New in Key Quest

Monday April 6th 2026

Version 1.19.0

This update makes automatic updates more reliable and harder to break.

• The automatic updater no longer depends on PowerShell, which was silently blocked on some machines. Updates now use built-in Windows tools that work on every Windows 10 and 11 system.
• If the old version of KeyQuest does not close on its own within 30 seconds during an update, it is now closed automatically so the update can proceed.
• If an update fails for any reason, KeyQuest now restarts itself so you are never left with no app running. Previously a failed update could leave you at a blank screen.
• After an update installs, KeyQuest now checks that the new version is actually running. If the update did not apply, you will hear a spoken message explaining what happened and that KeyQuest will try again.
• Old update files left over from previous updates are now cleaned up automatically on startup.

Version 1.18.0

This update fixes braille output for users with a braille display.

• If you use a braille display with NVDA or JAWS, KeyQuest now sends text to your display as you navigate and play. Previously only speech was being sent and braille displays received nothing.
• No settings change is needed. If your braille display is already set up in your screen reader, it will work automatically after this update.

Sunday April 5th 2026

Version 1.18.0

This update fixes automatic updates so they complete correctly on both installed and portable copies.

• Automatic updates now reliably install and restart KeyQuest after downloading. A silent Windows execution policy issue was preventing the update helper from running after the download finished, leaving KeyQuest closed and the new version uninstalled.
• Temporary files used during an update (the downloaded installer or zip, and the helper scripts) are now cleaned up automatically once the update completes.
• The installed version of KeyQuest now correctly identifies itself as an installed copy, preventing a rare edge case where it could be mistaken for a portable copy and receive the wrong kind of update.
• If you were stuck on an older version because of the previous update bug, you will need to install this release manually one time. After that, later in-app updates should work normally.

This update focuses on making lessons easier to navigate and understand, especially for screen reader users.

• When a lesson starts, you now hear exactly which key to press to begin, including a phonetic hint to help identify it. If you press the wrong key, you immediately hear what key to press instead.
• Lesson prompts for real words and phrases are now spoken naturally rather than being spelled out letter by letter. Random practice sequences are still spelled out.
• The first prompt in every lesson is now short so you are not overwhelmed at the start.
• The opening announcement at the start of a lesson is now shorter and to the point.
• After a lesson ends, you always get three clear choices: start the next lesson, try the same lesson again, or return to the main menu. The lesson no longer ends early or shows confusing mid-session menus.
• Choosing "Try lesson again" from the results menu now correctly restarts the lesson you just finished, not the next one.
• Dialogs for level-up and quest completion now include navigation instructions so you know how to read through them and how to dismiss them.
• "Press Enter to continue" now appears at both the top and bottom of results dialogs so you always know what to do next after reading through.
• Several practice sequences that were not real English words have been removed from lesson word lists so they are no longer announced as if they were words.

Saturday March 28th 2026

Version 1.15.2

This patch fixes a case where KeyQuest could finish downloading an update, close, and then fail to reopen.

• Installed copies now do a better job of waiting for the old KeyQuest window to fully close before the quiet installer starts.
• The restart step after an update is now more reliable, so KeyQuest is less likely to close and stay closed after the update helper takes over.
• The built-in updater test harness was also tightened up so this update path is checked more directly before release.
• If you already have an older copy with the broken updater, you may need to install this release manually one time. After that, later in-app updates should work normally again.

Friday March 27th 2026

Version 1.15.0

This update makes automatic updates more reliable and removes the wait before they start.

• When a KeyQuest update is ready, it now starts as soon as you return to the main menu instead of waiting for a long idle period.
• The update helper was rewritten to use a more reliable PowerShell-based launcher, which reduces the chance of update handoff getting stuck.
• Release and update automation were also tightened up behind the scenes so future KeyQuest updates should be smoother to publish and verify.
• There are no new gameplay controls in this release. The main changes are to update reliability and release stability.

Monday March 23rd 2026

Version 1.7.3

This update improves update reliability and makes release verification clearer.

• If KeyQuest finishes an update but PowerShell cannot relaunch the app, it now falls back to a normal Windows app start so you are less likely to be left without KeyQuest reopening.
• Each GitHub release now publishes SHA-256 verification files for the installer and portable ZIP, and the release page also shows those hashes directly.
• Release automation now checks that the published update files are really attached to the GitHub release, and the release workflow itself now runs a post-release updater smoke test before the ship is treated as complete.
• The user docs now explain that older copies may need one manual install before later updates can work normally, and that current Windows builds may still show SmartScreen warnings because they are not code signed yet.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.12

This patch improves Spanish typing support and clarifies the built-in practice topic names.

• In Sentence Practice, the built-in English topic is now labeled General, and Spanish is now labeled General Spanish.
• Speed Test continues to show the simpler English and Spanish labels.
• In Speed Test and Sentence Practice, you can now type common Spanish characters from an English keyboard without switching layouts:
• Ctrl+' then a/e/i/o/u for á/é/í/ó/ú
• Ctrl+ then n for ñ`
• Ctrl+Shift+' then u for ü
• Ctrl+Shift+1 for ¡
• Ctrl+Shift+/ for ¿

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.11

This patch makes the updater handoff less likely to hang and keeps helper terminals hidden.

• The updater helper now launches with its terminal hidden, so screen readers are less likely to land on a visible command window during update handoff.
• If the old KeyQuest process does not exit on its own during update handoff, the helper now logs that timeout, force-closes the old process after 15 seconds, and continues the update instead of waiting forever.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.10

This patch republishes the first-run progress fix after correcting a release-lint issue.

• KeyQuest no longer writes a false progress-load error on first launch when progress.json does not exist yet.
• This release also fixes the whitespace issue that caused the previous 1.5.9 GitHub release workflow to fail before publishing.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.9

This patch stops first-run startup from creating a false progress-load error.

• If progress.json does not exist yet, KeyQuest now treats that as a normal first launch and starts with defaults without writing an error to keyquest_error.log.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.8

This patch makes updater failures easier to diagnose when an update starts but does not finish.

• The local keyquest_error.log now records update progress milestones such as update check start, update found, deferred update wait, download start, download completion, launcher handoff, installer start, installer exit code, and restart attempt.
• The detached update helper scripts now keep writing those updater milestones even after KeyQuest closes, so stalled installs are easier to trace on the affected computer.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.7

This patch makes the Practice Log clearer when you leave a game early.

• When you leave a game early with Escape, the Practice Log now says that the activity ended early instead of making it look like a full completed run.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.6

This patch improves how game results and game activity are recorded.

• Game results screens now stay open until you press Escape, so they are less likely to be skipped accidentally by fast Space presses during gameplay.
• The Practice Log now records Letter Fall and Hangman sessions even when you leave those games early with Escape.
• Hangman no longer reports a shared accuracy percentage into the Practice Log, so it will not look like a typing-accuracy activity.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.5

This patch makes the built-in practice topics easier to understand.

• In practice topic lists, the built-in English topic is now labeled General, and Spanish is now labeled General Spanish Sentences.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.4

This update improves what happens when KeyQuest cannot load your saved progress, and makes update checks more resilient on some older Windows installs.

• When progress fails to load, the error log is now automatically copied to the clipboard so you can paste it directly into a support message without extra steps.
• The dialog now shows the exact path to the error log file.
• If KeyQuest cannot verify GitHub's certificate through its built-in updater connection, it now tries additional Windows-native fallback methods before giving up, which should help some older installed copies update more reliably.

Sunday March 22nd 2026

Version 1.5.3

This update improves reliability when your saved progress cannot be loaded.

• If KeyQuest cannot read your saved progress at startup, it now shows a clear message explaining what happened and where to find more details, instead of silently starting with default settings.
• Save and load failures are now written to the error log so they can be diagnosed if needed.

Saturday March 21st 2026

Version 1.5.2

This update makes custom sentence files easier to manage.

• Any .txt file placed in the Sentences folder now appears as a practice topic, so users can add their own sentence sets without matching older hard-coded file names.
• When KeyQuest loads a sentence file, it now cleans the file into the same plain style used by the built-in sets.
• Cleanup keeps real language letters such as Spanish accents, while fixing common broken text encoding and removing emoji, duplicate lines, hidden characters, bullets, odd spacing, and similar copy-and-paste noise.
• The user guide now explains more clearly that users can either add new sentence files or edit the existing sentence files in the Sentences folder.

Thursday March 19th 2026

Version 1.5.1

This update makes lesson guidance, game feedback, and large-text layouts easier to follow.

• Home-row lessons and Keyboard Explorer now mention the F and J bumps more directly, including the cue that if your left hand is lined up on F, your pinky should land on A.
• Lesson intros can now be reviewed with Up and Down arrows so screen reader users do not have to hear the whole intro in one long block.
• Free Practice now lets you choose from your unlocked lessons first.
• The About screen and guide now include a direct donation link for KeyQuest.
• The app window can be resized and tries to maximize on startup, which helps larger text stay visible.
• Menus and current game screens now do a better job of using the live window size instead of older fixed-size layout assumptions.
• Unexpected app and startup errors now save the local log, try to copy it to the clipboard automatically, and report the result with accessible dialogs instead of relying on console output.
• The GitHub project page now does a better job of pointing new visitors to downloads, the full guide, recent changes, and contributor notes.
• Release automation now waits for GitHub to finish publishing the release, so a shipped update is less likely to stop at a pushed tag with no visible downloads.
• The guide, repo page, and About screen now say more clearly that official KeyQuest builds come from the GitHub Releases page and that other builds are not official releases.

Letter and word game feedback is clearer.

• Letter Fall now uses one active target at a time, with stronger speech and visual emphasis on the current target.
• Letter Fall now slows itself down automatically when speech is active, uses clearer countdown cues, repeats only the current target on Ctrl+Space, and uses Tab to report the current target plus how many letters are waiting.
• Letter Fall and Word Typing now use the same correct and wrong key tones used elsewhere in lessons.
• Word Typing now starts more directly, and Ctrl+Space repeats only the current word.

Speech for confusing letters is clearer where it helps.

• A small set of letters such as A, C, D, E, K, and P can now use brief hints like A, like alpha in places where hearing the letter name alone can be confusing.
• Greek symbols and unusual old-style letters were removed from gameplay content.

Tuesday March 10th 2026

Version 1.1.3

This patch fixes a pet screen crash and makes update errors stay local.

• The pet screen no longer crashes if older saved state or a partial startup path leaves the pet menu data missing.
• Update failures now write details to keyquest_error.log, try to copy that log to the clipboard automatically, and offer the setup download.
• Unexpected app errors now also stay local and tell you where the error log was saved.
• If KeyQuest has to use the Windows PowerShell fallback during update checks, it now does that without flashing a visible console window.
• When KeyQuest writes an update or app error, it now tries to copy the local error log to the clipboard automatically.

Monday March 9th 2026

Version 1.1.2

This update makes the Practice Log easier to understand and keeps the app on one Python version more consistently.

• The Practice Log now says what activity was done in the day summary instead of only saying how many activities there were.
• Wording in the Practice Log is now clearer about the current item, such as whether today was faster or slower than the previous recorded day, or whether this activity did better or worse than the last similar activity.
• Internal release, Pages, and linting tools are now aligned to Python 3.9, which matches the app launcher and helps avoid version-related startup problems.

Version 1.1.1

This update smooths out several rough edges in daily use.

• Menus, setup screens, shop screens, pet screens, and confirmation dialogs were tightened so they behave more consistently.
• The Pet Shop now opens as a true pet-only shop instead of showing the full store.
• Word Typing now accepts Space to submit a word, and several leftover separator messages were removed from visible screens.
• Hangman results no longer keep repeating "round complete" while you move through the post-round menu.
• Hangman sentence practice now uses shorter prompts instead of repeating "type it exactly as shown" before every sentence.
• The Practice Log now uses friendlier dates and times, more natural duration wording, clearer activity names and results, simple day-to-day comparison notes, and a copy-to-clipboard option.
• Update failures now create a local error log and offer the setup download.
• General unexpected app errors now write to the same local error log.

Saturday March 7th 2026

Version 1.1.1

This patch republishes the lesson and speech improvements below after fixing release validation checks.

This release makes lesson navigation and spoken guidance clearer.

• Lessons and Free Practice now end with clearer choice menus that use Up and Down arrows.
• The title now comes first, followed right away by the navigation instructions, so new screen reader users hear how to move through the choices sooner.
• The post-session wording now uses simpler continue and back wording.
• Home and End jump to the first and last items in menus, lesson lists, options, and results menus.
• Startup speech and menu speech are more reliable again on Windows.

Typing lesson speech is clearer.

• If you make a mistake in a lesson, KeyQuest now repeats only what is left to type instead of starting the whole prompt over.
• Control+Space in lessons now repeats only the remaining part of the target.
• Repeated-letter drills are spoken more clearly, so patterns like aass and asas are read as letter sequences instead of sounding like made-up words.
• Early lessons now introduce a new key with simpler repeated drills first before mixing it into longer patterns.

Friday March 6th 2026

Version 1.0.4

This release fixes the Windows release build.

• The release build now uses a cytolk version that matches what KeyQuest already uses locally, so GitHub can publish the installer and portable downloads again.

Release pipeline fix

This release fixes the update pipeline itself.

• GitHub release publishing was repaired so shipped updates can build and publish the installer and portable downloads correctly again.
• The release process now has a clearer split between a plain GitHub push and a full shipped update.

Keyboard command practice is clearer.

• Windows, NVDA, and JAWS command topics were cleaned up so the wording feels more practical and less technical.
• Several command lines now read more naturally while still teaching the same shortcuts.

Guide and download wording improved.

• Download links now use cleaner names like Installer.exe and Portable.zip.
• The public guide, changelog, and blog wording were smoothed out to be clearer for new users, AT instructors, and educators.

Screen and menu layout improved.

The screen is easier to follow while you type and move through menus.

• Long sentences no longer try to stay on one line. They break across lines so they are easier to read.
• Your typed text can also continue onto the next line instead of getting cramped.
• Long menus are easier to follow because the current item stays in view more clearly.
• More screens now show when there are more items above or below the part you are looking at, including menus, options, shop lists, pet lists, and sound lists.
• There is now a Focus Assist option that adds stronger panels and emphasis around the part of the screen you should pay attention to.
• Several typing, setup, and results screens use stronger spacing and grouping so the active area is easier to find.
• Font Size now also includes larger 175% and 200% options for people who need bigger text.
• The guide and What's New page are being kept more current so it is easier to see what changed.

Typing reminders are clearer.

• Speed Test and Sentence Practice now remind you to use capital letters and punctuation before you begin.
• If you make a sentence mistake, KeyQuest gives a simpler spoken hint about what to type next.
• Quit now stays at the very end of the Main Menu.

Help and updates are easier to access.

• There is now a Main Menu item for the online guide.
• There is now a Main Menu item for this What's New page.
• You can now check for updates from inside KeyQuest, whether you installed it or are using the portable version.
• When KeyQuest updates, your progress stays with you.
• If you added your own sentence files, KeyQuest keeps them during updates and also brings in new built-in sentences.

Wednesday February 25th 2026

Visual and reading options expanded.

• Text can now be made larger with the Font Size option.
• Key presses can show a brief visual flash as well as playing sounds.
• If your computer is already using Windows High Contrast, KeyQuest follows that automatically when the theme is set to Auto.
• A small on-screen Escape counter appears while you are exiting active modes.

Thursday February 19th 2026

Version 1.0

KeyQuest 1.0 was released.

• The About screen was added to the Main Menu.
• The first Windows installer was added.
• The guide was expanded and made easier to read in a web browser.