Keychron K6 Setup Guide for Mac with Karabiner

I recently switched from an 80-key Mac keyboard to the Keychron K6 65% (68 keys) mechanical keyboard. The compact form factor is great for desk space, but there's a learning curve—especially for programmers who use backtick and tilde frequently. This guide documents my setup and the solutions I found.

The Problem 🤔

On the K6, there's no dedicated backtick/tilde key. Instead, you need to press:

fn1 + ESC for backtick (`)
fn2 + ESC for tilde (~)

This is handled at the keyboard firmware level, meaning Karabiner-Elements cannot intercept these combinations. The keyboard sends the character directly to macOS before any software can remap it.

For developers who write markdown, use terminal paths (~/Documents), or switch windows (Cmd + ~), this is painful.

The Solution 💡

The workaround is to:

Remap the physical ESC key to make ESC work as is without any extra click
Shift ESC is mapped to ~
Option ESC is mapped to `

This way you get single-key access to ESC, backtick and tilde.

Karabiner-Elements Setup ⚙️

Karabiner-Elements is an open-source keyboard customizer for macOS. Install it via brew:

brew install --cask karabiner-elements

Device Identification

Your K6 may appear as different devices depending on connection mode (Bluetooth vs Wired). My configuration uses:

Device	Vendor ID	Product ID
K6 (Complex Mods)	1452	591
K6 (Simple Mods)	13364	4451

You can find your device IDs in Karabiner-Elements → Devices tab.

Simple Modifications

These are applied only to the K6, not to MacBook's internal keyboard. Open Karabiner-Elements → Simple Modifications → Select your K6 device.

From Key	To Key	Purpose
`home`	`delete_forward`	Home key acts as Forward Delete
`page_up`	`home`	Page Up becomes Home
`page_down`	`end`	Page Down becomes End

Complex Modifications

These give you quick access to backtick, tilde, and window switching using modifier + ESC combinations:

Shortcut	Output	Use Case
`Option + ESC`	` (backtick)	Markdown code blocks, terminal
`Shift + ESC`	`~` (tilde)	Home directory paths
`Cmd + ESC`	`Cmd + ~`	Switch windows within same app

Final Key Behavior

After applying the configuration:

Physical Key	Tap	With Option	With Shift
ESC	`ESC`	`	`~`
Home	Forward Delete	—	—
Page Up	Home	—	—
Page Down	End	—	—

Complete Karabiner Configuration 📋

Save this as ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json:

{
    "global": { "show_in_menu_bar": false },
    "profiles": [
        {
            "complex_modifications": {
                "rules": [
                    {
                        "description": "Shift + Esc to Tilde (~)",
                        "manipulators": [
                            {
                                "type": "basic",
                                "from": {
                                    "key_code": "escape",
                                    "modifiers": { "mandatory": ["shift"] }
                                },
                                "to": [
                                    {
                                        "key_code": "grave_accent_and_tilde",
                                        "modifiers": ["shift"]
                                    }
                                ]
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "description": "Option + Esc to Backtick (`)",
                        "manipulators": [
                            {
                                "type": "basic",
                                "from": {
                                    "key_code": "escape",
                                    "modifiers": { "mandatory": ["option"] }
                                },
                                "to": [
                                    { "key_code": "grave_accent_and_tilde" }
                                ]
                            }
                        ]
                    },
                    {
                        "description": "Command + Esc to Command + Tilde (Window Switcher)",
                        "manipulators": [
                            {
                                "type": "basic",
                                "from": {
                                    "key_code": "escape",
                                    "modifiers": { "mandatory": ["command"] }
                                },
                                "to": [
                                    {
                                        "key_code": "grave_accent_and_tilde",
                                        "modifiers": ["command"]
                                    }
                                ]
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                ]
            },
            "devices": [
                {
                    "identifiers": {
                        "is_keyboard": true,
                        "is_pointing_device": true,
                        "product_id": 4451,
                        "vendor_id": 13364
                    },
                    "ignore": false,
                    "simple_modifications": [
                        {
                            "from": { "key_code": "home" },
                            "to": [{ "key_code": "delete_forward" }]
                        },
                        {
                            "from": { "key_code": "page_up" },
                            "to": [{ "key_code": "home" }]
                        },
                        {
                            "from": { "key_code": "page_down" },
                            "to": [{ "key_code": "end" }]
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "name": "Default",
            "selected": true,
            "virtual_hid_keyboard": {
                "country_code": 0,
                "keyboard_type_v2": "ansi"
            }
        }
    ]
}

K6 Hardware Shortcuts 🎹

These are built into the keyboard firmware and work regardless of Karabiner configuration.

Bluetooth

The K6 supports up to 3 Bluetooth devices. Make sure the side toggle is set to Bluetooth (not Cable).

Combo	Function
`fn1 + Q`	Switch to Bluetooth device 1
`fn1 + W`	Switch to Bluetooth device 2
`fn1 + E`	Switch to Bluetooth device 3
`fn1 + Q/W/E` (hold 4s)	Pair new device to slot 1/2/3

Pairing a New Device

Select an empty slot — short press fn1 + Q/W/E to check (LED blinks slowly = empty/disconnected)
Enter pairing mode — hold fn1 + Q/W/E for 4 seconds (LED blinks rapidly)
Pair from your device — look for "Keychron K6" in Bluetooth settings

The LED will blink rapidly for ~3 minutes while discoverable. If pairing fails, forget the device from your computer's Bluetooth settings and try again.

Media & Volume

Combo	Function
`fn1 + -`	Volume down
`fn1 + =`	Volume up
`fn1 + [`	Previous track
`fn1 + ]`	Next track
`fn1 + \`	Play/Pause

Function Keys

Combo	Function
`fn1 + 1` through `0`	F1 – F10
`fn1 + -`	F11
`fn1 + =`	F12

Backlight

Combo	Function
Light key	Cycle RGB effects
`fn1 + Light key`	Toggle backlight on/off
`fn1 + ←`	Decrease brightness
`fn1 + →`	Increase brightness
`fn1 + L + Light key` (4s)	Lock/unlock light effect

System

Combo	Function
`fn1 + S + O` (4s)	Disable auto-sleep mode
`fn1 + J + Z` (4s)	Factory reset (clears all Bluetooth pairings)
`fn1 + K + R` (4s)	Switch function key layout

Backup & Restore 💾

Backup Command

cp ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json ~/Desktop/karabiner-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

Restore Command

cp ~/Desktop/karabiner-backup-YYYYMMDD.json ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json

Karabiner automatically detects changes and reloads the configuration.

Sync Across Machines

Store karabiner.json in a synced folder and symlink it:

# Move to iCloud
mv ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/karabiner.json

# Create symlink
ln -s ~/Library/Mobile\ Documents/com~apple~CloudDocs/karabiner.json ~/.config/karabiner/karabiner.json

Things to Remember 📝

Physical ESC works as it is — no need anything else
Shift + ESC for tilde — quick access to ~ for terminal paths
Option + ESC for backtick — quick access to ` for markdown code block
Cmd + ESC for window switching — replaces the standard Cmd + ~
Page Up/Down remapped — now act as Home/End for line navigation
Home is Forward Delete — useful for deleting text ahead of cursor
Config is device-specific — MacBook keyboard is unaffected
fn1 and fn2 cannot be remapped — they're hardware-level keys
Bluetooth vs Wired — may appear as different devices in Karabiner; configure both if needed
Menu bar icon hidden — access Karabiner via Spotlight (Cmd + Space → "Karabiner")

Troubleshooting 🔧

Keyboard not appearing in Bluetooth

Ensure side toggle is on Bluetooth, not Cable
Press any key to wake the keyboard
Hold fn1 + Q/W/E for 4 seconds to enter pairing mode (LED blinks rapidly)
If still not working, factory reset with fn1 + J + Z (hold 4s)

Karabiner remaps not working

Check that the correct device is selected in Simple Modifications
Verify device IDs match your keyboard (Devices tab)
Try disconnecting and reconnecting the keyboard

ESC key remaps not applying

The fn1 + ESC and fn2 + ESC combinations are processed by the keyboard firmware before reaching macOS. Karabiner cannot intercept them. Use the workarounds described above.