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johnlindquist/macos-key-repeat.md

Created January 20, 2026 06:13
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Fast key repeat settings for macOS
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macos-key-repeat.md

Fast Key Repeat Settings for macOS

These settings make keys repeat much faster than the default System Preferences allows.

Current Settings

# Key repeat rate (lower = faster, default is 2)
defaults write NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat -int 1

# Delay before key repeat starts (lower = shorter delay, default is 15)
defaults write NSGlobalDomain InitialKeyRepeat -int 10

Apply the Settings

Run both commands, then log out and log back in (or restart) for changes to take effect.

Reset to Defaults

defaults write NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat -int 2
defaults write NSGlobalDomain InitialKeyRepeat -int 15

Check Current Values

defaults read NSGlobalDomain KeyRepeat
defaults read NSGlobalDomain InitialKeyRepeat

Notes

  • KeyRepeat: How fast keys repeat. Range is roughly 1-15, where 1 is fastest.
  • InitialKeyRepeat: Delay before repeat starts. Range is roughly 10-120, where 10 is shortest.
  • These values go beyond what System Preferences > Keyboard allows in the GUI.
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