Input display for OBSFree · about 3 minutes · builds itself

Some assembly required. Not much.

What do you play with?

Pick one and it drops onto the desk. The manual skips the steps you don't need.

Pick the parts

Your keyboard, then your mouse (or just one of them). Tap one to see its styles. The desk screen updates as you go.

Keyboard

And your mouse

Pick the finish

A theme, then make it yours: one set of colours for your keyboard and mouse, a frame, sparkles.

The look

Get the helper

A web page can't see your keys while you're in a game (good, honestly). A free OBS add-on called input-overlay passes them on. One download, a few Nexts.

Controller only? Skip this step. Browsers can see controllers on their own.

!Close OBS first, so the installer can put it in the right folder.

Don't ~~open the installer with OBS still running~~. It can't add itself to a running OBS.

Practice run · click the glowing bit on each screen

Switch it on in OBS

One tick box, then restart OBS. This page notices by itself when it's working, and the little PC lights up.

Controller only? Skip this step too.

Not ~~Tools → WebSocket Server Settings~~. That's a different thing. You want Tools → input-overlay settings. And don't skip the restart: it only switches on when OBS starts. Still not found after that? Restart your PC.

Practice run

Add it to OBS

Copy your link, then add it as a Browser source with this width and height. Your look lives in the link.

Practice run

Test it

Press a key in your game. When it lights up in OBS, you're done.

Assembled ✓ The box folds itself flat.

Not lighting up? Pick what you see

Restart your PC first. It fixes this more often than anything else: closing OBS doesn't always close it all the way, and a fresh start clears it.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask, answered without a hotline.

Is it free?

Yes. No account, no watermark you can't turn off, no catch. The helper is free and open source too.

What gets installed, and why does Windows warn me?

Only for keys and mouse: input-overlay, a small free OBS add-on made by univrsal, downloaded straight from its GitHub. It's open source but not paid-for "signed", so Windows SmartScreen may say it doesn't recognise it. Click More info, then Run anyway. Controllers need nothing installed.

Will chat see what I type, like passwords?

No. Only the keys in your layout light up, one at a time, and it never shows text. Typing your password shows a few keys flashing, not the letters in order.

Does it work on a Mac?

Controllers do, nothing to install. The keyboard and mouse helper is for Windows (and Linux), so on a Mac pick Controller.

Streamlabs, Meld or another app?

Keys and mouse need OBS, because the helper is an OBS add-on. The controller version is just a Browser source, so it works in anything that can show a web page.

Will anti-cheat mind?

It only listens to key presses, the same way OBS hotkeys do, and never touches your game.

Can I change it later?

Any time. Come back, pick a new look, copy the new link and paste it over the old one in the Browser source.

Nothing lights up. Now what?

Restart your PC first: that fixes it more often than anything. Still nothing? Step 7, Test it, has a fixer: pick what you see and it walks you through the fix. The usual ones: the box in step 5, Switch it on in OBS, isn't ticked or OBS hasn't restarted since, or your game runs as administrator. For controllers, press any button once after OBS opens so it wakes up.

Does OBS need to run as administrator?

Only if your game does. Windows hides a game's keys from anything that isn't running as administrator too, so keys show everywhere except in that game. Step 7, Test it, shows how to switch it on. Controllers don't need it.