[BUG]: ALT keys are not working as of 2023-10-09 #252

New Issue

2026-01-05T14:49:17+01:00

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

Originally created by @symplrdudley on GitHub (Oct 12, 2023).

Describe the bug
I started my PC after the weekend on Monday, 2023-10-09, and Komorebi is not picking up the ALT key presses. I believe the ALT key is working as I can do CTRL+ALT+DEL to lock or get to that menu on Windows.

I'm not sure what to really look for or toubleshoot to get ALT keys to work with Komorebi. I don't see any errors in the $env:LOCALAPPDATA/komorebi/komorebi.log output either.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Follow Quickstart Guide for winget installation as of 2023-10-09.
Start Komorebi using:

<#

#>

Write-Host "Starting Komorebi"
& komorebic.exe start --config $env:USERPROFILE\komorebi.json --whkd

which outputs:

[PWSH]: C:\Users\pdudley>
 .\Start-Komorebi.ps1
Starting Komorebi
Start-Process 'komorebi.exe' -ArgumentList '--config="C:\Users\pdudley\komorebi.json"' -WindowStyle hidden
Waiting for komorebi.exe to start...Started!

if (!(Get-Process whkd -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue))
{
  Start-Process whkd -WindowStyle hidden
}

The windows align and arrange.
Attempt to press ALT+1/2/3/4/5 or hjkl and nothing happens.

Expected behavior
I expect the mouse to follow focus, or be able to rearrange windows.

Screenshots and Videos
N/A

Operating System
Provide the output of systeminfo | grep "^OS Name\|^OS Version"

OS Name:                   Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise
OS Version:                10.0.19045 N/A Build 19045

NOTE: The grep command is not a valid commandlet.

komorebic check Output
Provide the output of komorebic check

For example:

[PWSH]: C:\Users\pdudley>
 komorebic check
No KOMOREBI_CONFIG_HOME detected, defaulting to C:\Users\pdudley

Looking for configuration files in C:\Users\pdudley

No komorebi configuration found in C:\Users\pdudley

If running 'komorebic start --await-configuration', you will manually have to call the following command to begin tiling: komorebic complete-configuration

Additional context
I uninstalled and cleaned up my previous Komorebi .16 install. Then I used the winget installation method, followed the quickstart guide and still doesn't work.

I have a feeling it's an organization or some security software thing, or windows is being its good ol' crappy self.

So, I'm sitting at a default setup as specified by the Quickstart in the README as of 2023-10-12.

Originally created by @symplrdudley on GitHub (Oct 12, 2023). **Describe the bug** I started my PC after the weekend on Monday, 2023-10-09, and Komorebi is not picking up the ALT key presses. I believe the ALT key is working as I can do CTRL+ALT+DEL to lock or get to that menu on Windows. I'm not sure what to really look for or toubleshoot to get ALT keys to work with Komorebi. I don't see any errors in the `$env:LOCALAPPDATA/komorebi/komorebi.log` output either. **To Reproduce** Steps to reproduce the behavior: 1. Follow Quickstart Guide for winget installation as of 2023-10-09. 2. Start Komorebi using: ```powershell <# #> Write-Host "Starting Komorebi" & komorebic.exe start --config $env:USERPROFILE\komorebi.json --whkd ``` which outputs: ```powershell [PWSH]: C:\Users\pdudley> .\Start-Komorebi.ps1 Starting Komorebi Start-Process 'komorebi.exe' -ArgumentList '--config="C:\Users\pdudley\komorebi.json"' -WindowStyle hidden Waiting for komorebi.exe to start...Started! if (!(Get-Process whkd -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) { Start-Process whkd -WindowStyle hidden } ``` 3. The windows align and arrange. 4. Attempt to press ALT+1/2/3/4/5 or hjkl and nothing happens. **Expected behavior** I expect the mouse to follow focus, or be able to rearrange windows. **Screenshots and Videos** N/A **Operating System** Provide the output of `systeminfo | grep "^OS Name\|^OS Version"` ```powershell OS Name: Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise OS Version: 10.0.19045 N/A Build 19045 ``` **NOTE**: The `grep` command is not a valid commandlet. **`komorebic check` Output** Provide the output of `komorebic check` For example: ``` [PWSH]: C:\Users\pdudley> komorebic check No KOMOREBI_CONFIG_HOME detected, defaulting to C:\Users\pdudley Looking for configuration files in C:\Users\pdudley No komorebi configuration found in C:\Users\pdudley If running 'komorebic start --await-configuration', you will manually have to call the following command to begin tiling: komorebic complete-configuration ``` **Additional context** I uninstalled and cleaned up my previous Komorebi .16 install. Then I used the `winget` installation method, followed the quickstart guide and still doesn't work. I have a feeling it's an organization or some security software thing, or windows is being its good ol' crappy self. So, I'm sitting at a default setup as specified by the Quickstart in the README as of 2023-10-12.

adam added the bug label 2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

adam closed this issue

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

@0xRar commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2023):

Hello @symplrdudley ,

Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564,
try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you.

@0xRar commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2023): Hello @symplrdudley , Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564, try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you.

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

@symplrdudley commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2023):

Hello @symplrdudley ,

Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564, try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you.

I updated $env:USERPROFILE\.config\whkdrc and

commented:

#.shell powershell
.shell cmd

Started komorebi, and I received different issues this time.

It does seem that whkd isn't starting now when I attempt to stop komorebi.

@symplrdudley commented on GitHub (Oct 20, 2023): > Hello @symplrdudley , > > Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564, try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you. I updated `$env:USERPROFILE\.config\whkdrc` and commented: ```powershell #.shell powershell .shell cmd ``` Started komorebi, and I received different issues this time. It does seem that `whkd` isn't starting now when I attempt to stop komorebi.

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

@0xRar commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2023):

Hello @symplrdudley ,
Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564, try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you.

I updated $env:USERPROFILE\.config\whkdrc and

commented:
#.shell powershell
.shell cmd
Started komorebi, and I received different issues this time.

It does seem that whkd isn't starting now when I attempt to stop komorebi.

Thats interesting, Maybe its because the whkd process is on?, whkd doesn't die when you stop komorebi

Stop whkd & komorebi and start again:

Stop-Process -Name whkd
Stop-Process -Name komorebi

Another way to see if whkd starts is to run whkd without komorebi from Windows Powershell or CMD,
and see if it detects your window focus.

@0xRar commented on GitHub (Oct 21, 2023): > > Hello @symplrdudley , > > Your issue seems to be similar to my issue: #564, try the possible fix and let me know if it works for you. > > I updated `$env:USERPROFILE\.config\whkdrc` and > > commented: > > ```powershell > #.shell powershell > .shell cmd > ``` > > Started komorebi, and I received different issues this time. > > It does seem that `whkd` isn't starting now when I attempt to stop komorebi. Thats interesting, Maybe its because the whkd process is on?, whkd doesn't die when you stop komorebi Stop whkd & komorebi and start again: ```ps1 Stop-Process -Name whkd Stop-Process -Name komorebi ``` Another way to see if whkd starts is to run whkd without komorebi from Windows Powershell or CMD, and see if it detects your window focus.

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:17 +01:00

@symplrdudley commented on GitHub (Nov 14, 2023):

I generally use a custom script to stop Komorebi.

<#
.SYNOPSIS
    Stop the Komorebi and wkhd processes.
#>

Write-Host "Stopping wkhd"
Get-Process -Name:whkd | Stop-Process

Write-Host "Stopping komorebi"
Get-Process -Name:komorebi | Stop-Process

@symplrdudley commented on GitHub (Nov 14, 2023): I generally use a custom script to stop Komorebi. ```powershell <# .SYNOPSIS Stop the Komorebi and wkhd processes. #> Write-Host "Stopping wkhd" Get-Process -Name:whkd | Stop-Process Write-Host "Stopping komorebi" Get-Process -Name:komorebi | Stop-Process ```

adam commented

2026-01-05 14:49:18 +01:00