EasyKey
Fast, private Vietnamese typing for macOS
EasyKey lives in your menu bar: type Vietnamese in any app, keep a private clipboard history, expand macros, and translate — all processed locally on your Mac.
vieejt nam → việt nam
- Download the latest DMG from GitHub Releases.
- Open the DMG, drag EasyKey into Applications, and launch it.
- Grant Accessibility access when prompted (required for system-wide typing).
If macOS blocks the app: Control-click EasyKey → Open, or use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
⌥ + Z |
Switch input language |
⌥ + V |
Open clipboard manager |
⌥ + C |
Open translate panel |
All shortcuts are configurable in Settings.
Pick an input method in Settings → Typing (Telex, Simple Telex, or VNI; Simple Telex is the default) and just type — Vietnamese is composed in any app. EasyKey remembers the language and encoding per app.
Copy anything — text, URLs, images, file references — then press ⌥V to search, pin, or paste from recent history. Off by default: enable it in Settings → Clipboard. History stays in memory unless you opt into encrypted on-device persistence.
Press ⌥C, type or paste text, and get a translation in place. Apple Translation runs fully on-device on macOS 15+; or connect a cloud provider (DeepL, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Groq) in Settings → Translation.
In Settings → Macros, set a trigger such as addr and an expansion; typing the trigger expands it in any app.
In Settings → System, pause EasyKey in specific apps or force a language per app — useful for terminals, games, or apps that need literal keystrokes.
| Apps |
|---|
 |
Everything is processed on your Mac — no analytics, no telemetry, no typing logs. Cloud translation is opt-in and goes directly to the provider you choose; credentials live in device-only Keychain; clipboard persistence, if enabled, is AES-GCM encrypted.
See the security section for the permission footprint and policy details.
- macOS 14.0 Sonoma or later (Apple silicon or Intel)
- Accessibility permission
Known issue: typing in Spotlight (
⌘Space) can look briefly broken right after opening it, then self-correct — a macOS detection-timing limitation, not an EasyKey defect. See reference.
Build and test from source · Distribution · Engineering conventions · Exact Telex rules
EasyKey is available under the MIT License. This project is an independent clean-room implementation based on public typing conventions, character standards, and observed behavior. See NOTICE for the implementation statement and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for third-party acknowledgements.
Inspired by OpenKey by Mai Vũ Tuyên and UniKey by Phạm Kim Long — heartfelt thanks to both authors for their pioneering work on Vietnamese typing software.