How do I PERMANENTLY change key binds?

Question

Ok, hear me out. I know already how to change key binds by going into options. But every time I play, I might switch from 1.16 to 1.12 to play with my friend on an outdated server. Every single time I switch, I have to redo all my key binds and it gets tedious to change each one. I play on Java, and have some mods in 1.12 and no mods in 1.16. Is there a way to Permanently change my keybindings, so I don't have to keep readjusting the binds?

Answer 1

Keep backups of your settings, and paste them back in to the .minecraft directory when you do a version change.

To my knowledge, the file that stores 1.16 keybinds is not compatible with 1.12, and vice versa, so your file will be overwritten automatically when you switch between the versions. Just keep backups of your settings and swap them back in when it's time to use a certain version.

The developers haven't set up a better way of managing this problem.