Download KeyCue for macOS

Version 11.2.1 is a quiet tune-up — small improvements under the hood that keep KeyCue feeling snappy on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs running macOS 13 or later. Nothing flashy, just a solid shortcut helper that stays out of your way until you need it.

First things first after you install: press and hold the Command key. That’s the core gesture. A clean overlay pops up listing every menu command and its keyboard shortcut for the app you’re in. It’s an instant cheat sheet — no menus to dig through.

Next, try it in a few different apps. Safari, Notes, Pixelmator, whichever you live in. The overlay adapts to what’s on screen, so you spot shortcuts you never knew existed. It also surfaces system-wide hotkeys, not just app-specific ones.

While you’re getting comfortable, tap the emoji browser. KeyCue lays out every emoji symbol and keeps a list of your recently used ones. Pick one and it lands right where your cursor is. Simple, visual, and genuinely handy once you’ve done it twice.

The 11.2.1 update fixed one daily annoyance you might have hit in earlier builds: the licence window popping up after every restart. That’s gone now. Under the hood, the app feels just as instant — holding Command still brings up the shortcut table in a blink, no matter how many apps you’ve got open.

You won’t see a flashy new feature here. What you get is a version that simply starts and stays quiet, the way a background utility should. If you’ve been using KeyCue for a while, this is the build where you stop seeing the installer prompt and just get back to learning shortcuts.

No conflict with the macOS Command-hold overlay

Will it conflict with the built-in macOS shortcut overlay? No — KeyCue sits alongside it. The system’s own Command-hold popup still works, but KeyCue gives you a far more complete list, including menu items you’d normally have to hunt for. You can use both, or just rely on KeyCue once you see how much more it shows.

Does it slow things down when it’s running? It’s a lightweight process that only activates when you trigger it. Between uses, it’s effectively idle. On both Apple Silicon and Intel machines, you won’t feel any drag.

Can I search for shortcuts in a specific app? The overlay always shows commands for the current frontmost app. If you want to learn what’s available in, say, Logic Pro, just switch to Logic Pro and press Command. That’s your app-specific cheat sheet, instantly.

• Small improvements under the hood.

• macOS: macOS 13
• Architecture: Apple Silicon, Intel