Macropads: what is a keyboard with so few keys for?

You are looking for the same command for the third time. It lives somewhere in a menu, has a shortcut you almost remember and interrupts what you were doing. Now imagine a dedicated button beside your keyboard. What would you put there?

A macropad is a panel you can assign actions to. It may have mechanical keys, knobs or buttons with images. The interesting part begins when you choose what deserves a physical place: save, undo, open a tool or run a sequence you already understand.

Keys and a knob: Keychron Q0 Max

The Keychron Q0 Max (affiliate link) combines a number pad with additional keys and a knob. It supports remapping and macros through QMK and Keychron Launcher. The manufacturer offers wired, Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz receiver connections; configuring it in Launcher requires a wired connection and a supported browser.

This format makes sense if you want number entry alongside customised controls. A physical key’s legend does not change when you reassign it, so design a layout you can remember or keep a visible reference nearby.

The video at the top shows the device with Gateron Jupiter Banana switches. Watch the key and knob arrangement; the sound of that variant does not describe every switch option.

Buttons with images: Stream Deck Neo

The Elgato Stream Deck Neo (affiliate link) provides eight customisable LCD keys and touch controls for switching pages. Its app lets you drag actions onto buttons. The practical distinction is visual: identify a function by its icon and organise more actions across different pages.

The official video introduces the whole Neo family. Look for the eight-button panel: microphones, lights and capture equipment shown alongside it are separate products.

▶ See the product in action

Before choosing, check current software requirements and integrations for the applications you use. A button with a display does not guarantee that every program exposes the action you want to control.

A shortcut and a macro pose different problems

A shortcut sends a key combination. A macro can chain several actions. As you add steps, the starting state matters more: which window is active, where the cursor sits or whether a dialog is still open.

Design something simple and observable first. In a drawing editor, for example, you could dedicate three actions to undo, redo and save. If you add a sequence later, test it in a practice document before using it on important work. An easy-to-reach key is also easy to press by accident.

Design your panel before buying it

Draw a grid on paper and assign a function to each square. During a normal session, mark the ones you would actually use. Then ask:

• Do I want to remember positions, or would visible labels help more?
• Will I use it for numbers, drawing, music or several applications?
• Does a knob solve a frequent task, or do I simply like its appearance?
• Can I configure it on my system and keep those settings where I need them?

When comparing macropads on Amazon (affiliate link) , check the exact model, software and contents. For Keychron, a barebone version needs switches and keycaps separately; it is not the same as a fully assembled device.

A useful panel starts with a few clear decisions. If creating musical patterns is what excites you, try One Man Band first to discover which actions you repeat while building a loop.