Using MacroTool
First launch
MacroTool opens in English. French can be chosen in ⚙ › Window › Language. An empty macro is ready: no file is created until there is something to keep.
Recording
- Press F6, or “Record”.
- Make your clicks and keystrokes in the other windows. Gestures made in MacroTool are ignored.
- Press F6 again to stop.
During recording, a card shows the number of captured gestures. Mouse movements are recorded only if the option is checked in the settings. A new recording is added to the macro or replaces it, depending on the settings.
Playing back
F7, or “Play”, starts playback. F7 or Esc stop it. During playback, a card shows the current round and action.
Started from the shortcut, playback begins immediately; if the shortcut contains Ctrl, Alt or Shift, it waits for them to be released. Started from the button, it begins after 300 ms, so the target window can take back the keyboard.
Playback card:
| Setting | Values |
|---|---|
| Repetitions | Fixed number or endless |
| Speed | From ×0.25 to ×10 |
| Presses | Recorded duration, or short (15 ms) |
| Pause between rounds | When the macro plays more than once |
Editing actions
Each action shows its number, its description, its delay before the action and, if it exceeds the minimum, its press duration.
- A click on a card expands it and shows its form; a click on its top collapses it.
- ⏶ and ⏷ move the action, 🗑 deletes it.
- Right-click offers Edit, Move up, Move down, Delete.
- “Add an action…”, at the bottom of the list, adds a key, a click, a mouse wheel step or a text to type.
A deletion is immediate. For 6 s, “Undo” brings it back.
Duration of an action during playback: delay before the action, plus press duration. Speed divides both, without going below 15 ms.
Keys are played back at their position on the keyboard: a macro plays back with the keyboard layout used when it was recorded. A text to type is typed character by character.
Macros
The Macro card lets you choose a macro, create one, duplicate it, delete it and rename it.
Settings
- Shortcuts: record / stop, play / stop, Esc stops playback.
- Recording: mouse movements; a new recording is added or replaces.
- Window: minimize during recording and playback; language.
The 📌 button keeps the window on top. It is not remembered.
File
Macros and settings are saved in macrotool.toml, next to the executable, 0.7 s after each change. If the folder is read-only, a banner says so and MacroTool carries on without saving. If the file becomes unreadable, a banner shows the faulty line and column; nothing is written until you choose to replace it.
Linux
- Use an X11 session: under Wayland, recording, playback and shortcuts are limited.
- The mouse wheel cannot be recorded: add the steps by hand.
- A press shorter than 4 ms may be missed.
- An Esc contained in a macro cannot be told apart from an Esc pressed by the user; in that case, Esc does not stop playback.