Guides
A spare keyboard as a macro deck
A USB numpad costs less than lunch and has seventeen keys under one hand. InputConfig reads keyboards per device, so those seventeen keys can run macros, launch apps, and type phrases while the main keyboard's numpad still types numbers. It is a macro deck with no drivers, no companion app, and no subscription. This guide sets one up.
Capturing keys from one device
- Plug in the numpad. Open a preset, add a row, and press Scan.
- Press a key on the numpad. The row records the key and the device it came from, so the same key on the main keyboard does not match.
- Grant Input Monitoring permission when macOS asks; it is needed to read keys, and the app explains it on screen.
- Pick an output. The numpad key is swallowed while the preset runs, so it does only its new job.
The Numpad Macro Deck preset on this page is bound to the numpad key codes with no device set, so it works on the first numpad you plug in. Re-scan any row to pin it to a specific device.
The deck
| Numpad key | Does |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | Open App: Mail, Safari, Calendar |
| 4, 5, 6 | Open App: Messages, Notes, Finder |
| 7 | Macro: Command C, switch app, Command V (copy to the previous app) |
| 8 | Type Text: your email address (placeholder) |
| 9 | Type Text: a sign-off (placeholder) |
| 0 | Start Dictation |
| . | Speak Selection |
| Enter | Mission Control |
| + | Volume Up |
| - | Volume Down |
| * | Play / Pause |
| / | Lock Screen |
| Numlock | Emergency Stop |
Macros with timing
A macro is a list of steps with a delay before each and a hold time for keys. Hold down Command, tap C, release Command, wait 300 ms for the app switch, hold down Command, tap V, release: that is the copy-to-previous-app macro on 7. If a macro drops a step, lengthen the delay before it; app switches need 300 to 500 ms. The macro page has the details.
A full second keyboard
The same idea scales to a whole second keyboard: 80 keys of shortcuts under a label strip. Photo editors put tool shortcuts on it, coders put snippets on it, and anyone with a repetitive task puts the whole task on one key. Capture per device is what makes it possible without touching the main keyboard. A second keyboard also makes a good large-key input for someone who needs big targets: bind a dozen keys and ignore the rest.
Layers on a numpad
Keyboard rows do not support chords, but holds and double taps work: press 1 for Mail, hold 1 for a Mail shortcut, double press 1 for something else. Seventeen keys with a hold each is thirty-four actions.
Download
- Numpad Macro Deck presetThe table above, on the standard numpad key codes. Works on any numpad until you pin rows to a device. 9 KB
Open a downloaded preset with InputConfig, or drag it onto the app icon. It lands in the sidebar, ready to activate or edit. Any launch target inside a preset file is cleared on import; add one yourself in the editor if you want it.
Questions
Does the main keyboard's numpad still work?
Only if the rows are pinned to the spare device with Scan. With no device set, the rows match that key on any keyboard.
Bluetooth numpads?
Yes. Any keyboard macOS sees, wired or Bluetooth.
Can the deck have a light or a label?
No lights, but a printed strip above the keys works, and Speak on each row announces the action while you learn it.
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