During a session

Keyboard, mouse and Windows shortcuts

How your keyboard and mouse control the remote computer, which shortcuts go where, and what to do when control is refused.

Mouse

  • Move, click (left, right, middle) and scroll as usual while the pointer is over the remote screen.
  • Clicks on the dark bars around the picture are ignored; a drag that starts on the picture keeps working past its edge.
  • The mouse wheel always scrolls on the remote computer - even in Original size view. To move around a large remote screen, drag the thin scroll bars that appear when you move the pointer near the right or bottom edge.
  • Your mouse's back/forward side buttons arrive on the remote computer as a right-click.

Keyboard

  • While the viewer window is the active window, every key you press goes to the remote computer - including emoji and text from the touch keyboard.
  • If you switch to another window while holding a key, the key is released on the remote computer so nothing gets stuck.
  • There are no local keyboard shortcuts in the viewer window: all keys belong to the remote computer.

Windows shortcuts

Shortcuts such as Win, Win+R, Alt+Tab, Alt+F4 and Ctrl+Esc act on your own computer in a normal window, and on the remote computer in fullscreen. The first time you press one in a normal window, ScreenSharePRO asks once:

Question Yes No
"Forward shortcuts to remote?" Shortcuts go to the remote computer whenever its screen has focus. Shortcuts stay on your computer (except in fullscreen).

You can change your answer any time: Settings → Viewing → Send Windows shortcuts to the remote computer. See Viewing settings.

Important: Ctrl+Alt+Del and Win+L can never be sent - Windows keeps them for your own computer. To lock the remote computer use Remote → Lock remote.

Turn keyboard and mouse on or off (the person sharing)

The person whose screen is shared decides whether viewers may type and use the mouse. While anyone is connected, a sessions dock sits at the edge of their screen - click its tab to open it. Its switches apply straight away:

The keyboard and mouse switches on the sessions dock. Highlighted = on; struck through = off.
  1. Keyboard for everyone in this session. Click to switch it off: viewers can no longer type, and they see "The host has turned off keyboard control for this session".
  2. Mouse for everyone in this session - the same, for clicks and pointer movement.
  3. Keyboard for this viewer only - for example, let Priya type while Sam only watches. Sam sees "The host has turned off keyboard control for you".
  4. Mouse for this viewer only.
  • A switch for one viewer can only take away: if the keyboard is off for everyone, it is off for that viewer too.
  • Viewers cannot use these switches themselves - only the person at the computer can.
  • The dock's switches last for this session and are not saved. Each new session starts from Settings → Permissions → Let viewers use the keyboard and Let viewers use the mouse (both on by default) - untick them there for watch-only sessions every time. See Permissions settings.
  • Keyboard permission also covers a viewer's Lock, Restart, Shut down and Resolution commands.

Tip: More about the dock - switching monitors, disconnecting viewers - is in Manage who is connected.

When control is refused

The person sharing their screen decides whether viewers may use the keyboard and mouse. If they have switched it off, your input is ignored and a short message appears at the top of the window:

Messages you may see when the remote computer does not accept your input.
  1. A host-side switch: The host has turned off keyboard control for this session (or mouse control). Ask the person there to turn it back on from their sessions dock.
  2. An administrator window on a computer with the per-user install: ScreenSharePRO there cannot control windows that run as administrator. The person at that computer can use the window, or enable full control - see Limited control and full control.
Message What it means
The host has turned off mouse / keyboard control for this session Control is off for everyone in this session.
The host has turned off mouse / keyboard control for you Control is off just for you.
The host does not allow control of its ScreenSharePro window You cannot click in ScreenSharePRO's own windows on that computer (Permissions setting).
Remote control unavailable (red badge) The control connection never opened, so mouse, keyboard, clipboard and files do not work - only the picture. Close the window and connect again; a firewall or restrictive network is the usual cause.
  • Viewing settings — How it works when you connect to other computers: the coloured border around remote windows, Windows shortcuts, and the computers you can wake.
  • Permissions settings — Decide what people who connect to this computer may do: ask before letting anyone in, keyboard and mouse, recording, and waking the computer.
  • Manage who is connected — Approve people before they get in, see who is watching, switch their keyboard and mouse on or off, switch monitors, and disconnect them.

Still stuck? Contact our support team — and if you can, attach the file from Export logs for support.