No Capslock Anymore!

Caps Lock is taking up one of the most valuable spots on your keyboard. If you remap it to a shortcut key you actually use, typing feels much more comfortable.

Try remapping it

The same key can do much better work

On , the most useful default is Control.

Try it yourself

Try using Caps Lock like a shortcut helper

Inside this textarea, Caps Lock acts like a virtual Control key for A, C, V, and X. You can try the feel before changing your system settings. Clipboard actions may ask for browser permission the first time.

virtual ControlStatus:Waiting

Press Caps Lock once, then press one of A, C, V, or X within 1 second. In this demo, the next supported key acts like a Control shortcut. You need to press Caps Lock again for each shortcut.

After trying the demo, turn Caps Lock back to its normal state so it does not affect your next task. There may still be browser- and operating-system-specific bugs.

Setup guide

Setup guides by operating system

Pick the operating system you use and follow the steps that match it.

WindowsmacOSLinux

Linux

For Linux, keyd is a strong system-wide way to remap Caps Lock into Control or Escape without depending on a specific desktop environment.

Step by step

1. Install keyd

Install keyd first. The source install flow is git clone, make, sudo make install, and sudo systemctl enable --now keyd. If you prefer a tagged version, you can start from the releases page.

Install script

keyd-setup.sh

git clone https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd
cd keyd
make
sudo make install
sudo systemctl enable --now keyd

2. Create /etc/keyd/default.conf

Create /etc/keyd/default.conf and start with a simple overload mapping. This setup makes Caps Lock send Escape when tapped and Control when held.

Example config

default.conf

[ids]
*

[main]
# Maps Caps Lock to Escape when tapped and Control when held.
capslock = overload(control, esc)

# Optional: put Caps Lock on Escape too.
esc = capslock

3. Reload the daemon

After saving the file, run sudo keyd reload so the new mapping takes effect. If something does not apply cleanly, check the service log with journalctl -eu keyd.

4. Check key names when your keyboard is unusual

If your keyboard layout is unusual or a key name is unclear, use keyd monitor to see the names keyd receives. If you want to check the original device events, stop keyd first and run the command again.

5. Keep the emergency stop sequence in mind

If you make a bad config and need to recover quickly, use Backspace + Escape + Enter to terminate keyd.

Notes

  • Treat master as the development branch and tagged releases as the stable option.
  • Debian 13+ and Ubuntu 25.04+ also support apt install keyd, but the source install above is the most portable option.
  • If you still need Caps Lock sometimes, keep it on another key you rarely use instead of removing it completely.

References

keyd repositorykeyd README quickstartkeyd releases