Synergy-core: Modifier keys stop working in Microsoft Remote Desktop

[picchioni]

Operating Systems

Server: Ubuntu 16.04 x64 or Windows 10 Professional
Client: macOS Sierra 10.12.3

Synergy Version

1.8.7

Steps to reproduce bug

1. Download Microsoft Remote Desktop from OS X App Store
2. Attempt to connect to Windows 10 machine remotely (Haven't tried other windows versions)
3. Attempt to utilize Shift key in combination with another key or any of the special keys and you'll notice they don't work

As a side note: They work just fine with another RDP tool called CoRD, however it has been abandoned and is unstable with later versions of OS X, making it not a viable solution.

Other info

• Is there a way to work around it?: I have not found a workaround to date, short of utilizing a different app
• Does this bug prevent you from using Synergy entirely? No

Let me know if there's any other help I can provide.

[XinyuHou]

Duplicate of #3083

[picchioni]

@XinyuHou Interesting, I haven't experienced it in a VM yet, but I also use VMware Fusion instead of Parallels, perhaps the issue is application specific?

[XinyuHou]

@picchioni
Do you mean you can't the modifier keys on your local client machine, not inside of your remote session?

This behavior is highly likely application specific. Remote control and VM tend to handle input in their own ways which may conflict with Synergy

[picchioni]

@XinyuHou Apologies for the confusion, I do mean that I can't utilize modifier keys inside my remote session. But the remote session in this case is RDP utilizing Microsoft Remote Desktop (Link). However another, significantly more unstable RDP client, CoRD works just fine, going back to your theory that it's very application specific.

I've personally never experienced an issue with modifier keys not working properly in a VM as a heavy VMware Fusion and occasional VirtualBox user.

Does that help at all?

[picchioni]

We can add Royal TSX (Another RDP/VNC/etc... OS X App) to the list too where modifier keys aren't being passed though.

[sixsixtrample]

Seconding the Royal TSX pains. @picchioni please ping me if you find a work around!

[BigBuckey]

I am experiencing this issue with Parallels. Server: Windows 8.1 Pro, Client: macOS Sierra 10.12.4, Windows 10 VM in parallels.

Shift, control, and Windows key do not work in the VM. They do work in the Mac (it's a CM Storm keyboard) Please let me know if I can post any logs/etc. and if there is a workaround. Caps lock doesn't work for special characters (which happen to exist in my Windows password) so I have a keyboard plugged into the Mac for now :(.

[picchioni]

@BigBuckey sounds like another case of it being very app specific, because I use VMware Fusion on a daily basis (and VirtualBox once every blue moon) without a problem

[andrewr01]

I have a similar issue with the Parallels Client (Remote Desktop)

to make things work for me I use:
Server: PC, synergy-v1.7.5-stable-fa85a24-Windows-x64
Client: Mac synergy-v1.8.5-stable-a18eba7-MacOSX1011-x86_64.dmg

Parallels Client works with all keys, Windows, Ctrl, Shift ...

I found the 1.8.6 Mission Control key fix broke the Windows key in Parallels Client. Getting really frustrated that I have to use such an old version to make things work!

[anon36]

Still an open Issue?

[ajmathews]

Any solution for this yet?
Server: Windows 10
Client: macOS Sierra

Using Microsoft Remote Desktop, the ctrl, shift, windows and alt buttons do not work

[picchioni]

@ajmathews Nope...and it's killing me everyday. crying emoji

[jupiterkenji]

+1

[verchalent]

+1 This is driving me to insanity. Also, you can add the Amazon Workspaces client to the list of apps.

[johnk73]

Sep 2017: +1 Just emailed support with this same issue. Should have known I wasn't the first. I hate the iMac keyboard but love the big display. So where else would I want to remote desktop from? Destination is Windows 8.1 Pro. OSX Microsoft Remote Desktop is 8.0.42.
Tried 1.8.5 OSX client; no better.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/synergy-stable-builds/files/v1.8.5-stable/synergy-v1.8.5-stable-MacOSX1011-x86_64.dmg

Nov 2017: Symless upgraded me to 2.0.2 (I'd recently purchased 1.8.8 basic) on PC (server) and OSX (client). Still no modifier keys in RDP.

[justinkauai]

My workaround so far is to use xfreerdp but now my problem is XQuartz reverses my ctl <-> cmd system setting. cmd c cmd v is killing me!!!

[andrewr01]

Parallels Client - you can switch the ctrl and command keys.

[justinkauai]

I actually couldn't get ctrl or cmd working in parallels client. Shift works though.

[andrewr01]

Did you go into Preferences > Keyboard and configure the ctrl and cmd keys?

[justinkauai]

yeah i tried all combinations to no avail.

[hartmms]

NX v5.3 client on Mac also has the same issue.

For what it's worth I have been a paying customer for years now. It would be nice to see this issue get fixed if possible.

[skennedysocal]

Add me to the list as well, I am stuck with using Synergy 1.8.5-stable-6a7703f on my Mac which means I have the terrible mouse lag as well. I am using my Mac mouse with my shared mechanical keyboard but it is a pain. I do not get Ctrl or Alt in my RDP clients but I do get Shift. This is both with the MS Remote Access and Parallels.

[sixsixtrample]

Try using FreeRDP on Mac. It allows me to use all my keys.

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 8:33 AM, Sean Kennedy [e-mail]
wrote:

Add me to the list as well, I am stuck with using Synergy
1.8.5-stable-6a7703f on my Mac which means I have the terrible mouse lag as
well. I am using my Mac mouse with my shared mechanical keyboard but it is
a pain. I do not get Ctrl or Alt in my RDP clients but I do get Shift. This
is both with the MS Remote Access and Parallels.

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[carceneaux]

I really ❤️ RoyalTSX and it's a bummer because of this bug. I'm really enjoying Synergy 2, please fix. 😄

[celttechie]

I was just having this problem yesterday with RoyalTSX. I have my keyboard/mouse hooked up to a Linux system and then I use Synergy 2.0.4 to control my Mac, running RoyalTSX. I had Royal TSX open an RDP session to a Windows box and was trying to use the shift key to log in on a web page on the Windows system. I finally found that if I go into Remote Desktop Connection Settings|Advanced|Input and select "Send key presses as Unicode" it sends the right characters when using my Shift key. Try it out, maybe it'll help you. :)

[carceneaux]

@celttechie That did it! Thank you so much! For those following the instructions in the previous post, edit the Properties of each Windows RDP session to access the Remote Desktop Connection Settings | Advanced | Input area.

[melliott-sis]

@celttechie Thanks for sharing this. I'd been looking for a fix for ages. I'm using Windows as a synergy server, OSX as a client. Shift now works un Royal TSX, but the ctrl key modifier does not. Much less of an issue for me, but I wanted to share.

[carceneaux]

@melliott-sis I had this issue at first as well. To resolve this, all I had to do was go to the same area as before Remote Desktop Connection Settings | Advanced | Input and check the options for Windows Keys Passthrough and Remap macOS keyboard shortcuts to their Windows equivalent.

[andrewr01]

@carceneaux You reckon ticking the Remap macOS keyboard shortcuts to their Windows equivalent makes the Ctrl and Alt keys work? I can't get those keys to work.

[dnapier]

I wouldn't call this a synergy issue, as I have the same issue when connecting to AWS Workspaces from Arch Linux (4.17), then within workspaces RDP'ing to another machine. Still have no idea what the solution is.

[carceneaux]

I experienced this issue in Remote Desktop Manager on my Mac as well. The solution was to:

• Edit the properties of each RDP connection that I had created
• Navigate to the Microsoft Remote Desktop (RDP) --> Local Resources tab
• Change the Keyboard layout from Invariant Language (Invariant Country) to English.

@XinyuHou I agree with @dnapier that this isn't a Synergy specific issue but is exacerbated by how some applications receive their keyboard inputs.

[justinkauai]

@carceneaux and Remote Desktop Manager just made my day!
Finally no more training my brain to use a different modifier key for RDP.

[andrewr01]

@carceneaux, what is Remote Desktop Manager? Is it this? IT's a bit expensive at $150 USD!

[sixsixtrample]

@andrewr01 the free version is free.

On Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 3:46 PM andrewr01 [e-mail] wrote:

@carceneaux https://github.com/carceneaux, what is Remote Desktop
Manager? Is it this https://mac.remotedesktopmanager.com/? IT's a bit
expensive at $150 USD!

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[andrewr01]

@sixsixtrample Thanks for that. That sounds like a good deal!

[johnk73]

There is a free version on their website (Remote Desktop Manager "Free
Edition"). https://remotedesktopmanager.com/home/downloadfree

On Tue, Aug 21, 2018, 2:46 PM andrewr01 [e-mail] wrote:

@carceneaux https://github.com/carceneaux, what is Remote Desktop
Manager? Is it this https://mac.remotedesktopmanager.com/? IT's a bit
expensive at $150 USD!

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[egadgetjnr]

It's worth every single cent of that $150USD though. I can't do my job
without it anymore.
If you wait for specials like SYSAdmin Day (or maybe contact them), it
usually comes down to about 50%

On Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 7:58 AM, John Kalstrom [e-mail]
wrote:

There is a free version on their website (Remote Desktop Manager "Free
Edition"). https://remotedesktopmanager.com/home/downloadfree

On Tue, Aug 21, 2018, 2:46 PM andrewr01 [e-mail] wrote:

@carceneaux https://github.com/carceneaux, what is Remote Desktop
Manager? Is it this https://mac.remotedesktopmanager.com/? IT's a bit
expensive at $150 USD!

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[andrewr01]

Well I tried Remote Desktop Manager free version with the settings @carceneaux posted but still can't get Shift, Ctrl, Alt or the Windows key to work in the RDP session. That's with Synergy 1.10.0 on PC and Mac. The only RDP app that works for me is Parallels, but I have to revert to 1.8.5 on the Mac or the Windows key won't work.

[MartinRJ]

Still not fixed.

[asidler]

Had the same issue.
Switched to 'Barrier' a fork of Synergy. They seem to have fixed this.

[devnall]

Add MacOS Catalina's native Screen Sharing.app to the list of remote desktop clients through which Synergy won't pass modifier keypresses (shift, control, option/alt, command/windows).

Synergy server on Win10, Synergy client on Catalina (both 1.11.0 stable). That works fine. But if I run Screen Sharing.app on the Mac to connect to a second Mac, it won't pass control/shift/option/command through the screen sharing session.

Switching to Barrier fixed my problem.

[verchalent]

Confirmed, switching to barrier resolved the issue for me. Would really like to see Synergy pull the fix in.