mouse get "locked" inside VM (quick question)

[Harri84]

Hi! I am new user of VMware Workstation, and I have encounetered a problem.

Now when I move mouse and click on VM desktop, the mouse get "trapped" inside VM and I can get it to move back to my main computer.Offcourse the mouse is released pressing alt+ctrl, but I move mouse a lot between main computer and VM while I'm working, so it's annoying to press these buttons all the time. I am using Win XP on both machines. And this problem is only on one virtual machine, others are working fine.

Please help me, I have tried to read all the help files, but haven't found answer.

[Harri84]

"the mouse get "trapped" inside VM and I can get it to move back to my main computer."

Can not I meant :smileygrin:

[Troy_Clavell]

installing the VMware Guest Tools will allow as seamless auto-"unlock" of your mouse when going in between windows.

[Harri84]

It worked before without any extra programs. I think I pressed accidentaly something wrong on my keyboard, and solution is to press those buttons again. But what those buttons are?

[Troy_Clavell]

If you have the VMware Guest Tools installed it will allow for seamless mouse movements between host and guest. Without them as you've noticed to release your mouse you need to hit <ctrl> <alt>.

Check Edit--Preferences, I believe there are some mouse options there, other then that, I don't know of any special buttons that will allow this to work consistently. Like I said installing the VMware Guest Tools is your best bet for resolution.

[FunkyMonk777]

To add to this answer:

Once you have launched your VM, in the VM window, to the right of "File" and "View" on the menu bar click "VM" > "Guest" > "Install/Upgrade VMware Tools"

The issue should be resolved and you should no longer experience the cursor being "trapped" in the VM window.

 

[TomHowarth]

As Troy says, without VMtools being installed the default behaviour is to capture the mouse. verify that you have the three squares in the icon bar of the running XP Guest.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth VCP / vExpert

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Contributing author for the upcoming book "[VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment|http://my.safaribooksonline.com/9780136083214]”. Currently available on roughcuts

[LarryBechdol]

Just found this exchange.  My mouse has the same issue--and I have vmtools installed.  Ctrl-Alt releases it but the cursor moves to a position oposite where I want it to be.  I use the keyboard mouse of the accessibility tools so it is a real pain and time consuming to then have to move the pointer where I need it to be

The discussion indicates it was held in 2009 when all were using Windows XP or Windows 7.  It is now 2023 and my guest computer is Windows 11.

Can anyone help with this?  The issue started about 2 months ago.  I finally had to start using a different machine, not VMware based to solve the issue.  But I really like the ease with which I can use VMware and windows inside my MAC.'

 

[pie992]

Had the same issue. It would come and go seemingly at random. 3 other VMs do not have the same issue. Same fix works - Make the pointer in the VM as small as possible (W10 here).

[jspence1]

Ctrl+Alt+Esc simultaneously

[Harri84]

Prblem solved itself when I restarted the VM, LOL :smileylaugh:

[rob_oli]

A late response however I had the same issue today but only with one vm machine win7 here is how you can lock and unlock the mouse using windows settings:

Found it!

Control panel, Mouse, Pointer options, Display pointer trail, Click box to lock and unclick to release.

I hope this helps someone else.

[TomHowarth]

another is to use the key combinations Ctrl & Alt

[wsh2]

I am sitting here crying with utter joy out of pent up frustration..

To release the Mouse Cursor, go to "Control Panel" -> "Mouse" -> "Pointer Options" and uncheck (turn-off) "Display Pointer Trails".

Finally, the agony is over!

rob_oli, YOU are a GENIUS!.. I can NOT thank you enough!

[rob_oli]

Wsh2,

You are very welcome. I know your pain. Addittionally I thought I should put the instructions up for two other purposes. 1. because these blogs have helped me in the past and 2. in case I needed the ansewer in two years time when I forgot how I fixed it!

CTRL + Alt + A was definately not an acceptable answer.

Glad I could help.

[wsh2]

Good points rob_oli.. {smile}

Let's add some search words to try and assist in the future:

Windows Mouse Cursor Grab Ungrab Lock Unlock Integration

"Cursor Integration" "Cursor Grab" "Cursor Ungrab" "Cursor Lock" "Cursor Unlock"

"Mouse Integration" "Mouse Grab" "Mouse Ungrab" "Mouse Lock" "Mouse Unlock"

Solution Above

[kittenMasher]

Wow.  I have searched over and over again for a solution for this over the past two years and just read this and fixed the problem on the VM machine I use the MOST.  Thanks so simple.

[plcman37]

Thanks! Great help

[ZombyWoof]

Merci...!

[JTambro]

 - Restarting the VM where the mouse was getting stuck also fixed it for me, thank you!

[wood_]

perhaps helpful: as soon as the VMs mouse pointer size is changed, the pointer is trapped inside the machine. Setting it back to default size helps.

[DodgeDeBoulet]

I replied to this topic within the last 20 minutes of typing this, only to find that the post didn't "take." Not sure what happened, but I'm not going to recreate the detailed reply ... hopefully it's on moderation or something and will return.

I encountered the same issue with workstation 15.5 after running the Windows 10 RDP client inside the VM.

It appears that the root cause of the issue was that I had changed the pointer size from the default smallest setting to something I can actually see with my decrepit late-middle-aged eyes.

While I've regained the convenience of freely moving my mouse cursor from the client desktop to the host, I've lost the ability to locate it quickly.

[RDPetruska]

---

 wrote:

While I've regained the convenience of freely moving my mouse cursor from the client desktop to the host, I've lost the ability to locate it quickly.

---

In case you didn't know, there is a setting in the mouse properties which displays an animation around the mouse pointer when you press and release the Ctrl button.  It's under Pointer Options in the Mouse Properties window (which appears with the settings menu option Additional Mouse Options).

[DodgeDeBoulet]

Thank you. In the host OS I use a feature provided by PowerToys which dims the screen and spotlights the mouse cursor when you double-tap the control key. I didn't realize there was a separate option in the control panel mouse settings.

That helps, and I'm grateful. I still wish I could use a larger mouse pointer though ...

[mtviola]

DISABLE/UNCHECK "Display pointer trails" in "Pointer Options" of "Mouse Properties" in MS Windows

 

 

[VMware Community Member]

Hi.

Thought I'd leave a note as I managed to get rid of my issue with mouse locked in guest.

I am using VMware Workstation 16 and Gentoo w kernel Linux 5.10.205

There is various stuff involved in this setup. And I won't say what is best or right or wrong, just how I got it to work. First of all Gentoo have a nice VMware wiki which give a lot of input on how to set up your host and guest in the Linux world.

i, myself was missing the PS2 VMware mouse in kernel, so I imagine VMware, rightly so, just emulated a PS2 mouse without knowing it belonged to VMware. There is an checkmark for VMware in the kernel. This option isn't mentioned  in wiki as far I could see. .. Look for CONFIG_MOUSE_PS2_VMMOUSE. It did it for me. I also got an issue with keyboard lag in guest if 3D is marked on in host settings. I live with the lag but just thought I would say. I also had to use a cutting edge xf86-input-vmmouse (fixed 13.2.0 having issues).