Now: Getting KeyTips ready for release
Nazmul HosenSay hello

KeyTips · 30 Oct 2026

Bringing Windows Office muscle memory to the Mac

I wanted Alt, H, V, V on my Mac, one key at a time. So I built KeyTips with Claude, and it now covers more than 1,100 sequences.

Anyone who learned Excel on Windows has sequences stored in their fingers. Alt, H, V, V pastes values. Alt, H, B, A adds all borders. You don’t hold them down together. You press one key after another, and you stop thinking about it.

That’s what I wanted on my Mac. Other tools exist for this, but I wanted one I could add my own features to, so I built KeyTips with Claude.

How it works

Tap Option and let go. Badges appear on the ribbon, then you type the sequence:

Option, then H, V, V    Paste Values
Option, then H, B, A    All Borders
Option, then H, 1       Bold

Esc steps back a level. Beyond the sequences themselves, it also handles:

  • Nested menus: when an item opens another list, KeyTips keeps going. Short lists get letters.
  • Grids and long lists: colours, chart types and function lists use the arrow keys and Return.
  • Quick Access Toolbar: tap Option, then press a number for that position.
  • My own macros: tap the right Command key and type a sequence I defined in a JSON file. For example, one key can apply bold and centre together.

Where it stands

At last count the tables held 379 sequences for Excel, 335 for Word and 413 for PowerPoint. The core logic has 38 automated tests, and I’ve tried it myself in Excel and PowerPoint.

What I can’t claim yet

A shortcut tool is only useful if you can trust it, so here are the limits:

  • Letters won’t always match Windows. The common Excel keys are close, but many Word and PowerPoint letters were assigned automatically. They still need checking against real Windows Office.
  • Not every sequence has been run. Many were checked by matching labels against the live ribbon, and most live testing used simulated key presses.
  • Some things are missing. Outlook and OneNote aren’t covered. Neither are some Copilot controls or contextual tabs outside PowerPoint’s Picture Format and Shape Format.
  • You can’t download it yet. It still needs a signed release, as I explain in what it takes to ship a Mac app.

What this says about vibe coding

My background is in Accountancy, not app development, and Claude wrote the code. My job was knowing exactly what the tool should do, trying it, and reporting what was wrong. “Paste Values isn’t there” is a very clear bug report.

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