Mac Media Key Forwarder for Apple Music, Spotify, Cider, Spotifast and Pear Desktop (YouTube Music).
Forwards your keyboard media keys (play/pause, next, previous) to Apple Music, Spotify, Cider, Spotifast or Pear (YouTube Music) directly.
You can prioritize which app you would like to control or you can go with the default behaviour which controls the running app.
The status-bar menu holds the quick controls (pause and the prioritized player). Everything else — open at login, hiding the menu bar icon, automatic pause, and the Cider API token — lives in Settings… (⌘,).
The app runs in the menu bar.
Cider support
Apple Music and Spotify are controlled over AppleScript (Scripting Bridge). Cider does not ship an AppleScript dictionary, so it is controlled through its local REST API instead (http://localhost:10767). For it to work:
- In Cider, enable the RPC server under Settings > Connectivity.
- If Cider requires a token for external applications (Manage External Application Access to Cider), paste it into Mac Media Key Forwarder under Settings… > Players.
Spotifast support
Spotifast likewise ships no AppleScript dictionary. The running instance listens on a local loopback socket (127.0.0.1:47113) for its own fastpotify command-line tool, and Mac Media Key Forwarder talks to it the same way. No setup is required — just have Spotifast running.
Pear Desktop (YouTube Music) support
Pear does not ship an AppleScript dictionary either, so it is controlled through the local HTTP API of its API Server plugin (http://localhost:26538). For it to work:
- In Pear, enable the API Server plugin under Plugins.
- Keep its port at the default 26538.
- On the first media key press Pear asks whether to allow "MacMediaKeyForwarder"; approve it. The access token is stored and reused afterwards.
Launch player hidden
When a player is prioritized and not running, a media key press launches it. By default the player's window comes to the front. Enable Launch player hidden under Settings… > Players to start Apple Music or Spotify hidden (as with ⌘H) and send the key to it once it is up, so playback starts without leaving the app you are working in. Cider, Spotifast and Pear are never launched by Mac Media Key Forwarder.
Download the compiled application from my Releases.
If you want even more control over what you want to control you should try beardedspice.
Issues you should know about
The app listens on the event tap for key events. This causes problems in some rare cases, like
- when changing search engine in Safari's preferences window
- when trying to allow third-party kernel extensions
In these cases simply pause Mac Media Key Forwarder from it's menu.
Requirements
macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later. The app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple. For older systems, use version 3.1.2.
Installation & permissions
Mac Media Key Forwarder needs two permissions to work:
- Accessibility, so it can listen for the media keys on your keyboard.
- Automation, so it can tell Apple Music and Spotify to play, pause, or skip. This is why macOS shows an automation (osascript) prompt the first time you use a media key. The app only sends standard playback commands to those two apps and nothing else.
On first launch the app asks for Accessibility access and offers an Open System Settings button. Turn on MacMediaKeyForwarder under Privacy & Security > Accessibility, and the app starts forwarding right away. There is no need to relaunch it.
The Automation permission is requested the first time you press a media key. Allow MacMediaKeyForwarder to control Music and Spotify when prompted.
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Contributors :
- Michael Dorner (@michaeldorner)
- Matt Chaput (@mchaput)
- Ben Kropf (@ben-kropf)
- Alejandro Iván (@alejandroivan)
- Sungho Lee (@sh1217sh)
- Björn Büschke (@maciboy)
- Sergei Solovev (@e1ectron)
- Munkácsi Márk (@munkacsimark)
- Irvin Lim (@irvinlim)
- Simon Seku (@SimonSeku)
- Dave Nicolson (@dnicolson)
- teemue (@teemue)
- takamu (@takamu)
- Alex (@sashoism)
- Sebastiaan Pasma (@spasma)
- WiktorBuczko (@WiktorBuczko)
- Andy White (@arcwhite)
- xjbeta (@xjbeta)
- Jules Coynel (@jcoynel)
Thank you!!!
What's new in version 4.5.0 :
- Launch player hidden: turn on "Launch player hidden" in Settings > Players and a media key press starts a prioritized Apple Music or Spotify that is not running hidden, instead of bringing its window to the front, then sends it the key. Off by default. (#40)
- Redesigned Settings window: toolbar tabs like other Mac apps, and the window now fits each tab instead of leaving empty space or cutting off the Players tab. Option descriptions sit under each option.
- Completed the translations of the Settings window: the Apple Music volume keys option and the Cider API token field are now translated in every language.
What's new in version 4.4.0 :
- Optional volume keys for Apple Music: turn on "Also send volume keys to Apple Music" in Settings > Players and the volume and mute keys also change Apple Music's own volume, so they can control AirPlay speakers. The system volume still changes as usual. Off by default.
- iTunes is now called Apple Music throughout the app ("Prioritize Apple Music"). Existing settings carry over.
What's new in version 4.3.0 :
- Pear Desktop (YouTube Music) support: play/pause, next and previous now also work with Pear (controlled through the local HTTP API of its API Server plugin; enable that plugin in Pear and approve the access request on the first key press). New "Prioritize Pear (YouTube Music)" option. Thanks to @stefanceriu!
What's new in version 4.2.0 :
- Spotifast support: play/pause, next and previous now also work with Spotifast (controlled through its local socket, no setup needed). New "Prioritize Spotifast" option. Thanks to @mdevils!
- New Settings window (⌘,) for open at login, hiding the menu bar icon, automatic pause and the Cider API token. The menu keeps the quick controls: Pause and the prioritized player.
- The Cider API token is entered in a masked field.
- Removed the Donate menu item.
- Fixed a media key press made while Spotifast was still starting up being replayed later.
What's new in version 4.1.0 :
- Cider support: play/pause, next and previous now also work with Cider (controlled through its local REST API — enable the RPC server in Cider under Settings > Connectivity, and use "Set Cider API Token…" in the menu if Cider requires a token).
- New "Prioritize Cider" option.
- The default mode is now called "Send events to all players" and includes Cider.
- Thanks to @andrwmai for testing!
What's new in version 4.0.0 :
- Rewritten in Swift.
- Fixes the freeze and hang on macOS Tahoe (the menu and app no longer become unresponsive).
- Signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it launches without Gatekeeper warnings.
- Modern launch at login using SMAppService.
- Minimum macOS is now Tahoe (26). Use version 3.1.2 for older systems.
- New bundle identifier (com.quentinlesceller.macmediakeyforwarder). After updating you may need to re-grant Accessibility and Automation permissions once.
What's new in version 3.1.2 :
- Lower minimum version to macOS 10.14
- App is now signed.
What's new in version 3.1.1 :
- Fix freeze at launch
- Update for macOS 12.3
What's new in version 3.1 :
- Ability to hide the menu icon
- French translation
What's new in version 3.0 :
- Catalina compatibility
What's new in version 2.8 :
- Polish localization
- Fixed broken Japanese, Finnish, Dutch localization
What's new in version 2.7 :
- Dutch localization
What's new in version 2.6 :
- Enabled undocking status bar item
What's new in version 2.5 :
- Finnish, Japanese localization
- Modified Accessibility Instructions
What's new in version 2.3 :
- Korean, Danish, Russian and Hungarian localization is linked back to the project ( they got lost somewhere :( )
What's new in version 2.2 :
- MacOS Mojave 10.14.2 fix, showing notification pop-up if tap cannot be created
What's new in version 2.1 :
- app brings up permission popups if permission is not granted for Accessibility and Automation Target
What's new in version 2.0 :
- app renamed to Mac Media Key Forwarder
- Hungarian localization
- updated icon
- Open At Login state is checked every time the menu is opened so it shows an updated state
- added installation steps to readme because increased MacOS security made it more confusing
- added event-tap related issues to readme because it can cause head scratches in some special cases
What's new in version 1.9 :
- added open at login menu option
- German localization update
- Korean localization update
What's new in version 1.8 :
- added pause menu option
- added pause automatically menu option : if no music player is running macOS default behavior is used and keys are forwarded to currently active media player
- Russian localization
- German localization
- Spanish localization
- fixed headphone button issue
- added macOS Sierra compatibility if you want explicit music player control there
What's new in version 1.7 :
- fast forward/rewind is possible when iTunes is selected explicitly
- Korean localization
- rumors say that it works with TouchBar
What's new in version 1.6 :
- increased compatibility with external keyboards
What's new in version 1.5 :
- now you can explicitly prioritize iTunes or Spotify
- play button now starts up iTunes or Spotify if they are not running aaaand explicitly selected
What's new in version 1.4 :
- memory leak fixed
What's new in version 1.3 :
- previousTrack replaced with backTrack in case of iTunes for a better experience
What's new in version 1.2 :
- new icon
- source code is super tight now
- developer id signed, its a trusted app now