Lidworks
Lidkeys · Guide

Every gesture,
in a few seconds.

Short, silent loops of what the bar does — one idea each. More are on the way. They play when you scroll to them; the button in the corner pauses them.

Clips use demo windows, files and numbers. Pro needs a license after the 7-day trial · Touch needs the touchscreen MacBook Pro.

Basics

Your menus, within reach. A glass bar that follows your app. Tap a key — your typing never loses its place.
Tuck it away. Tap × to tuck the bar into the corner. Tap the ball to bring it back.
Slim when you’re away. Step away and the bar slims down to icons. Tap ⋯ to get every key back.
Tap, keep typing. Keys press the app’s own menu commands. Your cursor stays put, so you keep typing. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Expand on hover. With Expand on Hover, rest the pointer on the slim bar and it opens fully.
Keyboard control. With Keyboard Control on, press ⌃⌥⌘S, use ← → to pick a key, Return to press it, Esc to tuck the bar away.
Before you grant access. Without Accessibility permission, app keys are dimmed. Tap one and it shows you where to turn Strip on in System Settings — just once. The settings window in the clip is a drawing, not a screenshot of System Settings.
More keys. When the full bar can’t fit every key, tap ⋯ to list the rest.
Always full. Rather keep every key on screen? Turn on Always Show Full Bar in Settings.
The bar’s menu. Long-press × — or right-click the corner ball — to open the Strip menu.

Keys

Follows your app. Switch apps and the keys switch with you.
Keep a key. Long-press a key — or right-click it — and tap the pin to keep it on the slim bar.
Pro Make it yours. Customize any app’s keys: pick a job preset, or add commands from its menus and drag to reorder.
Function keys. Hold fn to turn the keys into F1–F12. Let go to switch back.
Layers. With Modifier Layers on, hold ⌥ or ⌃ for another set of keys — each layer is yours to set.
Pro While you type. While you type, the bar offers Copy, Paste, Undo and your favourite emoji. Swipe for more; tap to insert. Copy, Paste, Cut and Undo are free; emoji is Pro. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.

Import & export keys Pro

Export your custom keys to a file from the menu, then import them on another Mac.

Old habits: fn and Esc

Used to the touch strip on older MacBook Pros? Keep the keys when you hold fn, or add an Esc key at the end of the bar.

Media

Now playing. Play controls appear only when something’s playing, and step aside when it stops.
Slide to adjust. Press and slide on brightness or volume. The icon follows the level.
Pro Media card. Open the media card to scrub, skip ±10 s and change playback speed — all in one place.
Big scrubber. When a video plays, the keys make room for a big scrubber. Drag to jump; pause and the keys come back.
Progress on the ball. Tucked away, the corner ball shows the playing app and its progress, and dims while paused.
Jog. In video editors, hold the jog key and drag to step frame by frame. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Pro Sources. With Multiple Sources on, the media card lists everything that’s playing. Tap one to control it.
Full-width scrubber. Tap the expand key while a video plays and the scrubber stretches across the bar. Tap the ball or press Esc to go back.

Apps & Dock

Swipe through apps. More apps than fit? Swipe the app area — flick to glide, with a soft bounce at the end.
Pro Touch Finger Dock. Long-press the app area and the Dock rises. Slide to an app and pause — it opens. With a mouse, right-click an app ball for its menu.
Touch Swipe up to quit. Push an app ball up until it turns red, then let go to quit. Stop short and it springs back.
Pro Badges. Unread badges from the Dock appear on the app balls — with a red dot at the edge for apps scrolled out of view.
Pinned slots. Four pinned slots next to × hold your favourite apps or Shortcuts. Tap an empty slot to choose; tap to open.
App ball menu. Right-click an app ball for Show All Windows, Hide and Quit. Hold ⌥ for Force Quit.

Files

Drop to open. Drop a file on an app ball to open it with that app. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
New Drag to the Dock. Hold a file over the app area for two seconds and the Dock rises. Drop it on any app to open it there. Rest on an icon for 1.2 seconds and that app opens first — the file is still in your hand, ready to drop into its window. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Drop on × to trash. Drag a file onto × and it becomes a Trash can. Let go to move the file to the Trash — you can always get it back. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.

Windows & Dock

Pro Dock on demand. With Hide the Dock on, the Dock stays away until the pointer touches the bottom edge — and the bar steps aside.
Pro Windows make room. On an empty desktop the bar floats. Open a window and it settles into the Dock’s spot — windows stop right above it. Turn on Hide the Dock first; windows make room only then. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Pro Full screen. In full screen, the bar tucks into the corner ball. Tap the ball whenever you need it. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Stays put. Swipe between desktops and the bar doesn’t move — as if it lives outside the screen. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.

Multiple screens Pro

Rest the pointer at the bottom of another screen for 1.2 seconds and the bar moves there.

Look

Feels alive. Everything responds: the glass follows your pointer, and keys give a little when you press.
New Frosted or Clear. Choose Frosted or Clear glass. Frosted softens what’s behind for crisper labels; Clear lets it show through. With Reduce Transparency or Increase Contrast on, the glass is solid and this choice has no effect. Windows and files in this clip are demo props.
Pro New Tint. Give the bar a colour. The glass takes a soft tint; labels stay clear. Eight presets — blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, green and graphite — or pick your own.
New Position. Put the bar at the bottom centre, left or right.
Arrange. Reorder the bar’s sections — say, swap apps and keys — to suit how you work.
Accent touch. With Accent Touch on, small selected things — playback speed, the emoji page dot, pins — pick up your accent colour.

Accessibility

The bar follows Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency and Increase Contrast.

AI

Pro AI at a glance. Using AI coding tools like Claude Code or Codex? A pill shows how much quota is used and whether a task is running. Tap for details. Numbers are illustrative.

Live quota Pro

Connect Claude Code’s status line or Codex and the pill shows live quota. Strip never reads any AI sign-in credentials.

Pro & trial

Activate Pro. Choose Activate Pro… from the menu, paste your license key, and Pro unlocks right away. The license key shown is not real.

7-day trial

Try everything, Pro included, for 7 days. Afterwards the free features keep working.

Self-healing

If macOS hides the bar, drops the permission or the Dock can’t be read, Strip quietly recovers or falls back to what still works.