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TypeSteps

TypeSteps is a privacy-focused macOS application that passively tracks the number of characters you type each day system-wide. Think of it as a step counter—but for your keyboard!
TypeSteps Dashboard

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Why TypeSteps?

Whether you’re a developer, writer, or knowledge worker, TypeSteps helps you understand your typing patterns and productivity rhythms without compromising your privacy. Every keystroke is counted locally on your device—no data ever leaves your Mac.

Get started

Install TypeSteps and see your first stats in under 5 minutes

Installation

Choose between Homebrew or building from source

Privacy first

Never records actual characters—only increments a counter stored locally

Rich insights

View daily, weekly, and monthly trends with beautiful visualizations

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Key features

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System-wide keystroke counting

TypeSteps runs quietly in the background, counting letters, numbers, punctuation, and whitespace typed across all apps. It does not track modifier keys alone (Shift, Ctrl, Cmd, Option), function keys, or keyboard shortcuts.

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Privacy first

Never records or stores actual typed characters. It only increments a numeric counter, which is saved locally on your device using UserDefaults. Your typing data never leaves your Mac.

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Historical insights

View your typing metrics with:
  • Hourly breakdown for the current day
  • Daily trends over the past week
  • Monthly statistics for the past six months
  • Activity heatmap showing your consistency throughout the year
A lightweight presence in your menu bar shows your current count at a glance. Quickly access:
  • Today’s typing count
  • Weekly and monthly totals
  • Pause/resume tracking
  • Dashboard window

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Application tracking

See which apps you type in most, with automatic categorization:
  • Code (Xcode, VS Code, Terminal)
  • Communication (Slack, Discord, Mail)
  • Creation (Notion, Obsidian, Figma)
  • Browsing (Safari, Chrome, Arc)
  • Utility (System apps)

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Gamified milestones

Track your progress toward fun milestones like:
  • Keyboard Sprint (10,000 characters)
  • The Tower - Burj Khalifa (50,000 characters)
  • City Explorer - Central Park (250,000 characters)
  • Mountain King - Mt. Everest (1,000,000 characters)
  • Channel Swimmer - English Channel (5,000,000 characters)
  • Grand Tour - Across India (50,000,000 characters)

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WakaTime sync (optional)

Link your WakaTime API key to see developer-specific metrics:
  • Active time: Total time spent coding
  • Density: Keystrokes per minute to measure focus

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Requirements

TypeSteps requires macOS 13 or later and runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

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Next steps

Install TypeSteps

Get TypeSteps installed via Homebrew or build from source

Quick start guide

Launch the app, grant permissions, and view your first stats