Your macropad arrives ready to use as a standard keyboard. To customise it with VIA — remapping keys, building macros, and setting up layers — just follow the steps below. No coding, no soldering, no firmware flashing needed.
Connect it to your computer via USB-C. It will work immediately as an input device — all default keys are pre-programmed and ready to use straight away.
Go to usevia.app in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. VIA uses the WebHID API which is only supported in those two browsers — it won't work in Firefox or Safari.
Click the Authorize Device button and select your Desk Tech macropad from the popup list. VIA will connect to it and show your layout matching the number of keys your macropad has.
Click any key on the layout and select a new function from the keycode panel. Changes save to the macropad instantly — your settings are stored in the firmware, not on the computer, so they follow the device everywhere.
Sometimes VIA connects to your macropad but doesn't know what layout to display — this is normal and easy to fix. Follow the steps below to load the layout manually.
Download the JSON layout file for your macropad. This tells VIA what your keyboard looks like and how it's wired.
In VIA, click the Settings tab (cog icon), then enable "Show Design tab". Go to the Design tab and click "Load" to import the keyboard.json file you downloaded.
Works great. May need Input Monitoring permission once.
SmoothWorks out of the box with no extra steps.
SmoothUse Chrome or Edge with the JSON file. Works well.
Smooth