Show keystrokes while streaming code: the shortcuts, not everything you type
Chat can’t read a Ctrl+Shift+P you pressed half a second ago. An on-screen key display shows your shortcuts, and SHARA’s Shortcuts only mode keeps plain typing off the stream, over your editor, terminal and browser at once, on Windows. VS Code has a free built-in version for its own window, and this page covers both.
How do you show keystrokes while streaming code?
In VS Code, run Developer: Toggle Screencast Mode: it is free and built in, but it only draws inside VS Code. To show keys over your terminal and browser too, run an overlay such as SHARA and capture the whole display in OBS. Its Shortcuts only mode hides plain typing. The Keystroke Pill is free for your first 14 days, then a one-time upgrade.
Chat can’t see what you pressed. And it sees everything you type.
A stream of code has two key problems that pull in opposite directions: viewers want the shortcuts, and you don’t want them to have the rest.
A multi-cursor edit, a command palette search, a rebind: Ctrl+Shift+P opens something and nobody saw how. Viewers who join late can’t scroll back to it.
A thin text caret is a few pixels on a 1080p stream, and a click looks the same as a hover. A halo around the pointer that flashes on a click answers it before chat asks.
A key display that shows every character also shows an API token, a database URL or a .env line the moment you type one. The fix is to show shortcuts and hide plain typing.
These are typical moments on a coding stream, not measured results.
Four steps before you go live
Do this once. The Keystroke Pill is off until you turn it on, so a fresh install shows nothing.
- Step 1
Install SHARA and turn the keys on
Install it free from the Microsoft Store, then press Ctrl+Win+T to toggle the Keystroke Pill, or use the Keys button on the docked toolbar. The Pill is a Pro tool, free for your first 14 days.
What viewers see: a pill with the shortcut you just pressed. - Step 2
Switch the pill to Shortcuts only
On the toolbar, open Keys and choose Shortcuts only. SHARA’s own help text for that state reads: “Shortcuts only. Plain typing is hidden.” The other state is “All keystrokes”.
What viewers see: shortcuts such as Ctrl + Shift + P; typed words stay off the stream. - Step 3
Park the pill where your code isn’t
Choose Follow pointer, or an anchor: bottom, bottom-left or top. Pick the edge that your editor’s status bar, your terminal prompt and your webcam don’t use.
What viewers see: the pill in one fixed spot instead of over the line you are reading. - Step 4
Capture the display, then test for ten seconds
In OBS add a Display Capture source for the monitor your editor is on. The overlay is drawn on the display, so Display Capture is the source that can show it. Record ten seconds, press Ctrl+Shift+P, type a word, and play it back.
What viewers see: your screen with the pill, and nothing for the plain word you typed.
Cost: Free forever: cursor halo, click animation, Pen, Laser, Arrow, Text, Eraser, Screenshot and the Ctrl+Space Wheel. Every Pro tool is free for your first 14 days, with no card and no account. After that, Pro is a one-time purchase ($19.99 in the US).
See pricing and the 14-day trialWhat viewers see in each mode
From SHARA’s settings text and source, checked against the app snapshot of October 27, 2026. We have not tested terminals or editors.
| What you do | All keystrokes | Shortcuts only |
|---|---|---|
| Press Ctrl+Shift+P | Shown as a shortcut | Shown as a shortcut |
| Type a command in the terminal | Typed words show | Plain typing is hidden |
| Type a token or URL into a file | Typed words show | Plain typing is hidden; the text is still on your screen |
| Type in a Windows password field | Pill hides and drops the keys | Pill hides and drops the keys |
| Click or scroll | Optional: Show clicks | Optional: Show clicks |
Know the limit: SHARA pauses in fields that Windows marks as a password. A secret you type into a terminal prompt or a code file isn’t one of those, so Shortcuts only mode, and keeping the text off your screen, is the protection, not the detector.
VS Code Screencast Mode, KeyViz or SHARA
If you only ever stream from VS Code, the first column is enough. JetBrains IDEs have a Presentation Assistant plugin that shows the shortcut you press; JetBrains’ own pages for it are old, so check its Marketplace listing before you rely on it.
| What decides it | VS Code Screencast Mode | KeyViz | SHARA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Inside VS Code only | Windows and macOS, any app | Any Windows app, on the display you capture |
| What it shows | Raw keys, shortcuts and command names, each switchable | Keystrokes plus mouse clicks and scroll | Shortcuts, typed words, command keys, clicks and scroll |
| Hide plain typing | Switch off “Show raw keys” in screencastMode.keyboardOptions | Filter by hotkey or per key | Shortcuts only mode: plain typing is hidden |
| Password fields | Not stated | Not mentioned on its page | Pill hides and drops the keys in a Windows password field |
| Cost | Free, built in | Free, GPL-3.0; optional $9 Pro | Pro tool: free for 14 days, then a one-time purchase |
| Latest release | Ships with VS Code | v2.1.1, April 1, 2026 | Updated through the Microsoft Store |
Try the Pill on your own stream layout. The free tier never expires, and every install starts with a 14-day trial of every Pro tool.
The halo and the pill over an editor
When SHARA isn’t the right fit
You only stream from VS Code.
Screencast Mode is built in and free, with its own font size, position, timeout and mouse-click colour settings. SHARA adds nothing to that window you’d need.
You want a free licence and open source.
KeyViz is free under GPL-3.0 for Windows and macOS. SHARA’s Keystroke Pill is a Pro tool after its 14-day trial, and the app isn’t open source.
You type secrets into a terminal.
No overlay can tell a sudo prompt from a command. SHARA’s detector covers Windows password fields. For anything else, use Shortcuts only mode or switch the pill off.
You’re on a Mac or Linux.
SHARA is Windows only. KeyViz covers macOS, and VS Code’s Screencast Mode works wherever VS Code does.
Streaming code with a key display, answered
Will viewers see the key display in OBS?
Does SHARA hide passwords on stream?
How do I show only shortcuts?
screencastMode.keyboardOptions.Does VS Code have a built-in key display?
Is SHARA free for streaming?
Does SHARA record my stream?
More use cases
Recording tutorials in OBS or Camtasia
Get the cursor highlight, zoom and keys into the recording itself.
Show the shortcut, keep the typing
Install free, switch the pill to Shortcuts only, and record ten seconds before your next stream.
Disclosure: Mashyo makes SHARA. VS Code Screencast Mode details come from the microsoft/vscode source and the 1.31 release notes, KeyViz facts from keyviz.org and its GitHub page, and OBS facts from obsproject.com, all read on November 1, 2026. SHARA facts come from the app. Visual Studio Code is a trademark of Microsoft. Last updated: November 1, 2026.