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MinimalPad has a rotary encoder you can turn clockwise or counter-clockwise and press down like a button. The press action is fully configurable in MinimalPad Studio. The rotation behavior — what happens when you turn it — is defined in the firmware and shows as read-only in Studio.

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Encoder press

The encoder press is treated as a regular configurable key position. You assign actions to it exactly the same way you assign any other key on the grid.
1

Open Studio and connect your MinimalPad

Go to studio.minimalmacropad.com in Chrome or Edge, then connect via USB or Bluetooth.
2

Click the encoder press key

In the Studio layout, click the encoder press position. It appears alongside the 16-key grid. The action picker opens on the right.
3

Choose an action

Select any action from any category — Single Key, Shortcut, Media & Apps, Layers, Device Controls, or Advanced.
4

Click Assign

The action is applied immediately and you can test it by pressing the encoder.
5

Save your changes

Click Save to write the assignment to flash memory so it persists after a reboot.
On different layers, the encoder press key can have a completely different action — just like any other key. For example, the press can be Play/Pause on the base layer and RGB Toggle on a lighting layer. Rotation behavior, however, is set per layer in the firmware and cannot be changed in Studio.

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Encoder rotation

Turning the encoder clockwise or counter-clockwise triggers firmware-defined actions. Studio displays the rotation assignments with a lock icon to indicate they are read-only — you cannot change them from Studio. To see the current rotation assignments for each layer, connect your MinimalPad and inspect the encoder area in MinimalPad Studio. To change what the encoder rotation does, you need to edit the firmware keymap and reflash. See Advanced Customization for instructions.
Assign the encoder press to something you reach for constantly — Play/Pause, Mute, or an RGB Toggle — since the encoder is easy to locate by feel without looking down. It is one of the most ergonomically accessible positions on the pad.