Limelight
Show keystrokes in OBS on a Mac
OBS captures your screen but not your keyboard, so viewers cannot see the shortcuts you press. Limelight shows your keystrokes on screen so OBS records them too.
When you stream or record in OBS on a Mac, the screen tells only half the story. You hit a keyboard shortcut and something happens, but your audience has no idea which keys you pressed. For tutorials, demos, and live coding, that missing context is exactly what people want to know.
Limelight is a menu-bar overlay that puts your keyboard shortcuts on screen as clean badges. Press ⌃⌥2 to turn on the keystroke display, and from then on your shortcuts and special keys appear as labels on top of whatever you are doing. Because OBS captures the screen, and Limelight draws its badges right on the screen, OBS records the keystroke display automatically, no plugin or extra source needed.
Set it up by launching Limelight, toggling the keystroke display with ⌃⌥2, and starting your OBS capture as usual. Limelight shows shortcuts and special keys rather than ordinary typing, so the screen stays clean and only the meaningful key combinations appear. When you are done, toggle the display off with ⌃⌥2.
Why Limelight
- ▸Press ⌃⌥2 to toggle the on-screen keystroke display.
- ▸OBS captures the badges as part of the screen, with no plugin required.
- ▸Shows shortcuts and special keys only, not normal typing, so the view stays clean.
- ▸Runs from the menu bar alongside OBS and any other app.
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FAQ
- Do I need an OBS plugin to show keystrokes?
- No. Limelight draws the keystroke badges directly on your screen, and OBS captures them as part of the normal screen capture.
- Does it display everything I type?
- No. Limelight shows keyboard shortcuts and special keys, not ordinary typing, so only the meaningful key combinations appear on screen.