How to Manage and Revoke Input Monitoring Permissions for Apps on Mac

Modern versions of macOS—including macOS Sequoia, Sonoma, and Ventura—feature a robust privacy architecture known as Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC). This framework prevents third-party software from quietly tracking your activities without explicit consent. Among the most sensitive privacy categories managed by TCC is Input Monitoring. When an application possesses Input Monitoring privileges, it can monitor, listen to, and record keystrokes, mouse clicks, and controller inputs even when you are actively using other applications.

Legitimate productivity utilities—such as keyboard remapping software (Karabiner-Elements), gaming mouse software (Logitech G HUB, Razer Synapse), live streaming suites (OBS Studio), and VoIP communications apps with global push-to-talk hotkeys (Discord, Microsoft Teams)—rely on Input Monitoring to detect system-wide keyboard shortcuts. However, because this exact mechanism can be exploited by malicious keyloggers to capture passwords, banking credentials, and private messages, auditing and managing Input Monitoring permissions is crucial for safeguarding your Mac. Here is how to configure, review, and revoke Input Monitoring access in macOS.

Why Input Monitoring Is Strictly Sandboxed in macOS

Unlike standard text input where an application only receives keystrokes when its window is active, global event taps capture hardware input across all background processes. If an untrusted utility gains Input Monitoring permissions:

• System-Wide Keystroke Interception: It can intercept every character typed into private browser tabs, document editors, and terminal consoles.
• Credential Theft: Malicious background daemons can harvest master passwords, two-factor authentication codes, and financial details as you type them.
• Clipboard & Macro Injection: Rogue automation utilities could simulate unauthorized keyboard actions or trigger automated macro scripts without your knowledge.

To defend against unauthorized logging, macOS blocks third-party input listeners by default and prompts the user with an explicit system dialog whenever an app attempts to install a global event tap.

How to Manage and Revoke Input Monitoring Permissions in System Settings

You can audit the list of software approved for Input Monitoring and toggle permissions on or off at any time using System Settings:

1. Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of the menu bar and select System Settings.
2. In the left sidebar, click Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll down the right-hand panel and click Input Monitoring.
4. You will see a list of applications that have requested permission to listen to keystrokes and global input events.
   • To Revoke Permission: Click the toggle switch next to an application to turn it Off (grey). The app will immediately lose the ability to capture background keystrokes.
   • To Grant Permission: Click the toggle switch next to a trusted app to turn it On (blue). You will be prompted to authenticate using Touch ID or your macOS administrator password.
   • To Completely Remove an App: Select the application from the list and click the minus (–) button at the bottom of the list.
5. When toggling permissions for an active application, macOS will present a prompt stating: “[App Name] will not be able to monitor input from your keyboard until it is quit.” Click Quit & Reopen to apply the privacy policy immediately.

Manually Adding an App to Input Monitoring

Occasionally, specialized command-line tools or portable utilities fail to trigger the automatic system prompt. You can manually register an application to the Input Monitoring whitelist:

1. Navigate to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Input Monitoring.
2. Click the plus (+) button situated beneath the application list.
3. Authenticate with Touch ID or your administrator password.
4. In the file navigation dialog, navigate to your Applications directory, select the desired executable or helper utility, and click Open.
5. Ensure the toggle switch beside the newly added software is switched to the active position, and restart the app.

How to Reset Input Monitoring Permissions via Terminal Using tccutil

If an application malfunctions, repeatedly prompts for access despite being enabled, or fails to appear in the System Settings list, you can reset macOS TCC database records for Input Monitoring using the command-line utility tccutil:

1. Open the Terminal application from Applications > Utilities.
2. To reset Input Monitoring permissions for all applications simultaneously, execute:

   tccutil reset ListenEvent

   (Note: In macOS internal TCC schema, Input Monitoring is registered under the service identifier ListenEvent or PostEvent.)
3. To reset permissions for a single specific application without affecting other utilities, provide the application’s unique bundle identifier:

   tccutil reset ListenEvent org.pqrs.Karabiner-Elements.DriverKit-VirtualHIDDevice

4. Press Enter. Terminal will output Successfully reset ListenEvent. When you next launch your application, it will cleanly re-prompt for permission.

Troubleshooting Input Monitoring Issues in macOS

When configuring input utilities, watch out for these recurring scenarios:

• Push-to-Talk Failure in Discord or Teams: If your push-to-talk key fails to activate voice transmission when gaming or working in another window, the application lacks active Input Monitoring permissions. Toggle the switch off and on again in System Settings and restart the software.
• DriverKit vs Application Bundles: Hardware suites (such as Logitech G HUB or Elgato Stream Deck) often require permissions for both the frontend application and a secondary background helper daemon. Ensure all associated background processes listed under Input Monitoring are toggled on.
• Screen Sharing Safeguards: Input monitoring frequently pairs with display capture; if you also need to regulate video broadcasting, consult our walkthrough on managing and revoking screen recording permissions on Mac.
• Full File System Governance: For utilities that automate file handling alongside keyboard shortcuts, review our detailed guide on managing Full Disk Access permissions in macOS.
• Advanced TCC Management: To master terminal commands for auditing all macOS privacy databases, read our complete guide on using the tccutil command in macOS Terminal.

Regularly reviewing your Mac’s Input Monitoring permissions ensures your essential shortcuts remain responsive while keeping untrusted software completely isolated from your private keystrokes and sensitive data.