2. Keyboard & Mouse
The Keyboard & Mouse mode is the most frequently used mode. It provides a virtual keyboard and touchpad for controlling the target computer from your phone.
The Layout
Portrait mode:
+-------------------------------------------+
| [Ctrl] [Alt] [Win] [Shift] [Fn] [Tab] ... | ← Modifier row
| [Q] [W] [E] [R] [T] [Y] [U] [I] [O] [P] | ← QWERTY layout
| [A] [S] [D] [F] [G] [H] [J] [K] [L] |
| [Z] [X] [C] [V] [B] [N] [M] |
| [?123] [ Space ] [Enter] [Backspace] | ← Bottom row
+-------------------------------------------+
| TouchPad area | ← TouchPad (below keyboard)
| (tap, drag, scroll) |
+-------------------------------------------+
Landscape mode — Split layout (Android):
+--------------------+--+--------------------+
| [Q] [W] [E] [R]... | | ...[U] [I] [O] [P] |
| [A] [S] [D] [F]... | | ...[J] [K] [L] | ← Two keyboard halves
| [Z] [X] [C] [V]... | | ...[N] [M] | (left + right)
| [TouchPad] | | |
+--------------------+--+--------------------+
Display Modes (Android)
Tap the toggle handle (pill-shaped divider between keyboard and touchpad) to cycle through display modes:
| Mode | What you see |
|---|---|
| Both (default) | Keyboard + touchpad together |
| Keyboard only | Full-width keyboard, touchpad hidden |
| Touchpad only (portrait) | Touchpad takes the full screen |
| Split (landscape) | Two half-keyboards with touchpad on the left |
How to Use the Keyboard
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Type a letter | Tap it |
| Uppercase letter | Tap Shift first, then the letter |
| Type a number or symbol | Tap ?123 to switch to the number/symbol layout |
| Type Ctrl+C (copy) | Tap Ctrl (it highlights), then tap C |
| Type Win+R (Run dialog) | Tap Win, then tap R |
| Access F1-F12 | Tap Fn, then the letter row becomes function keys |
| Multi-modifier (Ctrl+Shift+C) | Tap Ctrl, then Shift (both held), then C |
Modifier Behavior
Modifiers work differently on Android vs iOS:
- Android — Hold-and-tap: Tap a modifier to hold it (it highlights), then tap any key. The modifier releases automatically after one key press. For multi-modifier combos, tap each modifier in sequence before tapping the final key.
- iOS — Toggle: Tap a modifier to activate it (shown as a badge in the sidebar). Tap again to deactivate. Active modifiers apply to all subsequent key presses.
Long-Press Alternates (Android)
Many letter keys have hidden symbols you can access by pressing and holding:
Long-press "d" → shows: $ € ¥ £
Long-press "k" → shows: ( { [ <
Long-press "/" → shows: \ |
Long-press "m" → shows: + _
Press and hold until a popup appears, then slide your finger toward the symbol you want and release.
Fn Key Layer
Tap the Fn key in the modifier row. The letter keys temporarily become F1 through F12:
- Q = F1, W = F2, E = F3, R = F4, T = F5, Y = F6
- U = F7, I = F8, O = F9, P = F10
- A = F11, S = F12
Caps Lock (iOS)
On iOS, tap the Caps key to toggle Caps Lock. A green CAPS badge appears in the sidebar when active.
Quick-Action Buttons
Common shortcut buttons are available for quick access. The app uses the Target OS setting to determine the correct modifier:
| Action | macOS | Windows/Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | Cmd+C | Ctrl+C |
| Paste | Cmd+V | Ctrl+V |
| Cut | Cmd+X | Ctrl+X |
| Undo | Cmd+Z | Ctrl+Z |
| Select All | Cmd+A | Ctrl+A |
| Redo | Cmd+Y | Ctrl+Y |
| Find | Cmd+F | Ctrl+F |
| Save | Cmd+S | Ctrl+S |
| New Tab | Cmd+T | Ctrl+T |
| Close Tab | Cmd+W | Ctrl+W |
| Next Tab | Cmd+Tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Lock Screen | Cmd+L | Win+L |
| Show Desktop | Cmd+D | Win+D |
| Alt+F4 | — | Alt+F4 |
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | — | Ctrl+Alt+Del |
TouchPad
Gestures
| Gesture | Action |
|---|---|
| Tap | Left click |
| Two-finger tap | Right click |
| Drag | Move cursor |
| Two-finger swipe up/down | Scroll (natural scrolling) |
| Long-press | Drag mode (locks the cursor for dragging) |
| Double-tap | Double click |
TouchPad Extras
- Pop-out touchpad — Tap the touchpad info icon (?) to open a floating touchpad that stays on top of other modes
- TouchPad Help overlay (Android) — Tap the ? icon to see a full-screen gesture reference guide
- Haptic feedback — You'll feel a vibration on clicks and drag toggles
Text Input (IME Compose Mode — Android)
In portrait Keyboard & Mouse mode, you can switch to IME capture mode — a text editor below the keyboard where you compose longer text before sending it as HID keystrokes to the target computer.
- Tap the keyboard/IME toggle icon in the modifier row to switch between direct key sending and text compose mode
- In compose mode, you get a text editor with a toolbar for copy, paste, clear, undo, and send
- Collapse/expand the compose area with the arrow icon
Clipboard Integration (iOS)
On iOS, KeyMod automatically monitors the clipboard for changes. When you copy text on your iOS device, a prompt overlay appears — tap Send to transmit the clipboard content as keystrokes to the target, or Dismiss to ignore it.
Target OS
Set the target OS to match the target computer's key conventions. This affects shortcut labels, Unicode input methods, and modifier key mapping. Change it by tapping the OS icon in the header bar (Android) or using the segmented picker in the sidebar (iOS).
Shortcut Strip (Android, Landscape)
In landscape split mode, a scrollable shortcut strip appears above the two keyboard halves, providing quick access to common shortcuts (Copy, Paste, Cut, Save, Undo, Select All).
Next Steps
- Target-Specific Keyboard → — Keyboard layouts and target OS mapping
- Troubleshooting → — Common problems and solutions