Troubleshooting · Updated Sep 2026
Mac: Shortcuts and Sinhala letters not working
If language shortcuts, text expanders, or Isiwara / Wijesekara letters do nothing, macOS is blocking Keyshepherd until the right privacy permission is on.
What this looks like
- Layout shortcuts do not switch to Isiwara or Wijesekara.
- Sinhala letters never appear — the app stays in English.
- Text shortcuts such as
[address]do not expand.
Keyshepherd must read and rewrite keystrokes. On a Mac that is allowed only after you turn it on under Privacy & Security.
Open the correct Accessibility page
macOS has two different screens named Accessibility. The one that lists VoiceOver, Zoom, and Display is the wrong page — Keyshepherd will never appear there.
Use this path
Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility
That list is for apps that control your Mac. Turn on Keyshepherd there.
Grant the permissions
- Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
- Go to Privacy & Security.
- Open Accessibility and turn on the switch next to Keyshepherd.
- Go back, open Input Monitoring, and turn on Keyshepherd there as well.
- If Keyshepherd is missing, click + and add /Applications/Keyshepherd.app.
- Quit Keyshepherd completely, then open it again from Applications.
Still not working?
- Grant only the copy in Applications. A second Keyshepherd from Downloads or a build folder is a different app and will not keep the permission.
- After a new install, turn the switches off and on again, then quit and reopen Keyshepherd.
- First-time Gatekeeper steps are in the macOS install guide.