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MinimalPad Studio for Mac is the native macOS app for your pad. It edits keys over USB or Bluetooth like the browser version does, and it adds the thing only a Mac app can do: app profiles, where the pad changes its keys — and its light colour — to match whatever app is in front of you.

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Download

Download MinimalPad Studio for Mac

Always the newest version. Universal build for Apple Silicon and Intel. Requires macOS 14 or later.
Open the DMG and drag MinimalPad Studio to your Applications folder. Install and first launch walks through what happens the first time you open it. To check a download, run shasum -a 256 on the DMG and compare the result with its published checksum. Once installed, Studio keeps itself up to date.

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What you can do with it

Change what a key does

Shortcuts, single keys, media keys, layer keys, a key that opens an app, and the pad’s own Bluetooth and lighting commands.

App profiles

Give Figma its own keys and Photoshop its own, and let the pad follow you between them. 31 apps come with their default shortcuts by name.

Layers

Add, rename, and delete layers on the pad.

Updates

Studio updates itself, and it can flash new pad firmware for you.

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How it’s different from the browser version

The two apps configure the same pad, but they feel different to use:
  • It finds your pad by itself. No device picker. Plug the pad in and Studio has it within a couple of seconds.
  • There’s no Save button. Changes reach the pad immediately and are written to its memory a few seconds later. ⌘Z undoes anything.
  • It lives in the menu bar. Close the window and Studio keeps running, showing which profile the pad is on and opening apps when you press an Open app key.
  • It speaks plainly. Keys are described by what they do, not by ZMK behaviour names.
For a full comparison, see Mac or browser?.
Studio for Mac is an early release. Read Limits and known issues before you rely on it for something important — in particular, connect one MinimalPad at a time.