Make a keystroke overlay appear only while you record
macOS has no keystroke overlay of its own, so there is no built-in switch for this; it depends on the overlay you use. In Typebar, turn on “Show when a screen recording starts” in the Recording settings. The overlay then appears by itself while your screen is recorded or shared, and hides again when that stops. If you would rather decide by hand, Control-Option-Command-K (⌃⌥⌘K) shows or hides it in one press.
The reason to bother is simple. An overlay left on all day sits over your ordinary work, and one you switch on by hand gets forgotten until you watch the recording back and find no keys in it. Tying it to the recording takes care of both.
The manual way: one shortcut before you press record
If you record rarely, a shortcut is enough. Typebar gives you two:
- Control-Option-Command-K (⌃⌥⌘K) shows or hides the overlay.
- Triple-tap fn does the same, with one hand.
What appears is set in the Show submenu of the menu bar icon: Keyboard Only, Pill Only, or Keyboard and Pill.
All of Typebar’s shortcuts can be changed in Settings, under Shortcuts, if ⌃⌥⌘K clashes with something you use.
A typical take with the macOS Screenshot toolbar then goes: press Control-Option-Command-K to show the overlay, press Command-Shift-5 (⇧⌘5), choose Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, and click Record. When you are done, click the Stop button in the menu bar or press Command-Control-Escape, then hide the overlay again.
The weak spots are the two ends. You forget to show it before a take, or you forget to hide it afterwards and it follows you into a video call. That is what the automatic setting is for.
Let the recording switch it on
In Typebar’s Settings, open the Recording pane and turn on “Show when a screen recording starts”. From then on:
- When your screen starts being recorded, the overlay shows.
- When the recording stops, it hides again.
- Screen sharing counts too, so a share in a call brings it up the same way.
It needs no Screen Recording permission. Typebar’s one permission is Accessibility, and it never captures your screen itself.
Two habits make takes cleaner. Leave a beat at the start before you press anything you want viewers to see, since you will trim the first second of a take anyway. And if you want the overlay gone for part of a recording, Control-Option-Command-K still hides it and brings it back.
The overlay shows in recordings like any other window. That matters with recorders that can capture a single app’s window instead of the screen: a window recording leaves the overlay out, wherever it sits. Record the whole display or an area that includes it.
Screen sharing counts too
Because sharing counts as well as recording, the overlay comes up when you share your screen in Zoom, Google Meet or a similar call. For training sessions and pair programming this is what you want: everyone sees the shortcut you just used without you asking them to watch your hands. Show the keys you press while screen sharing in Zoom or Meet covers that setup.
If you share your screen in meetings where keys on screen would only distract, you have two choices. Turn the setting off before those meetings and use the shortcut instead, or press Control-Option-Command-K to hide the overlay once the share starts.
The same rule as recording applies here: if the call shares one app’s window rather than the whole screen, the overlay is not part of that window, so viewers will not see it.
Show in these apps, and never in others
The Recording pane has two lists that work alongside the recording switch.
Show in these apps shows the overlay while one of those apps is in front. Add the app you teach, such as Final Cut Pro or Figma, and the keys appear whenever you switch to it, recording or not. This suits anyone learning an app’s shortcuts or teaching in a room, where nothing is technically being recorded.
Never show in these apps keeps the overlay hidden while one of those apps is in front. Messages, Mail, Slack and your password manager are good candidates: switch to one mid-recording to check something, and the overlay steps aside.
Keep in mind what this list does and does not do. It hides the overlay, not the app’s window. If you switch to Mail during a full-screen recording, Mail is still in the video. For typing that must stay private, Typebar’s Privacy settings have a separate “Hide typing in these apps” list, covered in Hide what you type but keep shortcuts visible in a recording.
A few setups that work well:
| You record | Show when a recording starts | Show in these apps | Never show in these apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorials | On | Leave empty | Messages, Mail |
| Live training on calls | On | Leave empty | Your chat app |
| Classes in a room | Off | The app you teach | Leave empty |
| Shortcut practice | Off | The app you are learning | Leave empty |
What shows when it appears
Automatic showing decides when the overlay appears, not what it looks like. That comes from your current setup: the full keyboard, the pill, or both, each with its own size and place on screen.
Profiles keep a whole setup together, including the look, mode, sizes and places, pill, mouse and sounds. Typebar comes with three ready-made ones, Recording, Presenting and Learning, and a profile can switch with the app in front. So the overlay that appears for a recording can already be the right size, in the right corner. Where to put a keystroke overlay so it never covers the action helps with the corner.
For long recordings with stretches of talking, “Fade when idle” in the General pane fades the overlay while you are not pressing anything. It is off until you turn it on.
When it does not behave as you expect
- It does not appear in the video. Most likely the recorder is capturing a single window. Switch it to the full display or an area.
- It appears before you press Record. An app such as OBS can capture the display for its preview before you press its own Record button, and that capture may be enough to bring the overlay up. If that gets in the way, the manual shortcut may suit you better.
- It came up on a call you did not want it on. Screen sharing counts. Hide it with the shortcut, or turn the setting off for calls.
Typebar is $9 once for up to 5 Macs, and free for 24 hours with everything on.
Questions
Does it need Screen Recording permission to know I am recording?
No. Typebar asks only for Accessibility, and it shows itself while your screen is recorded or shared without capturing the screen.
Will the overlay show in a recording of one window?
No. It appears in recordings like any window, so a recording of one app’s window leaves it out. Record the display or an area that includes it.
Can I keep the overlay on screen all the time instead?
Yes. Show it with Control-Option-Command-K and it stays until you hide it. If it gets in the way between takes, turn on “Fade when idle” in the General pane.