Watch any fighting-game, rhythm-game or speedrunning stream and you will probably see a small keyboard graphic in a corner of the screen, lighting up with every key the player presses. Viewers love it because it makes fast play readable; creators love it because it answers 'how did you do that?' without a word. NohBoard is the free, open-source tool behind most of those overlays: it displays your keyboard and mouse inputs on screen in real time, ready to be captured by OBS or any streaming software. This guide covers what it does, how to set it up, and how to customise it.
What Is NohBoard?
NohBoard is a Windows application that draws a virtual keyboard (and optionally a mouse) on your screen and highlights each key as you press it. It was originally built for the osu! rhythm-game community — the name comes from its creator, ThoNohT — and spread from there to streamers and video makers in every genre where inputs matter: fighting games, platformers, RTS, typing and programming videos, and software tutorials.
The program is lightweight and sits quietly over your desktop or is captured as its own source in your streaming layout. Because it only displays inputs and never sends them, it works with any game or application, including ones where overlays are usually blocked.
Key Features
The display is fully customisable. NohBoard ships with several keyboard layouts — full keyboards, compact gaming clusters, and mouse-only views — and every element can be moved, resized, recoloured and restyled through its editor. Keys can show custom labels and images, pressed keys can hold their highlight for a set time, and a keypress counter and keys-per-second meter can be shown for rhythm and speedrun content.
Styles are saved as files and shared widely in the community, so most users start from a downloaded theme that matches their stream design and tweak it. The program also supports multiple layers and categories, letting a single setup contain a gaming layout, a full keyboard for tutorials, and a mouse display, switched in seconds between scenes.
Setting It Up With OBS
The standard setup takes a few minutes. Start NohBoard, choose or build your layout, and position the window where you want it. In OBS, add a Window Capture source for NohBoard, crop it to the keyboard, and place it in your scene; or use a game-capture-friendly chroma background and key it out for a floating look. Because NohBoard renders pressed keys with clear contrast, it stays readable even when scaled down in a corner of a 1080p stream.
One practical tip: run NohBoard before starting the game, and check the overlay in your recording software with a few test presses. Input display only helps if viewers can see it, and a thirty-second check avoids discovering a hidden window after a long session.
Who Uses It?
Rhythm-game players use it to show the rapid key patterns their gameplay demands. Fighting-game and platformer creators use it to teach combos and movement techniques, because viewers can copy inputs they can see. Speedrunners display it as proof of clean execution and as a teaching aid. Outside gaming, teachers and tutorial makers use it so students can follow shortcuts exactly — a quiet but growing use that shows how general the tool is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NohBoard free? Yes. It is free and open source, and the community shares layouts and styles at no cost.
Does it work with controllers? NohBoard focuses on keyboard and mouse. Some community styles imitate controller layouts, but genuine gamepad input display is usually done with other tools.
Does it affect game performance? Its footprint is tiny — it draws a simple 2D window and listens for input events — so on any modern PC the impact is negligible, even while recording.
Conclusion
Showing your inputs turns confusing gameplay into something viewers can learn from, and it costs almost nothing to add. NohBoard's mix of a clean display, deep customisation and zero price has made it the default choice for streamers and teachers alike. Download it from nohboard.com, pick a style that matches your layout, and your next stream or tutorial will explain itself.
