Sticky Keys on a Mac: turn it on or off, and fix keys that seem stuck

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To turn Sticky Keys on or off on a Mac, open System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, and switch Sticky Keys. If the option to toggle it with Shift is on, pressing Shift five times does the same, which is also how most people turn it on by accident. Sticky Keys lets you press modifier keys one at a time, so a shortcut like Option-Command-F5 becomes Option, then Command, then F5.

I make YapToText, a free dictation app for the Mac, and InputConfig, a free app that turns any button, switch or controller into keys and clicks. I built both because my own hands do not work well. Apple's steps are from its keyboard accessibility guide, read October 9, 2026.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

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Turn Sticky Keys on or off

  1. Choose Apple menu, System Settings, then click Accessibility in the sidebar.
  2. Click Keyboard. You may need to scroll down.
  3. Turn Sticky Keys on or off. Click the info button next to it for its options.

Or press Option-Command-F5, or Touch ID three times quickly, to open the Accessibility Shortcuts panel, and switch it there if Sticky Keys is one of the panel's features. The Mac accessibility shortcuts page covers that panel.

Its options, and the beep

  • Press the Shift key five times to toggle Sticky Keys. The keyboard shortcut. Turn it off if you keep switching Sticky Keys on by accident.
  • Beep when a modifier key is set. The sound you hear when you press Shift, Command, Option or Control. Turn this off to stop the beep and keep Sticky Keys.
  • Display pressed keys on screen. Shows symbols for the modifiers that are waiting, so you can see what is set.
  • Screen area for display. Which corner those symbols appear in.

If keys seem stuck

When Command or Shift seems to stay pressed, and letters turn into shortcuts, Sticky Keys is usually on. Look for the modifier symbols on screen, then turn it off in Keyboard settings, or press Shift five times if that option is on. To stop it coming back, turn off Press the Shift key five times to toggle Sticky Keys.

Slow Keys, the other keyboard setting

Slow Keys adds a delay between pressing a key and the Mac accepting it, so brushes and bumps do not type. It is in the same Keyboard settings. Set the Acceptance delay, and turn on click key sounds to hear one sound on the press and another when it is accepted. If keys seem to ignore you, Slow Keys may be on with a long delay.

Sticky Keys and a dictation key

Sticky Keys suits people who find holding several keys hard, and so does dictation, which needs one key and no chord. Shortcuts one key at a time, and sentences by voice. YapToText starts on a tap of Right Command, which is a modifier, and I have not tested it with Sticky Keys on. If a tap latches Command instead of starting a dictation, give YapToText a key that is not a modifier: on the Dictation page, Keys card, click the key field and press F18, a number pad key, or any key you never use.

YapToText's Dictation settings page on a Mac: the Keys, Recording, Microphone and Delivery cards.
Figure 1. The Keys card on YapToText's Dictation page. Any single key can be the dictation key, including one that is not a modifier.

For shortcuts you use all day, InputConfig puts a whole chord on one button, such as Command-C on a mouse side button or a controller button, and chords there fire as real chords. The one-handed typing guide has a full layout.

The short version

  • On or off. System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, Sticky Keys.
  • Shortcut. Shift five times, if its option is on.
  • The beep. Turn off Beep when a modifier key is set.
  • Stuck keys. Usually Sticky Keys. Turn it off, then turn off the Shift shortcut.
  • Writing. A dictation key that is not a modifier, if Sticky Keys gets in the way.

If something here does not match your macOS version, open an issue on GitHub. Every one gets read.

Download YapToText on the Mac App StoreThis app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.

About the author. Ryleigh Newman is a developer whose hands make typing difficult and who dictates every day with YapToText, the app this site describes. Facts about other apps come from their own sites, with the date they were read. More about the project.

Sources

Questions

How do I turn off Sticky Keys on a Mac?

System Settings, Accessibility, Keyboard, then turn off Sticky Keys. Or press Shift five times, if that option is on.

What is the Sticky Keys shortcut on a Mac?

Pressing Shift five times, once Press the Shift key five times to toggle Sticky Keys is on in its options.

How do I stop the Sticky Keys beep on a Mac?

In Sticky Keys options, turn off Beep when a modifier key is set.

Why are my Mac keys acting stuck?

Sticky Keys is often on. Check for modifier symbols on screen, and turn it off in Keyboard settings.

What is Slow Keys on a Mac?

A setting that waits a set time before accepting a key press, so accidental presses do not type. It is in Accessibility, Keyboard.