KeyCue – Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a problem with KeyCue, please check out the user's guide first. The user's guide is available via the question mark button at the bottom of the KeyCue settings window. You can also download it here in English, German, and French.
If neither the user's guide nor this FAQ page answers your question, please contact our technical support.
This page answers frequently asked questions concerning KeyCue. When necessary, we add new hints and problem solving tips to this page.
We regularly update this page whenever we come across a topic that may be of interest for many KeyCue users.
General troubleshooting tips
If you have a problem with KeyCue, we suggest that you first try the following steps:
- Make sure you have the latest version of Mac OS X and all system updates: Run "Software Update" and install all available updates. If you need to restart your Mac after the update, run "Software Update" again until it tells you that no further updates are available.
- Verify that you are using the most recent version of KeyCue. Check the "Info" tab in KeyCue's Settings window and click the "Now" button to perform an immediate online check for a newer version.
- If there is a problem with KeyCue in combination with a particular application, make sure you have the latest version of that application. If you have a problem with any part of MS Office, run Microsoft AutoUpdate to install the latest updates.
- Run Disk Utility, select your startup disk, and click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button in the "First Aid" section.
- Restart your Mac and check if KeyCue works immediately after startup.
- In many cases, these steps help to fix software-related problems. If this does not help, check if any of the following questions apply to your problem. If not, contact our technical support for help.
Questions and answers
Is KeyCue compatible with Moutain Lion (OS X 10.8)?
Starting with version 6.3, KeyCue is fully compatible with Mountain Lion and signed with a certificate for Gatekeeper. We recommend installing the latest version of KeyCue for best compatibility with Mountain Lion.
Pressing the command key just brings up a dialog telling me to enable access for assistive devices, but not the KeyCue window. What is wrong?
This might mean that you do not have the option "Enable access for assistive devices" turned on. KeyCue requires this option to be enabled.
Click the "Open Universal Access" button in the message window. This will open System Preferences for you and take you directly to the Universal Access page. Then make sure that the option "Enable access for assistive devices" is checked. From then on, KeyCue should work as expected.
What is the best procedure to install or update KeyCue?
KeyCue uses a "smart self installation" technique that makes installing and updating a breeze. Just mount the downloaded disk image and double-click the KeyCue icon inside. KeyCue will quit an older copy that may be running, copy itself to the Applications folder and launch the newly installed copy. There is no magic involved: You could do all this by hand as well; KeyCue just simplifies and automates the process and gets you up and running in seconds.
How do I uninstall KeyCue?
To uninstall KeyCue, perform these steps:
- Open the KeyCue settings window
- In Activation, turn "Automatically start at login" off
- Click the Quit button in the bottom left corner
- Delete the KeyCue application
Why do I hear nasty sounds when I invoke KeyCue?
There is a compatibility problem between KeyCue and Unsanity Xounds which leads to playing menu sounds when you hold down the command key. This is an issue, however, that only Unsanity can fix. We have already informed Unsanity about the problem and encourage you to do the same. In the meanwhile we can only recommend to disable the "Menu Open" sound in Xounds.
Why do some menu titles appear blank?
Some menus appear with an icon instead of text in the menu bar. For example, the script menus of some applications have a script icon as the menu title. KeyCue currently cannot display the proper symbols and shows a blank menu header instead.
Can I use KeyCue to type command-"]" on a German keyboard?
You cannot. Unfortunately, some applications have shortcuts that will work only with a US keyboard. The problem is that the developers of these applications did not consider that keyboards for other languages may have other layouts and symbols.
For example, a German keyboard does not have keys labeled with “[” and “]”. If an application uses these characters for menu shortcuts (such as command-"]”), KeyCue will include them in the shortcut table, although you cannot type these shortcuts.
However, you can activate all shortcuts by clicking – even those you cannot type.
Can I use KeyCue to define my own shortcuts for menu items that do not have shortcuts?
No, but you can do that with System Preferences -> Keyboard: Click the "Keyboard Shortcuts" tab and define your own menu shortcuts.
How can I change my preferences for KeyCue?
When the shortcut table is currently visible, type the "KeyCue Settings" shortcut at the end of the list or click this item. If this does not work, locate the KeyCue application icon in the Finder and double-click it. This will launch KeyCue if it is not yet running; the KeyCue icon will briefly appear on the screen. When KeyCue was already active in the background, double-clicking its icon opens the settings window instead. When the KeyCue icon is visible in the menu bar (KeyCue 6.4 or newer), you can also right-click or ctrl-click the icon, then select the "KeyCue Settings…" command.
The "KeyCue Settings" shortcut does not work. Why?
By default, KeyCue uses command-option-K as the shortcut for opening the Settings window, but this shortcut is active only as long as the shortcut table is visible on the screen. The reason for this is that KeyCue switches to a different shortcut when command-option-K is already in use by the current application. To see which shortcut opens the Settings window, you therefore must open the shortcut table and type the "KeyCue Settings" shortcut while the shortcut table is visible.