IN THIS ARTICLE
You have a Keychron keyboard, or you're about to, and every answer online says to change it in Launcher. This guide shows what Launcher is and how to do the four things people ask about most: remapping keys, recording macros, updating firmware, and asking the built-in AI assistant to remap keys or set up macros for you.
In short
- What it is: Keychron Launcher is our free web app for setting up Keychron keyboards and mice, right in your browser.
- Why it matters: you can move keys, record shortcuts, and update firmware, and everyday settings need no installed program.
- What to do: open Launcher in Chrome, Edge, or Opera, plug in your keyboard, and click Connect.
What Keychron Launcher is
Launcher is the settings page for your keyboard, and it lives at launcher.keychron.com. It works with Keychron keyboards and mice, and it covers key remapping, macros, lighting, shortcuts, and firmware updates.
It runs on WebHID, a browser feature that lets a web page talk to a USB device once you give permission. That's why it needs the latest version of Chrome, Edge, or Opera. There's nothing to install, which also helps on work laptops that block new software.
Think of the preset buttons on a car radio. You tune a station once, hold the button, and the radio remembers it. Launcher is the tuning step. On QMK keyboards and supported mice like the G6 HE, your settings are stored on the device itself, so they travel with it to another computer.
One r/Keychron user summed it up: they use Launcher "on Google Chrome to configure the keyboard and everything seems to work without the need to install anything."
How to connect and remap a key in Keychron Launcher
Remapping means changing what a key does. A popular first change is turning Caps Lock into Ctrl, so here's that one.
- Plug in the keyboard. Use the cable, or the 2.4 GHz receiver if your model has one. Some models connect to Launcher by cable only.
- Open Launcher and click Connect. Your browser lists the connected devices. Pick your Keychron and allow access.
- Open Keymap in the left sidebar. Your keyboard appears on screen.
- Click Caps Lock. It turns red to show it's selected.
- Pick the new function. Under Basic, click Left Ctrl. The change applies right away, and the on-screen key updates to match.
The tabs under the keyboard sort every function into groups such as Basic, Media, Macro, Special Keys, Lighting, Custom, and Layer. If the list looks like alphabet soup, that is normal. Start with Basic and Media, which cover letters, modifiers, and volume keys.
Layers are extra copies of your keymap stacked on top of each other. Many of our QMK keyboards have four, two for Mac and two for Windows, and some models have more. On the Mac layers, the Fn key shows up in Launcher as MO(1), which means it switches layers only while you hold it. That's how a compact board fits a full keyboard's worth of functions.
Two smaller settings on this screen are worth a look. The layout language menu (Deutsch, Nederlands, French, and more) makes the on-screen legends match your keycaps. You can also export your keymap to a file as a backup. Our remapping guide explains every tab.
How to record a macro in Launcher
A macro is a saved series of key presses that one key plays back. A common example is putting the macOS screenshot shortcut, Shift + Command + 4, on a single key.
- Open Macro in the sidebar and choose an empty slot, such as M0.
- Click Start REC (some models label it Start Recording), press the keys in order, then click Stop REC and Submit.
- Tidy it up if needed. You can rename the macro, reorder presses and releases, and add a delay between keys.
- Assign it. Go back to Keymap, open the Macro tab, click the key you want, and choose M0.
Each device has a set amount of macro storage, which is plenty for normal use. You can export macros to a file and load them again later. The full walkthrough is in How to Create a Macro on Launcher.
How to update firmware in Keychron Launcher
Firmware is the small program that runs inside the keyboard. Updates can add features or fix bugs, and Launcher is the simplest way to install them.
Open Firmware Update in the sidebar. Launcher shows your current version and tells you whether it's the latest. If an update is waiting, follow the prompts. On Windows, you download a small Toolbox, run it as administrator, and install its driver. On many keyboards, you then hold Esc while plugging the cable back in, which puts the board into update mode.
Keep the cable plugged in and the browser tab open until the success message appears. Use the cable for this step, even on a wireless keyboard. The steps vary a little by model, so read our firmware guide before you start.
How the Launcher AI assistant works
Launcher also has Keychron AI, an assistant built into the app that you can use right away. Instead of hunting through menus, you type what you want in plain language, such as "Remap the Space key to A," and the assistant helps set it up. It can help you connect a device, remap keys, change lighting effects, and create macros.
On supported keyboards, click the AI button at the top right of the Launcher window to open the panel. It suggests a few starter requests, so you can tap one instead of typing. After each request, glance at the on-screen keyboard to confirm the change landed where you wanted. The panel itself reminds you to check what the AI writes.
What else Launcher changes for you
Once the basics feel familiar, a few more screens become useful.
- HE Mode appears on magnetic switch keyboards. You set the actuation distance, how far a key travels before it registers, and you can turn on Rapid Trigger. Our HE Mode guide covers each slider.
- Backlight sets the keyboard lighting. You pick an effect, such as Breathing or Typing Heatmap, then drag the brightness and speed sliders.
- Quick Start opens an app or a web page with one key. It needs the Keychron Assistant app on Windows or macOS.
- Mouse settings live in the same web app. On supported Keychron mice, click Customize to reassign buttons. DPI, polling rate, and macros have their own pages.
This table points you to the right screen for each job.
| You want to | Open this in Launcher |
|---|---|
| Change what a key does | Keymap |
| Play back a series of keys | Macro, then Keymap |
| Open an app with one key | Quick Start |
| Change the lighting | Backlight |
| Install new firmware | Firmware Update |
| Tune a magnetic switch | HE Mode |
Where Keychron uses Launcher
Launcher works with Keychron's QMK and ZMK keyboards and with supported Keychron mice. The full-size Keychron Q6 Max, one of our best sellers, uses it for remapping and macros on macOS, Windows, and Linux. The Keychron Q6 HE adds HE Mode for its Gateron Double-Rail Magnetic Nebula Switch, and the Keychron G6 HE mouse uses Launcher for buttons, DPI, actuation, and Rapid Trigger. To check a specific model, look for Launcher on its product page.
Common questions about Keychron Launcher
Do I need to install anything to use Keychron Launcher?
No. Launcher runs in the latest Chrome, Edge, or Opera. The two exceptions are Quick Start, which needs the Keychron Assistant app, and firmware updates on Windows, which need the Toolbox driver.
Will my settings stay if I switch computers?
Yes, on QMK keyboards and supported mice. Launcher saves your settings to the device, so they work on another computer without opening Launcher again.
How do I undo my changes?
In Keymap, you can reset the current key mappings. For a full restart, many Keychron keyboards factory reset when you hold Fn + J + Z for about 4 seconds. The backlight flashes red when it's done.
If you want to try it: open Keychron Launcher in Chrome, Edge, or Opera and plug in your keyboard.
References & Citations
- Launcher is a free web app for Keychron keyboards and mice: remapping, macros, lighting, firmware updates, and layers. (How to use Launcher to program your keyboard)
- Connecting with Chrome, Edge, or Opera, the Keymap tabs, and keymap export. (How to remap a key on Launcher)
- Recording, editing, and assigning macros, and macro storage per device. (How to create a macro on Launcher)
- Firmware update steps, the Windows Toolbox driver, and the Fn + J + Z factory reset. (How to restore factory settings and update firmware on Launcher)
- HE Mode on magnetic switch keyboards: actuation distance and Rapid Trigger. (How to use HE mode on Keychron Launcher)
- Quick Start opens apps or web pages with one key and needs Keychron Assistant. (How to use Quick Start on the launcher)
- An owner on using Launcher in Chrome with nothing to install. (r/Keychron, November 2025)