more options).
Often, adding pauses to your macro will solve the timing issues. A pause of 0.3 seconds is often enough, but in some cases (e.g. a 'Switch to application' action when there are many applications open and your system is running out of memory) longer pauses (several seconds) may be necessary. Typed String Triggers Not Working Not Being Able To Enter a Hot Key
If Typed String triggers are not working, or if you try to create a hot key and find that when you select the hot key it turns blue, but then when you type a keystroke it is not noticed, then there are two possible causes.
If Access for Assistive Devices is not enabled, then Keyboard Maestro cannot watch the keyboard for keystrokes. Desktop groups 1 3. Keyboard Maestro warns you of this when you launch it, as well as with a small yellow warning triangle in the bottom right corner of the main window. Click on the triangle and follow the instructions to enable access for assistive devices. In Mavericks, the accessibility preferences are in the System Preferences Security Privacy panel, Privacy pane - there are some reports that Mavericks can get confused if you have two different versions of Keyboard Maestro on your Mac, so check that panel closely.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
An alternative cause for this issue is Secure Input Mode. Secure Input Mode
Mac OS X will not let applications watch the keyboard when you are in a password field (to prevent hackers getting hold of your passwords). However, the system can sometimes get into a state where it thinks it is permanently in a password fields. Almost anything that asks for a password could cause the problem (eg, 1Password extension, VPN connections, Mail, etc). Quitting the appropriate affected application or restarting will resolve the issue (until it reappears). Terminal has a Secure Keyboard Entry mode, as does Webroot SecureAnywhere by default.
Keyboard Maestro 6 and later detects the case where the Secure Input Mode flag is left on and alerts you to the issue.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
A related, very unusual case is that Terminal has a Secure Keyboard Entry mode (in the Terminal menu) - if you turn that on, that may also cause problems.
And a final new cause for this may be Parallels Version 8, which apparently can interfere with the keyboard event queue and/or hot keys. Restarting Parallels may help.
There is a forum topic on the subject and the Smile Software folks have a very good page on this subject (as it affects TextExpander similarly to Keyboard Maestro) which lists a lot of possible causes.
Note that there is nothing Keyboard Maestro can do to work around Secure Input Mode - it is a system security feature that has been erroneously left on. Keyboard Maestro can detect and report it, but it can no more work around the problem that it could bipass any other security features of Mac OS X.
As of 7.1+, Keyboard Maestro will tell you if it detects the system is in Secure Input Mode and if possible indicate the process which is causing the issue in the Keyboard Maestro status menu or by clicking the yellow warning triangle in the bottom right corner of the Keyboard Maestro editor. For older versions, there is a macro to find the offending app on the forum. Macros Not Being Saved
If your macros are not being saved (ie, you make changes in Keyboard Maestro, and then quit and relaunch Keyboard Maestro and the changes are lost, and Keyboard Maestro Engine never notices any changes) then this is likely because Keyboard Maestro cannot save the macros file. In Keyboard Maestro, choose Help Open Preferences Folder, and ensure that that folder is writeable and that the Keyboard Maestro Macros.plist file it contains is writeable. If you're still having the problem, consider using the Disk Utilitys Fix Permissions action, and/or removing the Keyboard Maestro preferences folder, creating a new once, and moving the contents of the old one to the new one. Not Working With Parallels
In Parallels, make sure the Enabled Mac OS X system shortcuts preference is enabled, which will ensure Parallels reads the keyboard from the keyboard queue. The Case of the Vanishing Insertion Cursor in Mail
When I hide Mail, and then show it later, the insertion cursor has disappeared, whats up with that?
Congratulations, you have found a bug, but it is a bug in Mac OS X and/or Mail. You can reproduce this vanishing insertion cursor without Keyboard Maestro by quitting Keyboard Maestro and the Keyboard Maestro Engine, switch to Mail, create a new Mail message, with the insertion point blinking away. Command-Tab to the Finder, then Command-Tab, select Mail, press H to hide it, select the Finder. Then Command-Tab, select Mail. You can now type, but there is no insertion point. Switching the front two windows twice restores the cursor.
But, aha! You have Keyboard Maestro! Why do something manually when you can automate the process. Make a macro that is triggered when you activate Mail, with actions:
Bring Window With Index 2 to Front
Problem solved until Apple get around to fixing the issue. This bug in Mail appears to be resolved in Yosemite. Scripts Are Not Working Because the Path is Wrong When Executed in Keyboard Maestro
In essence, the default path in a Keyboard Maestro Execute Shell Script is nothing , since Keyboard Maestro executes scripts using the bash shell in non-interactive mode.
To learn how to set a path in a Keyboard Maestro Execute Shell Script Action, see Execute a Shell Script Sometimes the Wrong Thing is Pasted
Occasionally, you can have cases where you try to Insert Text by Pasting, or Paste from a Named Clipboard or the like, and the wrong thing is pasted.
There are two potential causes of this. The first is that some applications may cache the clipboard, resulting in the new clipboard that Keyboard Maestro sets not being seen by the application. This is particularly prevalent in cross platform applications or applications that expect very large clipboards. A solution to this may require setting the clipboard, and then executing some other action to wake up the application to the change, such as changing out of the application and then back, or clicking in the menu bar.
A more common, but more random, cause is due to the different nature of setting/reading the clipboard, and simulating a Command-C/Command-V to copy/paste. To understand what is going on, keep in mind:
Setting (or reading) the system clipboard is a synchronous action (it happens immediately).
Copy or Paste is done via a Command-C or Command-V, and this is an asynchronous action - the keystroke is posted to the event queue and the system/application will process it at some unknown future time.
Keyboard Maestro includes an automatic delay after posting a command key to allow the application to process it, but it's possible for the system / application to be slow in processing it and thus resulting in the wrong order of execution. For example, if you do this:
The sequence is actually:
If the application / system is slow, then the pause will not be long enough, and what will actually happen on the application end is:
So B will be posted twice. A similar affect can happen if you actively delete the pasted clipboard using the Delete Clipboard action - the old clipboard may be restored before the Command-V is processed.
There are four possible solutions to ensure robustness in these sorts of cases:
Insert all the text in one go. Eg, Insert Text by Pasting CurrentClipboard - PastClipboard1 or NamedClipboardA and NamedClipboardB.
Add an explicit Pause action. Eg, Insert Text by Pasting A, Pause 1 Second, Insert Text by Pasting B.
Explicitly specify the actions and add an explicit Pause. Eg, Command-C, Pause 1 Second, Set Named Clipboard to Current Clipboard.
Increase the inbuilt pause after a Command key is simulated (see the Preferences section of the documentation). Sometimes Typing in Password Fields Drops Characters
When Keyboard Maestro simulates a keystroke, it simulates both the press and the release. If the key is already being held down by you (eg because you pressed the key as a trigger), then Keyboard Maestro notices this, and first releases the key, and then presses and releases the key.
However, in a password field (or any time Secure Input is enabled), Keyboard Maestro and other applications cannot see the state of the keyboard (for obvious security reasons). Because of this, Keyboard Maestro does not know that you are still holding down a key and therefore cannot know to release it. So if it tries to simulate the same key that you are holding down, in a password field, it will still simulate the press and release, but because the key is already held down, the press will not do anything and the keystroke will be lost.
This happens most commonly when you have a hot key trigger with the same key (eg Control-T) as a key you want to type in to a password field (eg Hello there). Because it is a password field, the only indication will be a missing bullet () (so ten instead of 11 bullets) and then an invalid password error, which makes this problem hard do diagnose.
Removing Styles Changes The Text
Although most people consider the clipboard to be a single thing (an image, some styled text, an slide in Keynote, whatever), in truth a single clipboard entry is made up of a variety of different things, each somehow representing the thing you copied.
For example, if you copy some text in Pages, then the clipboard might contain a variety of things like:
Some plain text in UTF16
Some iWork-specific representation of the styled text
A reference to the location in the document
These different forms of the information on the clipboard are called flavors.
When an application pastes anything from the clipboard, it tries to choose the best representation. So Pages or Numbers might use the iWork representation of the text, another word processor might use the RTF version, a plain text application like BBEdit might use the UTF8 text, an image application like Acorn might use the image, and so on.
Generally, these different pieces of information should all be logically the same. That is, you would expect that if you paste in the RTF, and then remove styles, you would get the same result as if you used the plain text.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes, in theory there should be no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is.
Sometimes application will put different text in the RTF than in the plain text. For example, if you copy an entry from a styled list, the plain text might have just the characters, and the styled text might also have a bullet character at the front (or vice versa).
When you use any action in Keyboard Maestro that requires only plain text, it will read the plain text version of the clipboard (eg Filter Text: Remove Styles , or Set Variable to Current Clipboard ).
When you use any action that can deal with styled text, it will read the RTF or other styled text version of the clipboard if possible (eg Set Named Clipboard to styled text CurrentClipboard ).
However, when Keyboard Maestro creates a clipboard entry (either for a named clipboard or the system clipboard) based on styled text, the result will always be matching plain and styled text, and any other clipboard flavors will be thrown away).
So if you have a situation where the plain text and the plain text of the styled text differ, you can get the plain text of the styled text by reading the clipboard as styled text, and then storing it somewhere (in a named clipboard or the system clipboard), and then (since that will now be clean without discrepancies) getting the plain text of that.
Eg: Preference Write Failed
If Keyboard Maestro cannot write to its preferences folder, it should alert you to the problem. Alternatively, if changes you are making to macros, variables, or Named Clipboards or the like are not sticking, the problem is likely caused by incorrect ownership or permissions of the Keyboard Maestro preference folder or its contents. This most often happens after a poor migration or backup restore of the folder.
Quit Keyboard Maestro, and open the Keyboard Maestro Preferences folder - in the Finder, hold the Option key down, select the menu Go Library, then drill down into Application Support and find the Keyboard Maestro folder.
Select the folder and choose File Get Info and then look at the Sharing Permissions section, and ensure it is owned by you and you have Read Write privileges. If it is not owned by you, you will need to change the owner. If you do not have Read Write permissions, you need to change that.
Then also look at the contents of the folder and ensure all the files and folders have the correct owners and permissions (you can select multiple files in the Finder and then hold the Option key down and choose File Show Inspector to look at all of them). Correct the ownership and permissions if necessary. No Palettes or Dialogs Appear
If you set the Keyboard Maestro Engine Login Item to launch as Hidden, then it is not able to display palettes or dialogs (like the Alert or Prompt For User Input dialogs). Uncheck the Hide checkbox in the Accounts Login Items system preference and quit and relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine to resolve the issue. This appears resolved in Mavericks. The Global Floating Palette has disappeared
If you close the global floating palette it will not repeat until either you relaunch the Keyboard Maestro Engine, or you show it again using the Show/Toggle Global Macro Palette action.
If you wish to briefly hide all the palettes (eg while watching a video), you can use the Conceal Macro Palettes until Application Switch action. The Select Menu Item Action Is Not Working in Photoshop, Finale or Another Application
Cross platform apps, including often Adobe apps, and Finale, do not necessarily update or even build their menu bar until the menu is selected with the mouse. When asked for the menus via the accessibility subsystem, the menus are either not there, or not currently correctly built for the context (eg, menus may be disabled or invisible when they should not be).
Options to force the application into updating its menus include:
Switch out and back to the application, and then use the Select Menu Item action.
Simulate a click in the menu bar, and then use the Select Menu Item action.
Desperate measures, simulate a click in the menu bar, and then use arrows and typeahead (Insert Text by Typing) to select the menu item.
Often, simulating a click in the menu bar to the right of the Help menu will be sufficient to cause the menus to be rebuild. White Menus or White Switchers or Palettes
For some people, the menus or switchers sometimes appear completely white. When this happens, restarting Keyboard Maestro Engine is the only solution.It is also seen in Photoshop and maybe other applications. See this thread or this thread
According to those threads, Adobe believe the issue to be a Mac OS X bug, and have a patch solution to resolve it (within Photoshop) and are working with Apple to resolve the problem properly.
This issue appears to have been resolved in 10.9.3 and later. Stuck Modifiers Keys and Wacom Drivers
It appears that recent versions of Wacoms drivers can result in stuck modifier keys (Option, Shift, Command, Control) when used with Keyboard Maestro, either when pressing hot keys or when Keyboard Maestro is simulating keystrokes. See the forum post Keyboard misbehavior triggered by.?. Google Chrome Actions are Not Working
The Chrome (and Safari) actions work by making AppleScript requests.
Chrome's auto-update mechanism seems to frequently break the AppleScript connections. Alternatively, having multiple versions of Chrome and/or Chrome within a Virtual Machine may cause problems.
Restarting Google Chrome, Keyboard Maestro Engine, or restarting your Mac will usually resolve the broken connection.
Configuring an explicit version for the Google Chrome application by using the Terminal command: defaults write com.stairways.keyboardmaestro.engine AppleScriptGoogleChromeName '/Applications/Google Chrome.app'
may resolve the issue if it is caused by multiple versions of Chrome.
An alternative cause can be because the actions work by executing the AppleScript via a osascript, and it is possible for all Execute Script Actions are Not Working. Safari Actions are Not Working
The Safari (and Chrome) actions work by making AppleScript requests.
As of OS X 10.11.5 it appears that Safari defaults to disallowing JavaScript from Apple Events. This will stop various of the Safari actions from working. To resolve this you must:
Enable the Develop menu in Safari if not already enabled in Safaris Advanced preferences.
Enable Allow JavaScript from Apple Events in the Develop menu. Execute Script Actions are Not Working
Your variables are sent to your scripts by placing them in environment variables. However, the total size of the environment variables is 256k. Therefore if the total size of your variables exceeds about 256k scripts will stop working. Adjust your variables to reduce the total size. Yosemite GM and Accessibility Settings Problems Yosemite and Accessibility Settings Problems
Yosemite (10.10 GM1 through 10.10.2) has a serious problem adding applications to the accessibility pane properly. This is affecting other applications that require accessibility as well. It seems to commonly impact Keyboard Maestro by the Keyboard Maestro Engine not being added to the accessibility settings pane.
This bug was finally resolved in Yosemite 10.10.3. So if you are having problems with accessibility under Yosemite, upgrade to 10.10.3 or later, and then launch Keyboard Maestro. Then ensure both Keyboard Maestro and Keyboard Maestro Engine are listed and checked.
If you must stay on version 10.10.0-2 for any reason, see the forum topic on possible solutions. App Translocation Security
To resolve App Translocation, in the Finder, move the Keyboard Maestro.app anywhere (the /Applications folder is generally the best place for it).
Postbox 6 0 8 powerful and flexible email clients . In macOS Sierra, Apple added a strange security feature called App Translocation (sometimes known as Gatekeeper Path Randomization) which means that after downloading an application, if you do not move the resulting application somewhere (anywhere!), the application will be run as if it is located at a randomly chosen path by the system. The consequence of this is that Launch Engine at Login will not work (because the Keyboard Maestro Engine will have a random, different, path each time), and version updates will fail (because Keyboard Maestro cannot replace itself).
Manually moving the application in the Finder will turn off App Translocation. Moving it by other means (eg, PathFinder, Hazel, Keyboard Maestro, whatever) will not remove translocation.
Choose Interactive Help (v9+) (previously Assistance in v8) from the Help menu and click the Something unexpected is happening link and Keyboard Maestro will tell you if there are any obvious issues.
You can determine if an application is running Translocated by looking at it with the Activity Monitor. Double click on the process in the listing to inspect it, and then look at its Open Files and Ports. One of the first entries will be the application executable, and if it is being Translocated it will have a long path, something like this:
/private/var/folders/9t/ld0kwsdn6mx13x87bw01bh_w0000gn/T/AppTranslocation/A5CA1CC2-10E0-4DD2-9962-7E484D2CFFED/d/Keyboard Maestro.app/Contents/MacOS/Keyboard Maestro
If you still cannot get the flag removed, you can use the Terminal command:
assuming that Keyboard Maestro.app is in the Applications folder. Other troubleshooting information
See also the Troubleshooting page of the Keyboard Maestro documentation and Philippe Martins Debugging Macros section of his extensive Tips Tricks for Keyboard Maestro article. Keyboard Maestro Reviews
Note: This page has not been updated in some years, but it is kept hear to give an idea of the length of time Keyboard Maestro has been around. Web Site Reviews I use [Keyboard Maestro] to add some depth to my clipboard really really handy - think about it the next time you are copy and pasting if you wind up bouncing back and forth between two different apps to paste bits of data, doing it with . a clipboard with some depth . makes a huge difference I cant live without it. If Im using a Mac with any regularity, I have to go and put a license of Keyboard Maestro on it. I just cant live without it. It really has made a difference for me, and I realized today how much I took it for granted and how much longer show preparation would have taken if I didnt have it. Keyboard Maestro 4.3.2 Keyboard Maestro is a less complicated tool that provides the bulk of QuicKeys features. Keyboard Maestro is a fine macro utility offered at a reasonable price. If you dont need the extra power offered by QuicKeysspecifically, decision actions and Web actionsand seek an easier-to-use tool, Keyboard Maestro is a solid option. Pros
Recording feature
Straightforward interface
Lots of command and trigger options Cons
Cant create macros with decision points
Lacks QuicKeys Web interactions Bottom Line Keyboard Maestro, while not as powerful as QuicKeys, is an easy-to-use, capable, and affordable macro utility. Keyboard Maestro 4.2 I really really love Keyboard Maestro. Sometimes you come across applications on the web which are really really truly remarkable and Keyboard Maestro is one of them. It is so blazingly awesome that it is really not easy to find words to describe this application. It has even replaced my beloved LaunchBar history. Keyboard Maestro 4.2 Keyboard Maestro is a general purpose macro utility. Think of it as a way to take any repetitious task, no matter what it is, and automate it. You can do so without being a programmer; in part due to its wonderful user interface, and in part due to its ability to record your actions on the fly. At the very least, watch their video tutorial on creating a complex macro for saving clippings of text. That should get your computing juices flowing so you can estimate some of the other areas in which Keyboard Maestro will save you time. I use Keyboard Maestro hundreds of times per day, if not thousands on a heavy computing use day. Eventually it just becomes part of you; you forget it is there, and muscle memory kicks in. You will slam a few keys around, things will happen, and your life will be easier. To top it all off, technical support is in my top three of all time list . Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Of the two applications, I would say Keyboard Maestro streamlines the process of macro creation a little better; plus unlike QuicKeys, Maestro does not have to be running in order to work. youre going to see a significant increase in your computer workflow once you get the hang of creating shortcuts and automations. You indeed become a maestro of your computerplaying it rather than it playing you. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Die Mglichkeiten erscheinen sehr weitreichend wobei es wohl wie so oft bei Programmen dieser Art etwas Einstiegszeit erfordern wird. Einerseits um die individuellen relevanten Funktionen zu erkennen und andererseits um diese dann mit passenden (und hirnkompatiblen) Macros abzubilden. Sei es nun inkl. Applescript, Shellscript, Growl-Support oder sonstigem PiPaPo. Ist diese Hrde mal gemeistert wird man Keyboard Maestro wohl nicht mehr missen wollen. In meinem Fall greife ich bis dato nur auf einige Bereiche zurck so wird die z.b die Clipboard-Funktion noch komplett ignoriert, der App-Window-Switcher kommt hingegen schon aktiv zum Einsatz. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 Keyboard Maestro is a great utility for anyone that spends a lot of time working with text on their Mac. Whether you might be thinking of using it to help you quickly answer repetitive email, create blog posts or just to map certain mouse-based actions to a keyboard shortcut, its definitely worth checking out. Ive tried a number of similar utilities, but in terms of extendability and scope, Keyboard Maestro seems to take the cake. At $36, its not cheap for a utility, but considering the time itll help you save I think its a fair price. Id recommend you try it out and see how well it could fit into your daily workflows. Keyboard Maestro 4.0.1 People sometimes ask me whether I have any for lack of a better term secret weapon software to recommend. Utility apps like, say, LaunchBar or Quicksilver (on that one, Ive been in the LaunchBar camp for a few years). The sort of apps Batman would keep in his utility belt if his utility belt were a metaphor-stretched Macintosh. Keyboard Maestro is such an app. Its several utilities in one: a powerful macro program, a clipboard history manager, a hot key manager, a keyboard switcher, and more. Version 4 is a great update, including a complete overhaul of my very favorite Keyboard Maestro feature, the clipboard history, and an all-new Automator-esque UI for the macro editor. Keyboard Maestro is copiously documented and comes from one of the longest-standing and most-respected indie Mac developers, Peter Lewiss Stairways Software. Keyboard Maestro 4.0 Reviewer Gazmaz, in a very thoughtful review, said: It has an application switcher which can do much more than the standard command-Tab that you get with Mac OS X, and this is something I like, you can switch to an application and the hide all of the others, great for concentrating the mind. If you do use your Mac for work, or even for pleasure, and you find yourself often doing repetitive jobs and processes, then this application can assist you to make those actions run with a few keyboard clicks and save you hours which you can spend far more productively. Keyboard Maestro 4.0 Among other features, Keyboard Maestro lets you record macros sequences of key presses, mouse clicks, etc. and then invoke them with hotkey shortcuts. Its also a terrific scripting utility. The change list for version 3.0 is long, but my favorite aspects are the re-organized user interface (simpler by far) and improved scripting support (including support for Unix shell scripts). Keyboard Maestro also now has its own built-in web server, which allows you to execute Keyboard Maestro macros on your Mac remotely. The whole thing is exquisitely documented, and introductory examples abound. Keyboard Maestro 3.0 I have to tell you [Keyboard Maestro] is handy. Keyboard Maestro puts speed at your fingertips. Tired of doing the same things over and over? Just create a new shortcut by choosing your own key combinations to do those things you do most. It even comes preinstalled with some already generated ones. Cant Live Without this is a fabulous timesaver Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2 The macosxhints Rating:
[Score: 9 out of 10]
The application switcher has
some very nice features
I was able to easily create some menu-activating
macros that save me time each day. There's also a separate window switcher
-- this alone makes it worth the asking price for me Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2
an attractive package.
Keyboard Maestros versatility
and power set it apart from
those I have tried before.
Keyboard Maestro also sports
the application, window and
clipboard switchers
This is definitely a program that is great for the keyboard macro facility. Keyboard Maestro 2.0.2 Keyboard Maestro is everything QuicKeys should have been but isnt. It has all the features Ive been missing. Of all the macro utilities Ive used in the past 10 or 15 years,
this one is the easiest to use . It is easier to use than QuicKeys, has more features and costs less than half as much. Keyboard Maestro could very well change your computing life. Keyboard Maestro 2.0 superbly easy Its a beautiful piece of software which, like the much more expensive Quickeys,
automates many repetitive tasks on your Macintosh. a brilliant new interface and a powerful rewritten engine A helpful demonstration is well worth a look for anyone who uses a Mac daily. Keyboard Maestro 2.0 If all you do with your Mac is
send a few emails you probably
don't need this software. If
you do more than that though,
its a must have . I find Keyboard Maestro powerful and easy to use. Keyboard Maestro handles all the boring and repetitive tasks for me. Keyboard Maestro 1.2.3 User Reviews
Keyboard Maestro is a fantastic application that I use everyday. Its saved me loads of time and simplified many repetitive tasks. Nothing is quite so nice as setting up a boring task and then walk away. Its easy enough to set up new macros that the barrier to entry before I set one up is quite low. Ive used numerous scripting and automation technologies before, and I still use them when I want something more robust, but for keyboard remapping and quick macros with flow control, I havent found anything that comes close to Keyboard Maestro. Thanks! August 2011
Awesome. Works a treat. Thanks so much for the prompt answers and the amazing program. Im collaborating on a book of traditional Irish tunes using Finale. It has its own scripting language, but its buggy and limited. Ive automated most of my work using Keyboard Maestro and probably have saved hundreds of hours of work. If I take the time to incorporate the new flow control options, itll be even smoother. August 2011
I dont think I have thanked you personally yet for the wonderful software you have created. It is astounding how many activities in my day are more efficient because of Keyboard Maestro 5. In a very short period since I began using what I call Keyboard Heaven, I have designed more than 50 macros I use during work in any given session on my computer. Its no small tweaking you have allowed me to create using your creation. Keyboard Maestro invites users to design a whole new way of seeing enhanced productivity. August 2011
Your product and your support is most excellent, and I appreciate that! July 2011
I am one of those people who knew about Keyboard Maestro but was still blown away by the things I could do with it. I was so impressed that I bought another copy for a friend. June 2011
Keyboard Maestro has been a life saver (well atime saver) since I upgraded to Snow Leopard and found thatQuicksilver no longer worked for launching my apps and web urls. Loveit! Jun 2011
Keyboard Maestro is fantastic! Ill admit, I picked it up as part of the productivity bundle, and never planned on using it. But when I did, it was a pleasure, and I had my Das Keyboard functioning as a standard Apple branded keyboard, function keys and all, in seconds! May 2011
Keyboard Maestro is one of my top three Mac Applications of all time after just five minutes of using it!
It feels like an endless paradise for a Power-User like me. You guys did some awesome work developing this Application.
After installing Keyboard Maestro I was sitting in front of my iMac and speaking to myself, saying Oh my gosh, oh my gosh because of all the new giving possibilities.
Wow! Thank you so much for this app! Nov 2010
I am stuck using Lotus Notes at my workplace but I have the consolation of using a MacBook Pro rather than a Windows machine. Still, even on a Mac, Lotus Notes is not, shall we say, famous for its beauty or usability or efficiency.
So I finally got to try Keyboard Maestro, and I bought it within 4 minutes, after setting up a really simple but wonderful macro that lets me quickly switch typeface color to blue in Lotus Notes (saving me three hundred thousand silly steps and wading through sub-menus). A slight exaggeration on the number of steps but not on the time to decide to buy.
I also smugly showed off to my colleagues how nice life has become.
So, thank you for creating this, and for making it so easy to use. Sept 2010
My main reason for buying Keyboard Maestro 4 was to reprogram thedelete key so that its normal function is forward delete and Fn+Delete is backward delete. This is a Windows hangup I know! It was very easy to set upand I had it working in a remarkably short time because the software is soeasy and intuitive to use.
In the learning process I realised that it could make a whole range ofactivities much easier, especially things like inserting styled text, so Iam going to get a lot of use out of it.
Well done on your design and execution! Aug 2010
Fantastic program by the way - I recently had to use someone elses machine, and the lack of Keyboard Maestro felt like a missing limb. Aug 2010
I just finished a little exercise with respect to automating a bit of data entry in FileMaker Pro Advanced.I had to add a little something by a few step sequence to 363 records.
I tried recording the actions with Automator, it ended up hanging.
I tried recording with Script Debugger, for some reason nothing got recorded.
I tried recording with AppleScript Editor, for some reason nothing got recorded.
Then I thought of trying Keyboard Maestro. After a few minutes, bingo! Works!
Next time I will try Keyboard Maestro first.
Thank you Sir! May 2010
Duration of ownership: 4 Years
Strengths: It is the first non-Apple item to be loaded to any and every new installation. It is a primary tool. Support occurs at light speed.
Weaknesses: A weakness is that for this old brain is that I doubt I have enough years left to me to learn all that can be done with this rapidly evolving tool (its up to 4.3 now, after 3 betas). The developer increases it capabilities faster than I can absorb them :D
Overall: Essential May 2010
Duration of ownership: 4 Years
Strengths: Power, flexibility, small footprint on the system, ease of use, low cost, steady development and frequent addition of new features. Also Stairways Software are very attentive to their users needs.
Weaknesses: I dont see any.
Overall: Definitely one of my top 3 productivity tools! I use it (most of the times without even thinking about it) for tons of things, like running scripts and workflows, adding missing features or hotkeys to applications or fixing hotkeys that are unplayable on my AZERTY keyboards, automating multi-steps user actions, controlling my Macs remotely, working with multiple clipboards, typing text for me, etc, etc, etc. I highly recommend it. May 2010
Duration of ownership: 10 Months
Strengths: Anything (or almost everything) you want to do with keys without moving your mouse can be done using Keyboard Maestro.
Weaknesses: Yet to find one
Overall: Great product, created by great developer, a nice guy and has a great support. Cant imagine my Mac without this app anymore. Any other app that comes even close to this on Mac in terms of must have is Quicksilver May 2010
Duration of ownership: 2 Months
Strengths: Fairly ease to use once you put together a few automations.
Weaknesses: None that I can tell.
Overall: Im surprised that more people are not using these type of automation applications, which are in the long huge time savers when youre working at your computer. Sure, put together macros can be a little tedious at times, but once its done, you own it. It will save you lots of time in the long run. I highly recommend this app or QuicKeys. May 2010
Duration of ownership: 18 Months
Strengths: Background app with separate macro editing app. Super easy to use, quick, powerful. Version 4 even better looking than version 3.
Weaknesses: Keeps being compared to QuicKeys X.
Overall: You can launch the macro editor from the menu bar, make your edits and quit, and the background app still runs. Even better than the venerable Key Xing, which the developer was forced to abandon. May 2010
I have been using Keyboard Maestro for quite some weeks now and I am very very happy with it!
When I first started using it, I really did not realize how utterly invaluable it would turn out to be!
I have about one hundred Mac apps and I consider yours to be my most valuable one. Mar 2010
The only thing more awesome than @keyboardmaestro is Peters customer service cc: @peternlewis Mar 2010
Thank You for your excellent program that I use every day. I do not want to live without it!
It is one of the most useful programs in the world! I cant imagine how people can live without Insert Text macros and Clipboard History. Typing the same text over and over again, No Thanks!
I recommend it on my own website and hope more people will understand how much it helps out in the daily work on a computer.
It is at the top of my recommendations! Feb 2010
Keyboard Maestro is the single strongest productivity enhancer on Mac OS X. Keyboard Maestro allows us to program any repetitive task sequence in a matter of minutes. Weve tried AppleScript and Automator but for sophisticated tasks they take hours of tinkering to get them to do just what we want. With Keyboard Maestro, if you can write the steps down, your macro is already done. Our programming team moving over from Windows was thrilled to be able to set some essential keyboard shortcuts to what they are used to to get off to a fast start on Mac.
Personally I use it to make keyboard shortcuts work the same across multiple applications and to make Apple Mail accept Eudora keyboard shortcuts. I also have hot keys for filing mail. The first software I bought when the office switched from Windows to Mac was a site license for Keyboard Maestro. Jan 2010
Thank you for creating such a wonderful product. The program says it has saved me about 42 minutes so far, but trust me.the frustration it has saved goes well beyond 42 minutes of time!
Its really nice to know that there are people like you out there, creating really solid software that solves specific problems, at a value price. The wonderful customer service is an added bonus! Dec 2009
Ive been using Keyboard Maestro since August of 2008, when Leopard broke Key Xing. Of course, Key Xing was just a launcher, and Keyboard Maestro is so much more. I keep finding new ways to use it, and at this point Id be lost without it. Dec 2009
Great upgrade! Love the new interface. Macaw 1 5 code savvy web design tool . https://freemyweb.mystrikingly.com/blog/best-small-video-camera-for-mac .
Keyboard Maestro was already one of my favorite utilities, and now I like it even better. Dec 2009
Years ago I was a QuicKeys fan, but when I ran into problems with it after moving to OS X, I stopped using it. Recently, I wanted to start using macros again to speed up and automate my work flow, so I decided to take another look at macro creating programs. After comparing the features and ease of use of Keyboard Maestro 3.5 and QuicKeys 4.0.2, I felt that Keyboard Maestro won hands down. The interface of Keyboard Maestro is so intuitive, I was making complex macros right out of the box.
Keyboard Maestro is a powerful, polished piece of software at a great price. Plus, its fun to use! What more could you ask? Highly recommended. July 2009
Thanks for a great product! I use it all day, every day, and I'm working on expanding my use of it since it has always performed flawlessly and has saved me time every day.
How many products can you say that about!? June 2009
Thank you for making Keyboard Maestro. Quite frankly: without it, I wouldhave probably switched back to Windows. Feb 2009
I just purchased the software, and I am very happy with it. I ran through the trial period and found myself finding countless ways to harness the power of smart keyboard shortcuts. It is the perfect product for my large data entry project! When my trial came to an end, I knew that Id have to purchase it; Id feel crippled without it!
Thanks for offering this software at a reasonable price and for giving users time to work through a trial without limiting its features. Dec 2008
Thanks to Keyboard Maestro, my worries about developing repetitivestress injuries in my wrist and elbow are gone. As a bonus, Imgetting my work done more quickly, too! Dec 2008
I am only writing to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
A few weeks ago, I saw mention of Keyboard Maestro in a shortarticle about managing email through automated processes. I useEntourage but found it lacking in many keyboard shortcuts andcustomizations. I downloaded your program and purchased it 5 minuteslater - able to easily create two Macros that I have been lookingfor since my switch in those 5 minutes. Since my purchase, I findnew ways to use Keyboard Maestro every day. I love it so much Irecommended it to a colleague and we now have a running competitionto see who has saved the most time according to our KeyboardMaestro program. Karen Palmer, Director of Technology, Billings Public Schools
Keyboard Maestro 3 saved the day by letting me disable some of themore critical control keys and then 3.2 let me create a notTerminal group to house my favorite launch macros.
Keyboard Maestro has become an indispensable utility. It is abrilliant bit of programming and an absolute bargain, to boot. June 2008
Keyboard Maestro is the first thing I put on each new Mac I buy. Cantimagine my Mac life without it! Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solutions Dave Mark, Author, Founder, SpiderWorks Publishing
I love Keyboard Maestro. Combined with the SafeType keyboard it makes for an ergonomic dream. May 2008
I would like to compliment your on your software. Not only is it very intuitive and it was not necessary for me to read much of the manual, but you have many nice features that other much, much, much more expensive macro programs (I am referring to QuicKeys) do not have, or you have to do some pretty extensive programming to get close to the same thing.
Keyboard Maestro is simple, clean, and very straightforward. April 2008 I have RSI issues and Keyboard Maestro is a huge help and saving my lifehere, thanks for a great product, the upgrade is terrific! April 2008 Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solution Using Keyboard Maestro is a fantastic application and has revolutionised the way I use my Mac. I have a bunch of keyboard-triggered macros for selecting applications, opening Web sites, running Photoshop commands, etc. I also use it to make the F16, F17, and F18 keys on my new flat aluminium keyboards work as volume up, down, and mute. I no longer use the Dock, Expose, or Mac OS X application switcher. April 2008 I love Keyboard Maestro and I think you are doing a great job with it! Quite a few of my clients have also bought your product. I am a software developer myself, and I know how much work it takes. You are doing a great job! Keyboard Maestro 6 4 6 Hot Key Tasking Solution Answer April 2008 So many great new features - my favorites are the recording, the web macroactivation, the inline scripts, and the no-modifier hot keys (whichshould help me fix many of the broken text editing conventions in someapps, like Firefox and Entourage). And self-updates will be nice, too.I feel like a kid in a candy store! April 2008 Nov 2007 I work as both administrative and tech support for a scientific software company. The accounts receivable letters, upgrade letters, and basic tech questions were excessively time-consuming when I started this job. I took 2 hours to write up all the macros I needed, and I save hours and hours every week by using the hot keys. My coworkers were impressed when I did a series of letters that took them 3 hours - in 20 minutes! Thanks for making me look good! Aug 2006 I found Keyboard Maestro in my search to create a keyboard shortcut for menuitems in applications that do not have a shortcut. As a previous OneClickuser, it was a pleasure to find an application that would allow me to easilymanipulate my Mac. Keyboard Maestro is an application that does not requireadvanced experience and has been trouble free. I would have to say that mybiggest problem with Keyboard Maestro is remembering all my shortcuts that I have added. Dec 2004
