EnterGuard
日本語 How it works Setup Download
EnterGuard app icon

Tap for a new line.
Hold to send.

EnterGuard is a menu bar app that changes what the Enter key does on your Mac. ChatGPT, Slack, Discord, Teams, your browser, native apps. Anywhere you can type on a Mac, it works the same way. Accidental sends are over.

Download for Mac Get it on Gumroad and receive updates

Version 1.1 ・ 305KB ・ macOS 13 or later ・ Notarized by Apple ・ Free

Real footage. One Enter key, two different results.

One key, two jobs

Nothing to memorize. Tap Enter like you always have to get a new line. Hold it a little longer only when you actually want to send.

Up to 0.4s (default)

New line, or confirm input

Same as before. Repeatedly tapping Enter to confirm text in an IME will never send your message.

Longer than 0.4s (default)

Send

The message goes out only when you hold Enter past the threshold. Set it anywhere between 0.2s and 1.0s to match how fast you type.

EnterGuard's menu bar panel showing the on/off toggle, the hold-duration slider, and the launch-at-login switch.

Managed from the menu bar

Toggle it on or off and pick your hold duration here. Need the original Enter behavior back in a terminal or editor? One click turns it off.

Turn on launch-at-login and you never have to think about it again.

Most useful where there's no undo

A brief moment of intent, right before a message leaves your hands.

  • AI chatStop sending half-written promptsChatGPT and Claude give worse answers when a prompt goes out mid-thought. Long instructions deserve line breaks.
  • Live chat on callsRead it back before it hits Zoom or DiscordNo more unfinished sentences showing up in front of everyone on the call.
  • Work messagingChoose your words calmly in Slack or TeamsNo more deleting and re-sending. Just write, then decide.

What it does

  • Intel and Apple SiliconRuns on any Mac with macOS 13 Ventura or later.
  • Works in every appBrowsers, native apps, Electron apps. Same behavior everywhere.
  • Toggle from the menu barSwitch back to the stock Enter key whenever you need it.
  • Pick your own hold timeAnywhere from 0.2s to 1.0s, via a slider.
  • Nothing leaves your MacAll processing is local. No servers, no network calls.
  • 13 languages, automaticallyThe app follows your Mac's language setting.
  • 305KB, light enough to forgetSits in your menu bar all day without getting in the way.

Set up in about a minute

Each step, shown on a real screen.

  1. Unzip and move to Applications Double-click the downloaded zip to get EnterGuard.app, then drag it into your Applications folder in Finder.
  2. Launch it and click "Open System Settings" The first launch asks for Accessibility permission. Click "Open System Settings" and macOS takes you straight to the right page.
  3. Turn on the EnterGuard switch Under Privacy & Security → Accessibility, flip the switch next to EnterGuard. macOS may ask for your password.
    Without this permission the app can't measure how long Enter is held, so it won't work. macOS requires this for any app that handles keyboard input.
  4. Set your hold time from the menu bar Click the menu bar icon to open the panel. The slider sets how long to hold; the switch controls launch at login. Default is 0.4s.

13 languages

The interface follows your Mac's language setting automatically.

English日本語中文한국어Français DeutschItalianoEspañolPortuguês NederlandsSvenskaDanskNorsk

Questions

Is it safe?
EnterGuard is notarized by Apple. Apple has scanned it for malware and attached a ticket to the app, so it opens without any warnings after download.
Does it log my keystrokes?
No. It doesn't record or transmit anything. It only checks whether the key pressed is Enter and how long it was held, then decides between a new line and a send. Everything happens on your Mac.
I want to stop Slack or ChatGPT from sending when I press Enter
That's exactly what this is for. Slack and ChatGPT send on Enter by default, and changing one app's setting doesn't help in the others. EnterGuard works system-wide, so every app gets the same tap-for-newline, hold-to-send behavior.
Can't I just use Shift+Enter for new lines?
If that's already a habit, great. But the moments you're most likely to forget Shift are exactly the ones that hurt most: rushing, or writing a long prompt for an AI. EnterGuard means forgetting isn't an accident anymore.
Will it change Enter in my terminal or code editor?
While enabled it applies to the whole Mac. When you need stock behavior for coding, turn it off from the menu bar.
Does it interfere with IME text input (Japanese, Chinese, Korean)?
No. The short Enter you press to confirm a conversion counts as a tap, so confirming text never sends the message.
Is there a Windows version?
Not yet. macOS only for now.
How was it built?
The story and implementation details are in this DEV Community post (English) and this Zenn article (Japanese).

Make sending a deliberate act.

Free to use. Setup takes about a minute.

Download for Mac Get it on Gumroad