HumanType

Realistic human typing automation for Windows and macOS

Download Latest Release | Windows Guide | macOS Guide | Changelog

Overview

HumanType types clipboard text with natural rhythm, variable speed, typo simulation, and smart punctuation cleanup. It is useful for demos, tutorials, presentations, and workflows where text should appear as if it is being typed by a person.

The Windows edition is now a native packaged app with a tray menu, settings panel, installer, and GitHub release update checks. The macOS edition uses Hammerspoon.

Features

Feature	Windows	macOS
Type clipboard text	Yes	Yes
Variable WPM	Yes	Yes
QWERTY typo simulation	Yes	Yes
Smart punctuation cleanup	Yes	Yes
Settings UI	Native app	Hammerspoon webview
System tray / menu bar	Yes	Yes
Release auto updates	Yes	Basic latest-release check

Download

Windows

Download HumanType-Installer.exe from the latest release:

https://github.com/ethanstoner/humanlike-typer/releases/latest

See README_WINDOWS.md for the full Windows guide.

macOS

Install Hammerspoon, then install the macOS script:

curl -o ~/.hammerspoon/init.lua https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ethanstoner/humanlike-typer/main/scripts/init.lua

See docs/INSTALL_MAC.md for the full macOS guide.

Quick Start

Windows

1. Install HumanType with HumanType-Installer.exe.
2. Copy text with Ctrl+C.
3. Click into the target text field.
4. Press Ctrl+Alt+V, or use Type Clipboard from the tray menu.
5. Press Esc to pause or resume an active typing run.

macOS

1. Copy text with Cmd+C.
2. Click into the target text field.
3. Press Ctrl+Alt+Cmd+V, or use the menu bar item.
4. Press Esc to stop typing.

How It Works

HumanType sends keystrokes with randomized timing. It can introduce realistic mistakes, pause, backspace, and correct them automatically.

Examples:

hello -> hrllo -> backspace -> hello
the   -> teh   -> backspace -> the

Smart punctuation is normalized before typing:

Input	Output
Smart quotes	Straight quotes
En dash	-
Em dash	--
Ellipsis	...

Build Windows Release

Prerequisites:

• .NET 8 SDK
• Inno Setup 6

Build:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File windows\build-release.ps1 -Version 1.1.3

Outputs:

• windows\dist\HumanType.exe
• windows\dist\HumanType-Installer.exe

Repository Layout

Path	Purpose
windows/HumanType.Native	Native Windows app
windows/installer	Inno Setup installer
windows/dist	Built Windows release artifacts
macos/HumanType	Native macOS project scaffold
scripts/init.lua	Hammerspoon script
scripts/init.ahk	Legacy AutoHotkey script
docs	Installation docs, changelog, release notes

Troubleshooting

Windows typing does nothing

Make sure the target app accepts simulated keyboard input and that the text caret is focused. Some elevated or protected apps require HumanType to run with the same privilege level.

Windows update opens GitHub instead of installing

The GitHub release is missing HumanType-Installer.exe. Upload that asset to the release for direct in-app download links.

macOS shortcut does nothing

Check Hammerspoon Accessibility permissions in System Settings.

License

HumanType is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. See LICENSE.

Contributing

Reports and pull requests are welcome. See docs/CONTRIBUTING.md.