Safety and antivirus warnings
KeyPress OSD is safe to use: it contains no malware, no bundled partner apps, no installer. It has no telemetry, and it needs no internet connection to work.
Do you get a virus warning?
Probably, and it is a false-positive alert.
KeyPress OSD does not contain viruses and it is not malware. Below you can find out why the warning happens, how to get past it, and how to check the application yourself.
The application is portable; it has no installer.
Why the warning happens
Given that this application listens to every keyboard and mouse action to display them on-screen for its users, it is understandable and reasonable for some antivirus software to falsely label KeyPress OSD as malware, or as containing a virus.
You can try the alternate download package. The application is packaged in a different way and might not trigger virus alerts.
How to get past the warning
In some web browsers, the very attempt to download KeyPress OSD might be problematic. Some antivirus applications and browsers can prevent users from downloading supposed malware and even make it difficult to add an exception. Here is what you can do:
- The browser blocked the download: open the browser’s download list (Ctrl + J) and choose to keep the file. In Microsoft Edge, select Keep, then Show more › Keep anyway.
- Windows SmartScreen says “Windows protected your PC”: click More info, then Run anyway.
- Microsoft Defender removed or quarantined the file: open Windows Security › Virus & threat protection › Protection history, select the KeyPress OSD entry, then choose Allow on device or Restore.
- Another antivirus application blocks it: add an exception for this website and/or for the KeyPress OSD folder or EXE file, or try the alternate download package.
- Still blocked? Download the older version from the Microsoft Store, which does not trigger these warnings.
What KeyPress OSD does with your keystrokes
KeyPress OSD reads your key presses and mouse clicks only to display them on screen and to power its features, such as typing mode, text expansion and audio cues. The application has no telemetry and works without an internet connection, so nothing you type is sent anywhere. The clipboard history, if activated, is stored locally, on your computer.
If you want privacy when recording the screen or if people are around, use privacy profiles to hide letters and numbers, or the whole OSD, in specific applications.
Built with AutoHotkey, which antivirus software often misflags
The core of KeyPress OSD is called AutoHotkey. You can check their website: autohotkey.com.
On the official AutoHotkey forums, this post speaks of the false virus warnings people deal with when developing applications that rely on AHK or other similar languages.
Many other developers face the same problem: antivirus software falsely labels their applications as malware, and this has been happening for decades to almost any kind of application. Please read this article from 2009 by NirSoft that talks about this: Antivirus companies cause a big headache to small developers.
Listed on the official Microsoft Store
Apps in the Microsoft Store go through Microsoft’s certification process, which includes a malware scan. This is additional reassurance that KeyPress OSD is virus-free.
Product page: microsoft.com/store/apps/9PB983LBK72N
If you cannot get past the warnings, you can download KeyPress OSD from the Microsoft Store instead. Please keep in mind that it is an older version that is updated less often.
Partially open source, developed in public since 2017
Parts of the KeyPress OSD source code are public on GitHub, so you can inspect how the application works: github.com/marius-sucan/KeyPress-OSD. The rest is closed because KeyPress OSD is a commercial product.
KeyPress OSD has been developed in public since September 2017. You can follow its development blog (AutoHotkey forum).
I use my real name everywhere
I have no intention of selling malware; if I had this intention, I would not put my real name on display everywhere.
I am not hiding who I am or my background. This is my personal site: marius.sucan.ro.
Why isn’t the application digitally signed?
Because the KeyPress OSD files are not digitally signed, Windows shows them as coming from an “Unknown publisher”, and SmartScreen may warn you the first time you run the application. Signing them requires a code signing certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority, e.g., DigiCert. However, this is very expensive, and I am not yet ready to invest in it.
Do you still have questions?
Do not hesitate to contact me on the KeyPress OSD Discord server or through my personal website.
Thank you for trusting KeyPress OSD.
— Marius Șucan, developer