Fixing a mouse or keyboard that is not working or is slow to respond in a Fusion virtual machine

Products

VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

This article details the general steps to follow to troubleshoot a malfunctioning mouse and/or keyboard in a Fusion virtual machine. The listed steps are appropriate for all cases, and the articles in the Additional Information section provide resolutions for specific cases.

Symptoms:

Your mouse is not working.
Your keyboard is not working.
You type but nothing happens.
There is a several-second delay after you type, before letters show up.
Your mouse moves very slowly.
Your mouse moves but does not click. .

Environment

VMware Fusion Pro 10.x
VMware Fusion 4.x
VMware Fusion 7.x
VMware Fusion Pro 11.x
VMware Fusion 2.x
VMware Fusion 3.x
VMware Fusion 8.x
VMware Fusion Pro 8.x
VMware Fusion 10.x
VMware Fusion 11.x
VMware Fusion 5.x
VMware Fusion 6.x

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:

If your mouse is slow to respond, or working erratically, change the optimization settings. For more information, see Mouse movement is not smooth in a Fusion virtual machine (1007285).
If your mouse moves in the virtual machine but the mouse clicks are not being recognized, see Mouse clicks are not recognized in a VMware Fusion virtual machine (2010041).
If you are using a wireless mouse or keyboard, ensure that you have not connected it to the virtual machine. To do so, remove and re-add the USB Controller from the virtual machine. For more information, see Configuring the USB Controller and Connecting USB Devices in the VMware Fusion Help Guide. For a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard, see Sharing Bluetooth devices with a virtual machine (2005315).

Note: This step includes the Bluetooth and IR receivers that Fusion connect to the virtual machine as USB devices.
Create a new Fusion keyboard and mouse profile. For more information, see Mouse and keyboard stop working after upgrading to Fusion (1016955).
Restart your Mac.
Disable all non-Apple startup utilities and programs by performing a Safe Boot. For more information, see Using Safe Boot (1004017).

These next steps require a second mouse/keyboard. For more information, see Connecting a second mouse or keyboard directly to a Fusion virtual machine (1003418).

Look for non-Microsoft, non-VMware mouse/keyboard drivers or software installed, and remove them.
Re-install VMware Tools. For details, see Overview of VMware Tools for VMware Fusion (1022048).

If these steps do not resolve your issue, see the articles in the Additional Information section for more information.

If the issue continues to exist after trying the steps in this article, including any appropriate steps in the Additional Information section:

Collect the VMware Support information. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware Fusion (1003894).
File a support request with VMware Support and quote this Knowledge Base article ID (1027805) in the problem description. For more information, see Filing a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985).

Additional Information

If you are encountering a specific issue or error with your mouse or keyboard, one of these articles may help: