SwipeKeyboard Help

1. Download the SwipeKeyboard installer from your Gumroad receipt.
2. Open the installer and follow the steps. It asks for your Mac's admin password, which is normal for keyboards.
3. When it finishes, the setup window opens so you can add SwipeKeyboard straight away.

Requires macOS 13 Ventura or later.

SwipeKeyboard is a keyboard input source, like a language keyboard. You add it once and it appears in the input menu.

1. Add SwipeKeyboard as an input source

Click Add SwipeKeyboard in the setup window. If that doesn't work, open System Settings → Keyboard, click Edit next to Input Sources, then + and search for SwipeKeyboard.

If SwipeKeyboard doesn't show up in Input Sources straight away, log out and back in. That's a macOS quirk for newly installed keyboards.

2. Switch to SwipeKeyboard

Press the 🌐 Globe key (or ⌃ Space) and choose SwipeKeyboard. The swipe panel appears on screen, ready to use.

3. Recommended: allow Accessibility access

See Web browsers and other apps below for when you need it.

You can reopen the setup window any time from the SwipeKeyboard menu bar icon → Setup & Permissions…

Type by swiping

• Put your cursor in any text field, in any app.
• On the SwipeKeyboard panel, click and drag a continuous path through the letters of the word you want, then let go.
• The best-matching word goes straight in. Spaces are added automatically, so just swipe the next word.

The blue trail on the keyboard shows your swipe path as you go.

Pick from suggestions

• After each swipe, the bar along the top of the keyboard shows the closest matches.
• The best match (highlighted) is inserted for you.
• If you wanted a different word, click it in the bar and it replaces the one that was inserted.

Tap individual keys

• For short words and punctuation, just tap a single key.
• Use ⇧ Shift to capitalise. Double-tap Shift to lock caps.
• Tap ?123 for numbers and symbols, and ABC to switch back.

Switch back to your keyboard

• Press 🌐 Globe (or ⌃ Space) and pick your usual keyboard. The panel hides automatically.
• Typing on your physical keyboard also switches you straight back.

Mac apps like Notes, Mail and Pages work fully without any extra permissions.

In web browsers and apps like VS Code or Slack, SwipeKeyboard needs Accessibility access to delete and fix words, and Chrome needs it to type at all. To turn it on, click Allow Accessibility Access… in the setup window, or go to ⚙︎ on the keyboard panel → Setup & Permissions.

Accessibility access is used only to insert and delete the text you enter with SwipeKeyboard. In some apps each word is pasted through the clipboard, and your clipboard is put back straight afterwards. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

SwipeKeyboard checks for updates once a day. When one is ready, the menus show Update Available… and the menu bar icon gets a badge, so nothing pops up while you're typing.

You can also choose Check for Updates… from the menu bar icon, the ⚙︎ menu on the keyboard panel, or the setup window. Installing an update asks for your admin password, just like the first install.

• SwipeKeyboard suggests English words only, for now.
• macOS turns off all keyboard add-ons in password fields, so type passwords on your physical keyboard.
• Everything happens on your Mac. There are no accounts, no tracking, and no internet connection needed to type.

1. Remove SwipeKeyboard from System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources.
2. Delete /Library/Input Methods/SwipeKeyboard.app, then log out and back in.

Can you swipe type on a Mac?

Not out of the box. macOS has no built-in swipe typing, but SwipeKeyboard adds an on-screen keyboard you can swipe across with your mouse or trackpad, like the swipe keyboard on a phone.

How do I type with one hand on a Mac?

Switch to SwipeKeyboard from the input menu, then drag across the letters of each word with your trackpad or mouse. Spaces go in automatically, so you can write whole sentences with one hand.

Does SwipeKeyboard work in Chrome and other browsers?

Yes. In web browsers and apps like VS Code or Slack, fixing words needs Accessibility access, and Chrome needs it to type at all. You can turn it on from the setup window.

Is SwipeKeyboard private?

Yes. Everything happens on your Mac. There are no accounts, no tracking, no internet connection needed, and nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.

Why isn't SwipeKeyboard on the Mac App Store?

Apple doesn't allow keyboard input methods on the Mac App Store, so SwipeKeyboard is sold directly through Gumroad. The app is signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple.

What languages does SwipeKeyboard support?

English only, for now.

Which version of macOS do I need?

macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Email support@swipekeyboard.app and I'll help you out. It helps to include your macOS version and the app you were typing in.