Can't use special keys in VM

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Mac OS X hosts.
Post Reply
sum_b0dy
Posts: 1
Joined: 4. Jun 2019, 20:45

Can't use special keys in VM

Post by sum_b0dy »

I am having an issue where I can't use special keys (such as Shift, control, option, TAB etc...) in my VM, because when I click then, it registers as the Host key ( which is set to Left Command). So I am unable to type anything in capital letters, for example, in a terminal when I try to "cd Desktop" , I can't type 'D', and if I hold shift and press S, it opens the settings windows of the VM (which would be HOST + S) , but again, my host key is Left Command. This started out of nowhere, I haven't changed any settings, I even load a snapshot back and the problem persists. I have tried changing the host key, and still nothing. Here is a screenshot that shows what happens when I press the shift key, tab, control etc...

does anyone have any idea how to fix this?

Thank you in advance !
Attachments
Screen Shot 2019-06-04 at 1.51.33 PM.png
Screen Shot 2019-06-04 at 1.51.33 PM.png (84.28 KiB) Viewed 822 times
socratis
Site Moderator
Posts: 27329
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: Can't use special keys in VM

Post by socratis »

That sounds like a problem with your host's setup. Do you have any 3rd party keyboard modifiers, like Karabiner?

I need two things:
  1. The "VirtualBox.xml" file located in "/Users/<you>/Library/VirtualBox/VirtualBox.xml". ZIPPED.
  2. The output of the commands:
    • ls -aldR /Applications/*/* /Users/<you>/Applications/*/*
      kextstat | grep -v com.apple.com
You need to replace the "<you>" part with your actual username...
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
Post Reply