How to create macros on your corsair keyboard

The utility of creating macros

Things are like this: Generally we all had that perception that macros only served to add key combinations to activate during our games to speed things up. We really wouldn't be so wrong, but just as times have changed hardware and especially software have changed too. While at first we were limited to creating macros by selecting keyboard buttons and assigning the set to a single key, now things go further.

For a few years now you can run a program, play a music list, open the browser in your favorite tab or even write a paragraph of text with just one click. This is possible thanks to the progressive depth that peripheral software has acquired over time. We understand that some of you have the feeling that it sounds like a complicated process to carry out, but today we are here to demonstrate that this is not the case.

Programs to create macros

The first thing before starting is to make sure that your keyboard, in this case Corsair, has the necessary options. You should look:

Model of your keyboard See if it has software Check if it allows recording macros

It is also possible, although less common, that it does not have software but is capable of recording macros on the fly. If this is your case, we address this point in the section Create macros On the Fly.

Corsair softwares

In the case of Corsair things are like this: currently and depending on your keyboard model you can have two brand softwares with which to record your macros:

CUE (Corsair Utility Engine)

A veteran where there are. This is Corsair's original software and it received a revision when it became CUE2 in 2016 before later being replaced by the current interface: iCUE. This of course does not mean that this software is no longer available, but it is true that its successor has backward compatibility options for peripherals prior to launch.

The interface of CUE2 already had a really similar aspect to that of iCUE, software that we have used to carry out this tutorial.

iCUE (Integrated Corsair Utility Engine)

iCUE is the advanced version of the previous program. You will not find really substantial differences between the two apart from an aesthetic step and the addition of panels. The iCUE interface has a more up-to-date look than its predecessor and also gains in cleanliness and simplicity. This is necessary and appreciated when the number of configurable options increases. Lighting, macros, performance, profile editing or fan control are some of the strengths that we can highlight the most.

How to create macros

We finally made it to the main course after the introductory software class. Depending on the keyboard you have, you can do two things:

Create macros with the software. Record macros On the Fly .

Create macros using software

We start with this alternative not only because it is the most friendly for those less familiar with configurable aspects, but also because this is where we can find extra configuration options that would not be available if we make macros on the fly.

When we access iCUE for the first time and select our keyboard, it is presented to us dynamically within its own configurable section. The edit panel consists of four sections:

Profiles: to import, export, edit, create or delete profiles for both games and work environments. Actions: here we establish commands associated with the pressing of certain keys. It is where we find the Macros option. Lighting effects: we control speed, direction and RGB pattern. Performance: set or disable keys as in Game Mode.

From all of them we select Actions. When you click on the first panel that is shown by default is Macros. Here we must click on the More (+) button and add a new macro giving it a name.

In order to record these actions we go to the Recording Configuration tab. Here we must press Start recording and press the corresponding button cadence before Stop recording. In our case we are going to create two:

Copy: Ctrl + C Paste: Ctrl + V

With this we would have created the macros in a basic way, although we also have the Advanced Configuration and Startup Configuration panel. Here we can delve into the way we want our macros to work, such as:

Triggering factor of the action: when you press the key, release it, while it is pressed or toggle. Repeat action: enable or disable. Second action: link the first one in a chain with other programmed actions. Add a sound effect at startup.

Create macros On the Fly

This option is very common in keyboards that do not have software or are mid-range and are designed to be calibrated without the need to install programs. The usual steps consist of:

Normally we are told that we must press a specific key combination to start, such as Fn + Alt GR. Having done this, we can perform the recording. We introduce the command to stop the process, either Fn + F9 or similar. Press the key where we want save the macro.

Save created macros

The last steps we have left are: assign the macros we have created to the desired keys and the management of saving profiles.

To assign macros all we have to do is return to the main menu of our keyboard and select the key to which we want to incorporate a macro. This will give way to a panel where we can go to Actions <Macros and click on it.

There are many keyboards that have dedicated macro buttons or only allow recording them on certain keys, such as F1, F2… The number of macros may also vary depending on the model.

Now, we can save all our macros only in our usual profile or we can configure several profiles in which each one has a specific configuration. These profiles can be found in two modalities:

Local memory on PC: the most common for mid-range.

Integrated memory in keyboard: the information is stored in the peripheral itself.

In general, it is always preferable that our profiles are integrated into our keyboard for a simple reason: wherever we go, they will come with us. That they are saved in the software or in a local folder on the PC implies that we must always install the program or import the configuration. Currently there are many devices with built-in memory and they also have several slots of them, so a variety of different configurations can be stored.

The editing and saving of profiles is found in the iCUE main menu once we access the software. Custom profiles can be found to combine all the available peripherals or others specific to the mouse or keyboard, among others.

Final words on creating macros

Creating macros is a process that done once or twice becomes very easy and intuitive to perform. Their objective is to make things easy for us and Corsair tries to contribute its own grain of sand with simple, intuitive and effective software.

You can see a complete guide here: How to get the most out of your Corsair keyboard and mouse.

Local memory on keyboard will always be your best option, but it also depends on the model you are using since it is not common in the lower-middle range. From profiles with specific macros for games, content editing or program actions, the limit is in the number of them we can accumulate and the needs we have.

We hope this tutorial has been helpful to you. We have tried to make it as complete as possible, but in case of any inconvenience or doubt you can always leave it to us in comments.