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Download ByteKeys for Linux

Free and open source. Pick the package for your distribution, or build it from source.

Version 1.1.0 · released October 17, 2026 · release on GitHub

.deb package

Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, Zorin

Includes the background service, which apt enables and starts for you. Open ByteKeys from your applications menu afterwards.

Download .deb· 309 KB

Install

$ cd ~/Downloads$ sudo apt install ./bytekeys_1.1.0_all.deb

AppImage

Any distribution, x86_64

Starts in portable mode. Click Install service on the Settings page or the banner to unlock colors, fan control and background automations: it asks for your password once and installs the service to /opt/bytekeys.

Download AppImage· 82.1 MB

Run

$ cd ~/Downloads$ chmod +x ByteKeys-1.1.0-x86_64.AppImage$ ./ByteKeys-1.1.0-x86_64.AppImage

The same file runs the command line tool: ./ByteKeys-1.1.0-x86_64.AppImage cli status

From source

Python 3.10 or later, with PyQt6 or PySide6

$ git clone https://github.com/isthatdhruv/ByteKeys.git && cd ByteKeys$ make run            # control center from the source tree$ sudo make install   # install to /usr/local and start the service

The service and the command line tool use only the Python standard library; the control center adds Qt 6. make demo opens the control center with simulated keyboards and fans, and sudo make uninstall removes a make install.

Verify the download

Every release is built by GitHub Actions from a tagged commit and publishes SHA-256 checksums. Download SHA256SUMS next to the package, then:

$ sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing

bytekeys_1.1.0_all.deb: f99e95f61f6909006a8dc95b8e4fe72e42b8b2db52b969ebc0721ff7f7e15ba6
ByteKeys-1.1.0-x86_64.AppImage: e6d46aa6f58f134fd43478e89da869544b1eb94b1e11a99d125c3dc0e6432030

What's in 1.1.0

**Redesigned control center** in a graphite and warm-light look that follows the new logo, with a sidebar for Home, Lighting, Performance, Automation, Profiles and Settings (Effects moved into Lighting, Rules became Automation, System became Settings). Dark and light themes.
**New logo**, app icon, favicon and banners (frosted glass keycaps with a warm light).
**Home dashboard**: live CPU/GPU temperatures, fan speeds and CPU load, performance modes, quick keyboard controls (power, brightness, modes, colors) and the battery with its charge limit.
**Performance and fans**: firmware performance modes (platform profile, synced with power-profiles-daemon); custom fan curves that the laptop's firmware runs (ASUS), with presets, safety limits and one curve per mode, kept active whenever the kernel drops them (mode changes, boot, resume); full fan speed; battery charge limit (charge thresholds, Dell custom mode, IdeaPad and "Long Life" conservation modes).
**Launch key**: the vendor app key (Armoury Crate, NitroSense/PredatorSense, OMEN, MSI Center, MyASUS...) opens ByteKeys. The service watches only that key; a GNOME or KDE shortcut also starts ByteKeys when it is closed. Keys can be detected with or without the service.
Lighting page with animated effect previews, a color wheel, effect settings and device options in one view.
New bytekeys perf, bytekeys fans and bytekeys charge-limit commands.
The control center notices an outdated service and offers to update it; installing the service from the AppImage now also restarts an older running version.
--demo also simulates fans and performance modes.

Full changelog · All releases

Requirements

.deb: python3 3.10 or later and python3-pyqt6 or python3-pyside6.qtwidgets, which apt installs. It recommends pkexec and qt6-wayland and suggests openrgb.
AppImage: brings its own Python and PySide6.
Performance modes: switched through power-profiles-daemon when it runs, so the desktop's power menu stays in sync; otherwise ByteKeys writes the platform profile directly.
OpenRGB keyboards: run OpenRGB with its SDK server enabled, openrgb --server. ByteKeys connects to it on 127.0.0.1:6742.

Uninstall

.deb

$ sudo apt remove bytekeys   # keeps your settings$ sudo apt purge bytekeys    # also removes /var/lib/bytekeys

AppImage service

$ ./ByteKeys-1.1.0-x86_64.AppImage service uninstall

Download questions

Which file do I need?

On Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS or Zorin, take the .deb: it includes the background service and starts it for you. On any other x86_64 distribution, take the AppImage and click Install service once it is running.

What does the AppImage's Install service button do?

It asks for your password once and installs the ByteKeys service to /opt/bytekeys with a systemd unit, which unlocks colors, fan control and background automations. Remove it again with the AppImage's service uninstall command.

How do I check the download?

Every release publishes a SHA256SUMS file. Download it next to the package and run sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS --ignore-missing; each file you downloaded should report OK.

First steps in the guide Source on GitHub