Keyboard Maestro for Windows: the closest thing is KeyRoutines
Keyboard Maestro is Mac-only and there's no Windows version. KeyRoutines is a Windows app that covers much of the same ground: you build routines from triggers, steps and conditions, start them with hotkeys, typed text, apps, devices, folders or schedules, and add waits, branches and loops without writing code. It doesn't have everything Keyboard Maestro has yet, notably palettes, clipboard history, a recorder and finding images on screen.
Keyboard Maestro → KeyRoutines
| In Keyboard Maestro | In KeyRoutines |
|---|---|
| Macros | Routines: a trigger, then steps in a visual list, with conditions, waits and branches. |
| Macro groups available only in some apps | Folders that are active in all apps, only in chosen apps or everywhere except them, so one hotkey can run a different routine per app. The App or window in front condition does the same inside a routine.App or window in front |
| Hot Key trigger | Hotkey trigger: key combinations, sequences like Ctrl+K then S, press, release, hold or double-tap, and mouse side buttons.Hotkey |
| Typed String trigger | Typed text trigger (Pro): type an abbreviation to insert text or start a routine.Typed text |
| Application, USB device and wireless network triggers | App launched, App quit and App focused; Device connected and disconnected; Wi-Fi network joined or left.App launchedApp quitApp focusedDevice connectedDevice disconnectedWi-Fi network joined or left |
| Time of Day, Periodic, Folder and Clipboard triggers | At a time and Every …; Folder changed and Download finished; Clipboard changed.At a timeEvery …Folder changedDownload finishedClipboard changed |
| Pause Until | The Wait until container with a timeout, plus App is ready, which waits until an app has really finished loading.App is readyWindow exists |
| If Then Else, Switch/Case, loops and Try/Catch | If, Switch, Repeat, At the same time and Try containers, with 41 conditions to test.Compare valuesExpression is trueStop repeatingNext round |
| Variables and dictionaries | Set variable, Remember (kept between runs), and list and dictionary steps.Set variableRememberSet dictionary valueGet dictionary valueAdd to list |
| Execute AppleScript, shell script or JavaScript | Run PowerShell, Run command and Run JavaScript steps (Pro). There's no AppleScript on Windows.Run PowerShellRun commandRun JavaScript |
| Move or resize windows | Move and resize for one window; Apply layout and Remember layout for many windows across monitors at once.Move and resizeApply layoutRemember layoutRestore layout |
| Prompt for User Input and the debugger | Ask for input, Choose from a list and Ask Yes or No; Run history for every run, and a step debugger in Pro.Ask for inputChoose from a listAsk Yes or No |
What's different
- Keyboard Maestro has a much larger action library built up over many years; KeyRoutines 1.0 has a smaller set of blocks focused on apps, windows, audio, files, system settings and streaming.
- KeyRoutines 1.0 has no palettes or floating menus of routines. You start routines from hotkeys, triggers, the tray, the Run-by-name palette or the free Stream Deck plugin.
- There is no clipboard history or named clipboards in KeyRoutines 1.0 (Windows' own Win+V clipboard history still works), and no recorder.
- Keyboard Maestro can find images and read text on screen; KeyRoutines 1.0 can take screenshots but can't search the screen for an image or text.
- Keyboard Maestro is a paid app with a free trial; KeyRoutines is free, with an optional one-time Pro upgrade ($29.99, 2 PCs) for things like typed text, scripts, HTTP and Modes.
- KeyRoutines can't open or convert Keyboard Maestro macro files. You rebuild your macros as routines.
Moving over
- 1
List the macros you actually use
Most people rely on a handful: an app launcher hotkey, a window arrangement, a text snippet or two, a folder that gets tidied. Start with those and leave the rest.
- 2
Rebuild hotkey macros first
Create a routine with a Hotkey trigger and add steps such as Open app, Focus window, Press keys or Type text. Use a folder's app availability for hotkeys that should only work in one app.
- 3
Turn Pause Until into Wait until
Where a macro waited for an app or window, use Open app's wait option or a Wait until container with App is ready or Window exists, and set a timeout so the routine never hangs.
- 4
Move window setups into layouts
Arrange your windows the way you like, use Remember layout or snapshot them in Apply layout, and run that from a hotkey or when a monitor connects.
- 5
Check Run history
Run each routine a few times and open Run history: every step shows its result and, if it stopped, why. Fix and repeat.
Questions
- Is there a Keyboard Maestro for Windows?
- No. Keyboard Maestro only runs on macOS. On Windows you need a different app; KeyRoutines is one built around the same idea of triggers, actions and conditions without code.
- Can I import my Keyboard Maestro macros?
- No. KeyRoutines can't read Keyboard Maestro files, and many Mac actions have no direct Windows equivalent. Rebuilding the macros you use most usually takes minutes each.
- Does KeyRoutines have text expansion like Keyboard Maestro's typed string triggers?
- Yes, in Pro. The Typed text trigger replaces an abbreviation with text or starts a routine when you type it.
- What does KeyRoutines do that Keyboard Maestro doesn't?
- It's built for Windows: switching default audio devices and per-app volume, power plans, window layouts across monitors, game launchers, OBS, Discord voice (Pro), Elgato lights (Pro), and a game-safe mode that keeps it away from anti-cheat-protected games.
- Is AutoHotkey a better Keyboard Maestro alternative?
- If you're happy to write code, AutoHotkey can do almost anything, including key remapping. If you want to build automations visually like in Keyboard Maestro, KeyRoutines is closer.
Keyboard Maestro is a trademark of Stairways Software Pty Ltd; KeyRoutines is not affiliated with or endorsed by Stairways Software.
Coming from somewhere else?
Try KeyRoutines instead of Keyboard Maestro
Free from the Microsoft Store for Windows 11 and 10. Pro is a one-time upgrade.