Reference on Capslock

Configuration file

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

You never have to edit these files: everything here can be changed in the app. They are plain YAML so that you can read them, keep them in version control, or move them to another Mac with Export and Import.

Where files are kept

- action_mappings.yml # mappings, actions, profile
- app_config.yml # settings
- backups/ # automatic snapshots
- Logs/
 - Capslock.log # diagnostic log
- ClipboardSlots/ # encrypted clipboard slots
- usage_stats.json # Statistics counts
- hidutil-transaction.json # recovery record

Settings › Recovery › Show Config Folder opens it in Finder. Your language choice is kept in the app's preferences, and the clipboard key in your Keychain.

Diagnostics and recovery

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The Diagnostics page runs a set of checks and explains, in numbered steps, how to fix any that fail. Most fixes are a button on the same row. Refresh runs the checks again.

The checks

Check	Healthy	If it fails
Caps Lock mapping	Caps Lock is ready	Not set up, used by another tool, or unreadable. Try Again, or Restore Caps Lock.
F18	F18 is free	Another tool uses F18. Remove that remap, then Try Again.
Karabiner-Elements	Not detected, or no conflicts	A rule uses Caps Lock or F18; see Karabiner.
Crash recovery	Nothing to recover	The last session did not quit cleanly and was tidied up at launch, or another copy of Capslock is running.
Accessibility	Granted	Open Accessibility Settings, Check Again, or Reset & Ask Again.
Keystroke sending	Allowed	Comes with Accessibility. Request Access, Check Again, or Reset & Ask Again.
Keyboard reading	Reading the keyboard	macOS stopped the event tap. Try Again, or Release All.
Secure input	Off	A password field or Terminal's Secure Keyboard Entry hides keys from every app. Capslock never turns it off; close the field or the option.
Caps Lock press	Received	Press Caps Lock once, then Refresh.
Configuration	Valid	The file cannot be read. Show Config Folder and repair or replace it.
Signature	Valid	A development build.
Updates	Enabled	This build does not update itself; download new versions from the website.

Reset & Ask Again clears Capslock's Accessibility and keystroke-sending entries and asks again. Use it when System Settings shows Capslock as allowed but the check still fails, which can happen after replacing the app with a different build.

Uninstall

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Capslock has no installer and leaves nothing outside your user account except the Accessibility entry.

Quit Capslock from the menu-bar icon or with ⌘Q, so it can give Caps Lock back. If it was force-quit and Caps Lock still does not work as usual, run the restore command before you delete the app.
If you turned on Open at login, turn it off in Settings › General.
Move /Applications/Capslock.app to the Trash.
To remove your data as well, delete these:
- ~/Library/Application Support/com.vonng.capslock
- ~/Library/Preferences/com.vonng.capslock.plist
- ~/Library/Caches/com.vonng.capslock
In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility, select Capslock and click −.
If you used clipboard slots, delete the Keychain item named com.vonng.capslock.clipboard-slots in Keychain Access.

A Mac restart also clears the Caps Lock mapping, which macOS does not keep across restarts.

Privacy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Capslock processes keyboard and pointer events on your Mac to apply the mappings you chose. It contains no behaviour analytics or advertising SDK. It sends no mapping, key, clipboard, Shell, app-history, or usage telemetry.

What is stored locally

Everything Capslock keeps lives in your user account, under ~/Library/Application Support/com.vonng.capslock/:

your configuration;
clipboard slots, encrypted with a random key that is kept in your Keychain;
a private diagnostic log, readable only by your user;
recovery records used to give the Caps Lock mapping back after a crash;
per-day action counters for the Statistics page.

A diagnostics export leaves out produced text, clipboard contents, Shell commands and output, secrets, raw key history, and full app history.

FAQ

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Do I need Karabiner-Elements?

No. Capslock is a standalone app and builds the whole layout in. If you also run Karabiner-Elements for other keys, that is fine as long as no Karabiner rule uses Caps Lock or F18. See Coexisting with Karabiner-Elements.

Why does it need Accessibility?

To change key events, not just observe them, macOS requires an active event tap, and that requires Accessibility. Capslock does not ask for Input Monitoring, does not install a kernel extension or driver, and runs no privileged helper.