How to show keystrokes in a screen recording
Show the keyboard shortcuts you press in a screen recording on Windows, so viewers can follow a tutorial without guessing what you typed.
Updated · 2 minute read · By the Sceed team
To show keystrokes in a screen recording, use a recorder with a keystroke overlay: it notes the keys you press and draws them on the video. In Sceed, keep Keystrokes on when you record; the editor shows each shortcut in a small pill on the frame, and you can switch the overlay off afterwards if you change your mind.
When viewers need to see the keys
Tutorials for editors, design tools and spreadsheets, where the fast way is a shortcut.
Developer walkthroughs: terminal commands, editor shortcuts, debugger keys.
Bug reports, where the exact keys pressed are part of the evidence.
Any video that will be watched with the sound off.
Two ways to do it
A separate keystroke app. Small utilities show the keys you press in a floating window on the screen, and the recorder films it along with everything else. It works with any recorder, but the overlay is burned in: its position, size and timing cannot be changed, and it may cover the thing you are showing.
An overlay drawn by the editor. The recorder logs the keys with timestamps and the editor draws them afterwards. Nothing extra is on your screen while you record, and the overlay can be restyled or removed later. This is how the keystroke overlay in Sceed works.
Showing a shortcut that matters
For the one shortcut the whole video is about, a pill in the corner is easy to miss. Add a Keys effect or a Shortcut section (Pro) to show it large: keycaps that press in turn, in the middle of the frame or on a card between clips.
What not to show
A keystroke overlay shows what you type. Do not type passwords or secrets during a take with keystrokes on. If you did, switch the overlay off for the export, or cut that part out.
With Sceed, step by step
- 1
Record with keystrokes on
In the Sceed recorder, leave Keystrokes switched on and record your take.
- 2
Open the take
In the editor, the keys you pressed appear in a pill on the frame as they happen.
- 3
Style it
Adjust the overlay’s look so it reads clearly against your recording.
- 4
Export
The overlay is drawn into the exported video.
New to Sceed? Install to export in five steps.
Questions
Can I add keystrokes to a video recorded without them?
No. The keys have to be logged while recording. If the take was recorded with Keystrokes off, add a Keys effect by hand where it matters.
Can I hide the keystroke overlay after recording?
Yes. In Sceed it is drawn by the editor, so it can be switched off before export.
Is the keystroke overlay free?
Yes, it is in the free plan. The Keys effect and the Shortcut section are part of Sceed Pro.
Keep reading
More guides on editing
- How to zoom in on a screen recordingAdd smooth zooms to a screen recording so viewers can read the small things: when to zoom, how far, and how to do it on Windows without keyframes.
- How to smooth the cursor in a screen recordingFix a shaky, jittery mouse pointer in a screen recording. How cursor smoothing works, and how to change the cursor’s size, look and colour after recording.
- How to blur sensitive information in a screen recordingHide emails, names, API keys and account numbers in a screen recording. How to blur a region after recording on Windows, and how not to show it at all.