Questions
Which key remapper for Mac do you need?
Remap means three different jobs on a Mac, and each one has a different right tool. Changing what a key does everywhere, such as Caps Lock to Escape, is a job for macOS itself or for Karabiner-Elements. Giving a key or a mouse button you never use a new job, such as F13 opening Spotlight, is what InputConfig, the free app I make, does. Turning a game controller or a MIDI pad into keys is InputConfig's job too. Here is how to tell which one you need, with the free option for each.
The quick answer, by what you want
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Swap Caps Lock, Control, Option, Command or Globe, or make Caps Lock an Escape key | macOS: System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Modifier Keys |
| Use F1 to F12 as standard function keys without holding fn | macOS: Keyboard Shortcuts > Function Keys |
| Change the shortcut for a menu command in one app | macOS: Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts |
| Turn any key into any other key, everywhere, or build complex rules | Karabiner-Elements, free and open source |
| Make a spare key, F13 to F19, or a held right-hand modifier run a shortcut, macro or app | InputConfig, free |
| Give mouse side buttons a job | InputConfig, or the mouse maker's own app |
| Make controller buttons send keys and move the mouse | InputConfig |
| Make MIDI pads and knobs send keystrokes | InputConfig |
What macOS remaps on its own
Open System Settings, choose Keyboard, then Keyboard Shortcuts. Three panes cover most everyday remaps with nothing to install:
- Modifier Keys changes what Caps Lock, Control, Option, Command and Globe do, and a menu at the top picks which keyboard it applies to, so an external keyboard can differ from the built-in one. Caps Lock to Escape is in this list.
- Function Keys makes F1 to F12 act as standard function keys, so you hold fn for brightness and volume instead of the other way round.
- App Shortcuts gives any menu command, in any app or all apps, a new shortcut, by typing the exact menu title.
That is the honest first answer to "can you remap keys on a Mac": yes, for these keys, with no app at all.
When Karabiner-Elements is the answer
When you need a letter, number or symbol key to become a different key, rules that depend on the app or the keyboard, or one key that acts differently when tapped and held, Karabiner-Elements is the tool. It is free and open source, and it works by installing a driver extension that macOS asks you to approve. It changes the key itself, so the original meaning is gone while the rule is on.
It is a keyboard and mouse tool. It does not read a PS5, Xbox or Switch controller, which is the subject of Karabiner-Elements and game controllers.
Giving spare keys and buttons a second job
InputConfig listens to the keyboard alongside macOS. A key keeps doing what it did, and the app adds a second job on top. It cannot swap two keys or turn Caps Lock into Escape, and it does not tell two keyboards apart. What it is good at is keys nothing uses:
- F13 to F19. Full-size keyboards have them and macOS gives them no job. The built-in Keyboard Deck preset puts a system function on each one.
- Right-hand modifiers, held or double tapped. The built-in Modifier Holds preset gives Right Command, Right Option and Right Shift a job only when held or double tapped, with no output on a plain press, so every normal shortcut still works. Holding Right Command opens Spotlight; holding Right Option starts Dictation.
- Mouse Button 4 and Button 5, and a double click on any button. See mouse side buttons on a Mac.
- The trackpad's scroll gesture as an input. Force click binds too, but macOS only gives trackpad force to the front app, so it works while InputConfig is the front window.
The job can be a key combination, a timed macro, typed text, volume or media keys, Mission Control, a Siri Shortcut, opening an app or a URL. A preset can switch itself in when a given app comes to the front, and Control Option Command period is an emergency stop that turns everything off. The full list of what it reads is on keyboard, mouse and trackpad as input.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Set up a spare key in InputConfig
- Install InputConfig from the Mac App Store and allow Accessibility access when it asks.
- Make a new preset and add a row. Press Scan, then press the key or click the mouse button.
- Choose the output: a key combination, a macro, Type Text, or a system function.
- Activate the preset. It works in every app.
A preset with only keyboard rows runs on its own; no controller is needed. For a whole deck of these, the macro deck guide builds one from a numpad, a MIDI pad or a controller.
Using them together
They do not compete. A common setup is Caps Lock to Escape in macOS's Modifier Keys, Karabiner-Elements for any deeper key-to-key rules, and InputConfig for F13 to F19, mouse side buttons, a controller or a MIDI pad. Because InputConfig adds rather than replaces, it sees whatever key the keyboard sends and gives it its extra job on top.
Questions
Can you remap keys on a Mac without an app?
Yes, for the modifier keys, Caps Lock, Globe and the function row. System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts has Modifier Keys, Function Keys and App Shortcuts. Turning a letter or symbol key into another key needs an app such as Karabiner-Elements.
How do I make Caps Lock an Escape key on a Mac?
System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Modifier Keys, then set Caps Lock to Escape. No app is needed.
What is the best key remapper for Mac?
For changing one key into another everywhere, Karabiner-Elements, which is free and open source. For giving spare keys, mouse buttons, controllers or MIDI pads a new job without losing what they already do, InputConfig. Many people use both.
Can InputConfig swap two keys?
No. It listens alongside macOS, so a key keeps its normal job and InputConfig adds another on top. That is why its keyboard presets use keys nothing else needs, such as F13 to F19 or a held right-hand modifier.
Is there a free button remapper for Mac?
Yes. macOS's own Keyboard Shortcuts settings, Karabiner-Elements and InputConfig are all free. InputConfig also covers mouse side buttons, game controllers and MIDI devices.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.