# Preferences

OverKeys offers extensive customization options through its Preferences window.
OverKeys preferences are organized into ten tabs:

1. **[General](#general-tab)** - Basic application settings
2. **[Keyboard](#keyboard-tab)** - Layout and key configuration
3. **[Text](#text-tab)** - Font and text styling options
4. **[Markers](#markers-tab)** - Tactile marker customization
5. **[Colors](#colors-tab)** - Visual color customization options
6. **[Animations](#animations-tab)** - Key animation settings
7. **[Hotkeys](#hotkeys-tab)** - Keyboard shortcuts for controlling OverKeys
8. **[Learn](./learning-mode.md)** - Add guide color to keys for learning proper touch typing
9. **[Advanced](#advanced-tab)** - Additional configuration options
10. **[About](#about-tab)** - Application information and version details

## Accessing Preferences

To open the Preferences window:

1. Right-click the OverKeys icon in the system tray
2. Select **Preferences** from the context menu

## General Tab

The General tab contains basic configuration options:

- **Open on system startup**: Start OverKeys automatically when your system boots
- **Auto-hide keyboard**: Automatically hide the keyboard after a period of inactivity
- **Auto-hide duration**: Set how many seconds of inactivity before hiding (0.5-5.0 seconds)
- **Opacity**: Control the overall transparency of the keyboard overlay (10-100%)
- **Layout**: Select the keyboard layout (QWERTY, etc.)

## Keyboard Tab

Configure the keyboard layout and physical appearance:

- **Keymap style**: Choose between Staggered, Matrix, and Split Matrix (5-col) keymaps
- **Show top row**: Display the number row above the main keyboard
- **Show grave key**: Display the backtick/tilde key
- **Key size**: Adjust the size of individual keys
- **Key border radius**: Control how rounded the keys appear
- **Key border thickness**: Set the thickness of key borders
- **Key padding**: Set the spacing between keys
- **Space width**: Adjust the width of the spacebar
- **Split width**: Set the gap width for split keyboard layouts
- **Last row split width**: Set the gap width of the last row for split keyboard layouts
- **Key shadow blur radius**: Control the softness of key shadows
- **Key shadow offset X**: Adjust the horizontal shadow position
- **Key shadow offset Y**: Adjust the vertical shadow position

## Text Tab

Customize the text appearance on keys:

- **Font family**: Choose the typeface used for key labels
- **Font weight**: Adjust how bold the text appears
- **Key font size**: Set the text size for regular keys
- **Space font size**: Set the text size for the spacebar

## Markers Tab

Configure the tactile markers on home row keys:

- **Marker offset**: Adjust the positioning of tactile markers
- **Marker width**: Set the width of tactile markers
- **Marker height**: Set the height of tactile markers
- **Marker border radius**: Adjust the rounded corners of tactile markers

## Colors Tab

Controls the visual colors of the keyboard:

- **Key (pressed)**: Set the color of keys when pressed
- **Key (not pressed)**: Set the color of keys when not pressed
- **Marker (pressed)**: Set the color of tactile markers when pressed
- **Marker (not pressed)**: Set the color of tactile markers when not pressed
- **Text (pressed)**: Set the text color when keys are pressed
- **Text (not pressed)**: Set the text color when keys are not pressed
- **Border (pressed)**: Set the color of borders around keys when pressed
- **Border (not pressed)**: Set the color of borders around keys when not pressed

## Animations Tab

Customize keyboard animation settings:

- **Enable animations**: Turn key press animations on or off
- **Animation style**: Choose between Depress, Raise, Grow, or Shrink animations
- **Animation duration**: Set how long animations last (50-300ms)
- **Animation scale**: Adjust the intensity of animations (1.0-5.0x)

## Hotkeys Tab

Configure keyboard shortcuts for controlling OverKeys:

- **Enable hotkeys**: Turn keyboard shortcuts on or off
- **Toggle Visibility**: Set a shortcut to force show/hide the keyboard (regardless if auto-hide is on/off)
- **Toggle Auto Hide**: Set a shortcut to toggle the auto-hide feature
- **Toggle Move**: Set a shortcut to toggle the ability to move the keyboard
- **Open Preferences**: Set a shortcut to quickly open the preferences window
- **Increase Opacity**: Set a shortcut to make the keyboard more opaque
- **Decrease Opacity**: Set a shortcut to make the keyboard more transparent

## Learn Tab

Configure learning mode settings to help with touch typing:

- **Enable Learning Mode**: Color-code keys based on proper finger positions for touch typing
- **Finger color customization**: Set specific colors for each finger:
  - Left hand: Pinky, Ring, Middle, and Index finger colors
  - Right hand: Pinky, Ring, Middle, and Index finger colors
- **Reset color configuration**: Restore all finger colors to their default values

## Advanced Tab

Access additional configuration options:

- **Turn on advanced settings**: Unlock additional functionalities and customization options
- **Use user layouts**: Use a custom keyboard layout and enable layers functionality
- **Show alternative layout**: Display another layout alongside the main one
- **Use custom font**: Enable using a custom font for key labels
- **Use 6-column layout**: Enable 6-column split matrix layout
- **Connect to Kanata**: Enable integration with Kanata keyboard software
- **Keyboard follows mouse**: EXPERIMENTAL - Makes the keyboard follow your mouse cursor across monitors
- **Open config file**: Access and modify the configuration file directly

## About Tab

The About tab provides information about the application:

- **App version**: Displays the current version of OverKeys
- **Copyright information**: Shows attribution and ownership details
- **GitHub link**: Direct access to the OverKeys repository