Roundup · Updated
Best Apps to View Your Keyboard Shortcuts on Mac and Windows
The tools that show an app's keyboard shortcuts on demand — CheatSheet and KeyCue on Mac, PowerToys on Windows, visual keyboard maps — compared, and when an always-on reference beats them.
There are two ways to keep shortcuts in front of you. The first is an on-demand overlay: hold a key and the app shows you its shortcuts, then they vanish. The second is an always-on reference — a map or a poster you glance at without interrupting anything. Overlays are great for discovery; references are what build muscle memory. Most people want both.
Here are the tools worth knowing on each platform, and where each one fits.
The tools at a glance
| Tool | Runs on | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CheatSheet | macOS | Free | Hold ⌘ to list the current app's shortcuts |
| KeyCue | macOS | Paid | A richer, configurable shortcut table on hold |
| Microsoft PowerToys | Windows | Free | Shortcut Guide overlay for the Windows-key shortcuts |
| ShortcutMapper | Web | Free | Shortcuts drawn on a keyboard for popular apps |
| Interactive keyboard | Web | Free | Any app's shortcuts lit up on a live keyboard |
macOS: hold-a-key overlays
Mac has the best overlay tools. CheatSheet is the classic: hold ⌘ and it lists every shortcut for the app you're in, free. KeyCue does the same with more polish and configuration as a paid app. Both are perfect for discovering what an app can do without leaving it.
Windows: PowerToys and in-app viewers
Windows has no single universal overlay, but Microsoft's free PowerToys includes a Shortcut Guide that shows Windows system shortcuts when you hold the Win key. For app-specific shortcuts, most modern apps ship a built-in viewer — a command palette or a keyboard-shortcuts panel — that lists and lets you search every binding.
Visual keyboard maps (any platform)
Sometimes you want to see the shortcuts laid out on a keyboard rather than in a list. ShortcutMapper is a free web tool that renders interactive layouts for a range of popular apps. Our own interactive keyboard does the same here — pick an app and watch the bindings light up on a live layout.
When an always-on reference wins
Overlays are discovery tools: you summon them, read, and dismiss. That's the opposite of what builds speed, because nothing stays in your peripheral vision long enough to become automatic. An always-on reference — a printed poster beside your screen, or the full shortcut set open on a second monitor — is what you glance at a hundred times until you stop needing it.
That's the gap our posters and database fill: the complete, verified shortcut set for an app, on the wall or one tab away, with no key to hold. Use the overlays to discover, then keep the reference in glance distance to actually learn them.
FAQ
- How do I see all keyboard shortcuts on a Mac?
- With CheatSheet installed, hold ⌘ to list the current app's shortcuts. For the full, sourced list of an app, open its page here.
- How do I see keyboard shortcuts on Windows?
- PowerToys' Shortcut Guide shows the Windows-key shortcuts when you hold the Windows key. For an app, its keyboard-shortcuts panel or command palette lists its own.