Keyboard or mouse do not work in a hosted virtual machine
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Keyboard or mouse do not work in a hosted virtual machine

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Article ID: 302628

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Updated On:

Products

VMware VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

This article details the general steps to follow to troubleshoot a malfunctioning mouse and/or keyboard in a hosted (VMware Workstation, ACE, Player, or Server) virtual machine. The listed steps are appropriate for all cases, and the articles in the Additional Information section provide resolutions for specific cases.

Symptoms:

  • The keyboard or mouse does not function within a virtual machine
  • The keyboard or mouse only works inside a virtual machine and not the host at the same time
  • The keyboard or mouse appears as a USB device within the guest operating system
  • Either the mouse or keyboard does not appear in the Device Manager in Windows
  • Mouse movements are slow, or mouse-clicks take a long time to be reflected in the virtual machine.



Environment

VMware ACE 2.0.x VMware Player Pro 7.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware ACE 2.5.x VMware Player Pro 7.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Player 12.x (Linux)
VMware ACE 2.6.x VMware Server 2.0.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Player 12.x (Windows)
VMware Player 2.x (Linux) VMware Server 2.0.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Player 14.x (Linux)
VMware Player 2.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 10.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Player 14.x (Windows)
VMware Player 3.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Player 15.x (Linux)
VMware Player 3.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 11.x (for Linux) VMware Workstation Player 15.x (Windows)
VMware Player 4.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 11.x (for Windows) VMware Workstation Player 16.x (Linux)
VMware Player 4.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 6.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Player 16.x (Windows)
VMware Player 5.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 6.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Linux)
VMware Player 5.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 7.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Windows)
VMware Player 6.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 7.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Linux)
VMware Player 6.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 8.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Windows)
VMware Player 7.x (Linux) VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows) VMware Workstation Pro 16.x (Linux)
VMware Player 7.x (Windows) VMware Workstation 9.x (Linux) VMware Workstation Pro 16.x (Windows)

Resolution

Each step below provides instructions and a link to a document, for performing the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and to identify the proper resolution. They are also ordered in the most appropriate sequence to minimize data loss. After completing each step, try using your mouse or keyboard again. Work through each troubleshooting step in order, and do not skip a step.

To troubleshoot a misbehaving mouse or keyboard:
  1. Confirm that the virtual machine guest window currently has focus by clicking into the virtual machine's console window. Keyboard or mouse input is only directed to the virtual machine when it has focus or is in full-screen mode.
     
  2. If your mouse is slow to respond or if it is working erratically, change the optimization settings. For more information, see Mouse movement is not smooth in a hosted virtual machine (1033416).
     
  3. If you are using a wireless mouse or keyboard, ensure that you have not connected it to the virtual machine by removing and re-adding the USB Controller from the virtual machine. For more information, see Add a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine (vmware.com).
     
  4. Restart your host computer.
     
  5. For Windows hosts, use the Windows System Configuration (msconfig) utility to eliminate software and processes as possible causes. For more information, see Using the Windows System Configuration utility (1004010).
     
  6. For Linux hosts, start Linux in a mode that disables start daemons (typically run level 2; if your host lacks this, you may need to start in single-user mode). For more information, see Changing Linux run levels (1004015) or your operating system documentation.
     
    Note: These next steps require a second mouse/keyboard. For more information, see Connecting a second mouse or keyboard directly to a hosted virtual machine (1033435).
     
  7. Look for non-Microsoft, non-VMware mouse/keyboard drivers or software installed in the virtual machine and remove them.
     
  8. Re-install VMware Tools. For details, see Overview of VMware Tools (340).
If the issue persists after trying the steps in this article:

Additional Information

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