How to Create a Custom Writing Mode in QKeyboard

QKeyboard ships with built-in writing modes like Custom for one-off instructions, but if you find yourself typing the same kind of rewrite instruction over and over, a custom writing mode saves that instruction so you can reuse it with one tap instead of retyping it every time.

What a custom writing mode is

A custom writing mode is a saved, reusable rewrite instruction. Rather than describing what you want each time — “make this sound like a weekly client update” — you write the instruction once, save it as a named mode, and apply it to any text going forward. It behaves like the built-in modes (Direct, Friendly, Concise, and so on), except you define exactly what it does.

Example use cases

• Client update format. A mode that rewrites notes into a consistent status-update structure you send to clients every week — for example, leading with progress, then blockers, then next steps.
• Support reply template. A mode tuned for customer support responses, keeping a consistent, calm, solution-first tone regardless of how the original draft was written.
• A personal tone you use often. If you have a specific voice you use for texting close friends versus one for professional messages, a custom mode can encode that voice so you do not have to think about tone every time you send a rewrite.

How to create a custom writing mode

1. Open QKeyboard's settings from the app or the keyboard menu.
2. Go to the Writing Modes section.
3. Choose to create a new custom mode.
4. Give it a name that describes what it does, such as “Client Update” or “Support Reply.”
5. Write the instruction describing how text should be rewritten when this mode is applied — be as specific as you would be explaining it to a colleague.
6. Save the mode.

Once saved, the mode appears alongside QKeyboard's built-in modes and can be applied to any selected text the same way.

Tips for writing a good instruction

• Be specific about structure, not just tone — mention ordering, length, or formatting if it matters for that use case.
• Include an example phrase or two if the mode covers a format you use often, such as a greeting or sign-off you always want kept.
• Keep one mode focused on one purpose. It is easier to maintain several narrow modes than one mode trying to cover unrelated situations.

Free plan and Pro limits

On the Free plan, you can keep up to 5 active custom writing modes at once. If you need more than that — for example, separate modes for several clients or projects — QKeyboard Pro unlocks unlimited custom writing modes, so you can build out as many as your workflow needs without deleting old ones to make room for new ones.

Updating or removing a mode

You can edit a custom mode's instruction at any time from the same Writing Modes settings screen if the way you write for a situation changes. Removing a mode you no longer use frees up a slot on the Free plan for a new one.