Only a handful of actions can be bound
Hotkeys live under Settings then Verge Settings, and the list of bindable actions is short by design. You get rule mode, global mode and direct mode, the system proxy toggle, the TUN toggle, and show or hide the main window.
Be clear about one thing before you start: these keys flip a state, they do not apply something temporarily. Press the TUN hotkey and TUN stays on, with the switch in the interface moving to match. Press it again to turn it back off.
Global means first to register wins
If another program registered the combination first, your binding here simply will not fire, usually with no error message at all.
Picking a combination nothing else owns
- 1
Use at least three keys
Include a modifier you rarely press, such as Ctrl plus Alt plus Shift with a letter or a function key. Single keys and two-key combinations collide constantly with input method switching, screenshot tools and screen recorders.
- 2
Test the combination before binding it
Press it in a browser or a text editor and see whether something else pops up. If anything responds, the combination is taken. Pick a different one rather than hoping Clash Verge can override the owner.
- 3
Test again from another window
After saving, do not press the key on the settings page. Focus is still on the app there, so you learn nothing about whether the global registration succeeded. Switch to a browser or a file manager and press it there.
When nothing happens, in order
If a hotkey does nothing at all, work down this list. Confirm focus is not on a Clash Verge window. Try a deliberately obscure combination: if that one fires, the original was claimed by something else. If neither fires, check whether the app is only a tray icon while the main process has actually exited.
Platform behavior belongs at this step too. On macOS some combinations are held by system shortcuts, and you have to release them in the keyboard section of System Settings first. Wayland sessions on Linux restrict global hotkeys heavily, and under some desktops the app cannot register them at all. There you fall back to the desktop environment shortcut settings to invoke the action.
- At least three keys, including one modifier you rarely use
- Verified from a window outside Clash Verge, where it actually fires
- No overlap with input method, screenshot or recording shortcuts
Common questions
The hotkey does absolutely nothing. Where do I start?
Try an obscure combination first. If that one works, something else claimed the original. On Windows the usual culprits are screenshot utilities, screen recorders and graphics driver control panels. If the obscure one fails too, open Task Manager and confirm the main process is alive, because a tray icon does not prove the process is healthy.
I keep triggering hotkeys by accident while gaming. What can I do?
Stay away from combinations built on common letters, since games already lean on Ctrl and Shift and your fingers land there. Three modifiers plus a function key cuts accidental triggers sharply. If you still cannot avoid it, clear those hotkey fields before you play and fill them back in afterwards.