ZKey
Frequently asked questions
Installing, security, Terminal, the dictionary, and what ZKey does not do yet.
Why is ZKey not on the Mac App Store?
Apple does not distribute input methods through the Mac App Store: an input method has to live in /Library/Input Methods, while App Store apps can only be installed into /Applications, where macOS does not load input methods. So ZKey ships as a .pkg signed with Developer ID and notarized by Apple — the standard way to distribute Mac software outside the App Store.
macOS says “the developer can access anything you type”. Should I worry?
macOS shows this notice for every third-party input method, because any input method has to receive keys to do its job. ZKey handles keys on your Mac, never sends what you type over the network, and never writes it to a log.
Does ZKey need Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission?
No. ZKey is an input source (InputMethodKit) and types through macOS marked text; it uses no event tap and needs nothing in Privacy & Security.
My Mac has an Intel chip. Can I install it?
Yes. The installer is universal: it runs on Apple silicon (M1 or later) and Intel Macs with macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Does typing “database” turn into “dât”?
No. ZKey only applies aa/ee/oo to adjacent vowels and returns strings that are not valid syllables to their keys while you type. Words on the English list, like database, camera or banana, stay as typed without extra keys.
What about typing commands in Terminal?
ZKey leaves Terminal, iTerm2, Warp, Ghostty, Alacritty, kitty, Hyper, Termius alone: keys and command shortcuts go straight to the terminal. Switch to another app and the previous on/off state comes back. You can turn this off under ZKey Settings → Ứng dụng (Apps).
And the terminal inside VS Code?
InputMethodKit cannot tell an embedded terminal from the editor. If you like, add com.microsoft.VSCode to the excluded apps — ZKey is then off in all of VS Code, editor included.
My name goes back to its keys when I finish typing it.
Add it under ZKey Settings → Từ điển → Từ bổ sung (one word or phrase per line), or allow valid syllables that are not in the dictionary.
“hòa” or “hoà”?
The default is the traditional placement (hòa, khỏe, thủy). Turn on “Đặt dấu kiểu hoà, khoẻ” in ZKey Settings for the modern one (hoà, khoẻ, thuỷ).
How do I switch Vietnamese on and off quickly?
Control + Shift + Space while ZKey is the input source. Change it to Option + Shift + Space or turn it off in ZKey Settings. The input menu also has “Tắt gõ tiếng Việt”.
Does ZKey update itself?
ZKey checks for a new version once a day. When there is one, the input menu shows “Tải bản mới ZKey …” and ZKey Settings → Cập nhật has a download button; ZKey never installs anything by itself. Download the installer here and install it over the old one — your settings and words are kept. You can turn the automatic check off in ZKey Settings → Cập nhật.
How do I uninstall ZKey?
Choose another input source, remove ZKey from the input sources list, delete ZKey.app and ZKeyInputMethod.app from /Library/Input Methods, then sign out and back in. Details are on the Install page.
Does ZKey support VIQR or macros?
Not yet. ZKey supports Telex and VNI with precomposed Unicode; there is no VIQR, no macros and no clipboard conversion.
Ready?
Install ZKey in two minutes
Download the installer, run it, then pick ZKey in the menu bar. The guide has a screenshot for every step.