BrowserDeskHelp › When something does not work › H5
A key does not arrive or gives the wrong character
A character arrives wrong, a key does nothing on the device, or shortcuts land on your side instead of the device. The checks from the simple case to the report.
Preview this guide has not yet been clicked through on a real device. Button names and steps come from the program but may differ in details.
- For
- Technician
- Applies to
- Free · Cloud · Own relay
- Controlled device
- Windows · macOS · Linux
- Control from
- Program (Windows, macOS, Linux) · Browser · Phone/tablet/Fire TV
What it is for
You type, but a different character arrives on the device — or nothing at all. That is almost never the network, but how your program sends the key and how the device interprets it. Go through the steps in order.
What you need
- A session with control. If no input arrives at all, not even the mouse, read H3 first.
How to do it
- Is the session window in front? Click into the picture once. Otherwise keys and shortcuts land on your side instead of the device.
- Does a wrong character arrive (for example y instead of z)? The program sends keys, not characters; which character results is decided by the keyboard layout on the device. Set the same layout on the device as on yours — or connect in the browser (D4): it sends printable characters as characters, so the layout on the device does not matter there (E5).
- Is a character typed with AltGr (@ { [ ] } \ ~ |) or the
<>key missing? The Windows program sends these as finished characters. If your program is older, they arrive wrong on a Mac. Update BrowserDesk on your side. - Does a shortcut not reach the device (for example the Windows key)? On the Mac, on Linux and in the browser your own system catches such shortcuts. Use Eingabe (Input) → WINDOWS-TASTE SENDEN (send Windows key) (browser: Windows-Taste senden…). Ctrl+Alt+Del only works through the menu (E6).
- Is the device a Mac with an active password field? Then BrowserDesk reports "Auf dem Mac ist gerade ein Passwortfeld aktiv (Secure Input) …" (a password field is active on the Mac). Click next to the field and try again (H2).
- Does the key work in the browser but not in the program? Then it is the path via the key number. Note which key it is, which system you use and which the device has, and report it (last row below).
- Is a key missing only at the sign-in screen, in the UAC dialog or in a window with administrator rights? There keys take a separate path on the device. For Pause,
<>and some special keys this path was incomplete for a long time. Report it with the device's version.
How you know it worked
The character appears on the device as you typed it.
What the other side sees
The person at the device sees your text in the respective window.
Good to know
- A missing key does not announce itself. It is silently swallowed and feels like a dead key.
- Browser and program take different paths. The browser sends characters, the program keys. That is why comparing them helps narrow the fault down.
- Held keys are released by BrowserDesk when you leave the session, so nothing stays "stuck" on the device.
If it does not work
| You see | Meaning and remedy |
|---|---|
| Keys land on your side instead of the device | Click into the picture once; the session window must be in front. |
| y and z, special characters or umlauts swapped | Set the same layout on the device or connect in the browser. |
| WINDOWS-TASTE SENDEN is missing from the menu | The device is not a Windows device. |
| No input arrives at all | See H3. |
| A particular key is still missing | Collect logs (H19) and write to info@browserdesk.de with the key, your system, the device's system, versions and the time. |