How can I track simple user interactions like key presses?

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Hi everyone, I’m experimenting with lightweight browser-based games to better understand user interaction patterns. For example, I built a small test where users can measure how fast they press the spacebar at space-bar-clicker.github.io . I’m curious, what’s the best way to track basic events like keystrokes or button clicks in real time using Tawk.to? Is there a recommended method to capture these interactions without overcomplicating the setup?

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Hi @Wilson65 ,

Thanks for sharing your project — it sounds really interesting! I’m sorry, but tawk.to doesn’t currently support tracking events like keystrokes or button clicks in real time. The widget is primarily designed for chat, ticketing, and lead capture rather than detailed event tracking.

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Hi! This sounds like a fun experiment

For something like basic keystrokes or button clicks, Tawk.to doesn’t directly track custom user events in real time the way analytics tools do. It’s mainly focused on chat interactions rather than behavioral tracking.

That said, the usual approach is to handle the event tracking on your site with JavaScript (for example using custom event listeners for key presses or clicks), and then optionally pass high-level signals to Tawk.to. You can do this by:

  • Using the Tawk.to JavaScript API to set custom attributes or tags on the visitor
  • Triggering events like Tawk_API.setAttributes() or Tawk_API.addTags() when certain actions happen (e.g., “spacebar-test-started”, “high-click-rate”)

This keeps the setup lightweight and avoids sending raw keystroke data, which is generally not recommended for privacy reasons.

If you need true real-time interaction analytics, pairing Tawk.to with a dedicated analytics tool (like GA, PostHog, or similar) is usually the cleanest solution, while Tawk.to remains focused on support and engagement.

Hope that helps, and good luck with the experiment!

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Tawk dot to can’t track raw keystrokes or clicks directly. It’s built for chat, not behavior analytics.

The practical approach is to capture key presses or clicks on your site with JavaScript, then send only high level signals to Tawk.to using its JS API if needed. For real time interaction data, use a dedicated analytics tool and keep Tawk.to for support context.