How to stop repeated and accidental key presses on a Mac
With a tremor, a finger can press a key twice, brush the key next to it, or rest on a key long enough for it to repeat. Words fill up with extra letters, and shortcuts that need two hands are hard to press.
The short answer: turn on System Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard › Slow Keys so a key counts only after it is held for a moment, and set System Settings › Keyboard › Key repeat rate to Off, or Delay until repeat to Long. Sticky Keys lets you press shortcuts one key at a time, and Dictation lets you type by speaking.
How does Slow Keys stop accidental key presses?
With Slow Keys on, a key types only after it has been held down for the acceptance delay. A key brushed in passing, or tapped by a bounce, types nothing.
- Open System Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard.
- Turn on Slow Keys, then click the info button beside it.
- Set the Acceptance delay: longer ignores more accidental presses, but every letter takes longer to type. Start in the middle and adjust.
How do I stop a held key from repeating?
In System Settings › Keyboard, drag Key repeat rate all the way to Off. If you still want repeat for the arrow keys or Delete, keep it on and set Delay until repeat to Long instead, so a key must be held much longer before it repeats.
How do I press keyboard shortcuts with one finger?
Turn on System Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard › Sticky Keys. Then a modifier key such as ⌘, ⌥, ⌃ or ⇧ stays pressed until the next key: ⌘ then C copies, one key at a time.
Can I type on a Mac without the keyboard?
Yes. Dictation, in System Settings › Keyboard, types what you say in any text field. Voice Control, in System Settings › Accessibility, adds editing and app commands by voice. The Accessibility Keyboard puts a keyboard on screen for a pointer or switch; see Mac accessibility settings for tremor.
Does a tremor filter help with typing?
StillMouse works on the pointer and clicks only, for now. Among the Mac tremor apps, TrueCursor lists ignoring repeated key presses. For the pointer side of the same problem, see how to stop accidental clicks.