Mremoteng: Alt Tab on Windows 10

[cusco]

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|Operating system | Windows 10 Pro x64 |
|mRemoteNG version| 1.75 hotfix 1 (2017-03-06)|

Hello all. I've searched on the internet and I find many people reporting this issue. On foruns and Jira, but I didn't find the issue here.
Also reports I found are old.

Basically, when i have mRemoteNG opened with at least a putty session, I can't cycle correctly thorough windows applications with alt tab.

• Have mRemoteNG focused
• Alt + Tab to another App -> stays on mRemoteNG (is it focusing putty?)
• Alt + Tab again to another App -> stays on mRemoteNG (is it focusing back mRemoteNG ?)
• Alt + Tab again (third time) to another App -> changes to the next app (say, browser)
• Alt + Tab + Tab + Tab to yet another App -> changes to the 3rd App (say, skype)
• Alt + Tab should go back to mRemoteNG but no. mRemoteNG stays in 3rd place

Any window/app that I focus to, will then be always before mRemoteNG. Unless I click on the putty window inside mRemoteNG then I go back to the beginning.

Is there a way to fix this annoying issue? Don't take me wrong, I enjoy mRemoteNG and have been using it for the past 3 years or so, but this is really annoying!

[sparerd]

Thanks for adding your report here. Yea, there are a number of very annoying focus-related issues in the application. I don't believe we have these issues scheduled yet, but they are on our mind.

[kmscode]

@cusco Please upvote / track this problem via #290

[wakinowen]

I found out that check on the option"Allow only a single instance" would surprisingly fix this issue!

Tools->Options->Startup/Exit->Allos only a single instance of application

[charannaik]

Yes, it indeed works !! Thanks @wakinowen

[Tinostarn]

Worked for me too @wakinowen

[fred070]

@wakinowen, this works for me! :)

[fpelaezt]

It works

[cusco]

@wakinowen it does not seem to work for me!

Activate the option, exit remote-ng, open remote-ng and 2 putty sessions. Same issue.
Alt tab will not cycle correctly :(

[romangit]

The problem still exist and I agree with @cusco, workaround doesn't work

[Idanatcox]

the workaround by @wakinowen doesn't resolve the issue in my setup - win10 1.75.7012.16814

[cawoodm]

Is there any way to disable Alt+Tab so that it no longer cycles through remote windows but only local windows. This is how RoyalTS works: you use Alt+PgUp/Down to cycle through remote windows.

[aswzen]

it works on Win 10 64 bit..
===UPDATE===
Only works at first time, after you exit the app and open again the problem happened again, you need to recheck and check again the "Allow only a single instance of application"

[howdoyoudoooo]

@wakinowen it does not seem to work for me!

Activate the option, exit remote-ng, open remote-ng and 2 putty sessions. Same issue.
Alt tab will not cycle correctly :(

in putty configuration, Window-->behaviour , check on "Ensure window is always on top"
it works for me.

[ddmedvedev]

@wakinowen it does not seem to work for me!
Activate the option, exit remote-ng, open remote-ng and 2 putty sessions. Same issue.
Alt tab will not cycle correctly :(

in putty configuration, Window-->behaviour , check on "Ensure window is always on top"
it works for me.

for me not :-(

[aswzen]

For quick fix, i just attach the remoteNg app to cmder app
..and the alt+tab issue gone

update: 10 oct.. its not working anymore :(

[cusco]

For quick fix, i just attach the remoteNg app to cmder app
..and the alt+tab issue gone

Didn't try it yet, nor do I know cmder, but I can imagine it works. I will probably tap into this myself

[pedroeloy]

Unfortunately with cmder it does not work for me.

When Alt-Tabing between writing on Puttyng (inside mremoteng) and notepad the first alt-tab goes back to cmder instead of notepad. Only the second alt-tab switches to notepad.

[loxiagit]

Weird ALT-TAB behavior indeed.

Looks like the row with apps, which is shown after pressing ALT-TAB, isn't updated correctly after selecting mRemoteNG. The program is selected okay, the row afterwards isn't updated: mRemoteNG stays in its previous position (2nd, 3rd, whatever). The focus in the row (white border) is correct on the previous app but it is still in front.

After selecting mRemote for the 2nd time the row get updated correctly and mRemoteNG shows up in front and the previous app, with focus, on the second place.

But then the focus inside your connection (putty) is lost...

But how can an application mess up this ALT-TABing? Isn't that an OS thing.

[cawoodm]

I'm now in the situation that Alt+Tab works remotely on some servers and Alt+PgUp works on others. This is crazy.

[pedroeloy]

@loxiagit

I'm guessing this weird behaviour is related to the fact that mremoteng is embedding another window/application? (Putty) into itself so focus gets messes up with that.

If you only need to ALT+TAB between a focused Putty Tab and just 1 external application It kind of works but has soon has you change focus to something else it becomes unusable again.

[aswzen]

This issue has been reported since 6 more years ago and having no actual update fix since, the only work around for me in windows 10 was by putting mRemoteNG application to the first order in bottom taskbar, then when i want to switch to mRemoteNG i just press Win + 1
Good luck

[jogyo]

Is this still not fixed in April 2020? It is such an annoying issue that I'm sure other people than me are considering switching to alternatives. Other than this issue mRemoteNG is fantastic.

[lukecamilo]

Still happening, and after applying this workaround it happens SOMETIMES.
Awfully weird and inconsistent

[mbuc]

This is still happening for me. Version 1.76.20.24615

[konstantin83]

1. Very annoying. Is there any other app, that doesn't have this issue? I always have to use my mouse just to switch back to mRemoteNG from my PHPstom or ant other window.
2. ALSO if I click on text region of mRemoteNG, the cursor itself sets to cli string, and I even can type something, WHILE WINDOW ITSELF IS NOT FOCUSED. This is sooo strange behaviour...