A Keyboard Shortcut Recorder is an online tool that captures and displays the exact key combinations you press on your keyboard in real time. It identifies modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Meta/Cmd) along with the primary key, helping developers, designers, and power users document or debug keyboard shortcuts without installing any software. It runs entirely in your browser with no data sent to any server.

Simply open this page and start pressing key combinations on your keyboard. The tool automatically detects and displays the combination in the main display panel. Modifier key indicators light up in real time. Each complete shortcut (modifier + key) is saved to the history list below. Use the Pause button to temporarily stop recording (useful when you need to use browser shortcuts). Click Copy to copy the last recorded shortcut, or Export to download the full history as a text file.

The tool supports all four standard modifier keys: Ctrl (Control), Alt (Option on Mac), Shift, and Meta (Windows key on PC, Command ⌘ on Mac). Both left and right versions of these keys are detected (via event.location). The indicator badges show which modifiers are currently held down with a real-time glow effect. You can toggle between standard text labels and Mac-style symbols (⌃⌥⇧⌘) using the format toggle button.

Some keyboard shortcuts are intercepted by your operating system or browser before they reach this web page. Examples include Alt+Tab (Windows task switcher), Ctrl+Alt+Del (Windows security screen), and certain browser-reserved combinations like Ctrl+Shift+N (private window in Chrome). While our preventDefault() call blocks many browser shortcuts during recording, OS-level shortcuts cannot be overridden by a web page. If a shortcut isn't captured, try pressing Pause first, then resume recording — this can help in some cases. You can also use the Pause button to freely use browser-native shortcuts without them being recorded.

On Windows, the standard modifier keys are Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and the Windows key (Meta). On Mac, they map to Control (⌃), Option/Alt (⌥), Shift (⇧), and Command (⌘, also Meta). This tool automatically detects your operating system and labels the Meta key accordingly. You can toggle between text labels (Ctrl/Alt/Shift/Meta) and Mac symbol notation (⌃⌥⇧⌘) using the Mac Symbols toggle button. The event.code values remain consistent across platforms, making them ideal for cross-platform shortcut documentation.

Yes! Click the Export button to download your entire shortcut history as a .txt file. The export includes timestamps and each shortcut is listed on its own line in a clean format. You can also copy individual shortcuts by clicking the copy icon next to any history entry, or use the main Copy button to copy the most recently recorded combination. All data stays local — nothing is uploaded or stored on any server.

No installation required at all. This Keyboard Shortcut Recorder runs entirely in your web browser using pure JavaScript keyboard event handling. There are no browser extensions, plugins, or desktop apps to install — just open the page and start recording. It works offline too once the page is loaded, since all processing happens client-side. Your privacy is fully protected as no data leaves your device.

Developers use it to debug keyboard event handling in web apps and verify event.key, event.code, and event.keyCode values across different browsers and keyboard layouts. UX designers document shortcut conventions for applications. Content creators and educators prepare tutorial materials showing exact key combinations. Power users discover and catalog hidden shortcuts in their favorite software. Accessibility testers verify keyboard navigation patterns. Simply put, any scenario where precise key combination tracking matters benefits from this tool.