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+---- Thread: Arrow keys keep moving after releasing them in Kali Linux VM on VMware Workstation (/showthread.php?tid=6329779)
Arrow keys keep moving after releasing them in Kali Linux VM on VMware Workstation - D4vidrax - Aug 6, 2026
Hello everyone,
I’m having a very strange keyboard issue with my Kali Linux virtual machine running on VMware Workstation 16.2.5 on Windows 11.
The problem only happens with the arrow keys (Left/Right, and also Up/Down). When I hold an arrow key for a short time and then release it, the cursor keeps moving for a moment instead of stopping immediately. Because of this, it is very difficult to place the cursor exactly where I want in a text editor.
It feels like VMware or Kali is buffering the key presses, because after releasing the key I still receive many repeated key events.
Things I have already tested:
The physical keyboard works correctly on the Windows host.
Other keys like Backspace work normally.
The issue only happens inside the Kali VM.
Changing the keyboard repeat rate with xset r rate only changes the speed, but the problem remains.
Running xset r off completely fixes the issue, but obviously disables key repetition.
Using xev, I can see that the arrow keys continue generating repeated KeyPress events even after releasing the key.
Example:
Code
keycode 113 (keysym 0xff51, Left)
keycode 114 (keysym 0xff53, Right)Any help would be appreciated.
RE: Arrow keys keep moving after releasing them in Kali Linux VM on VMware Workstation - DramaKing - Aug 6, 2026
Yep, your problem is high latency with keypresses. Sorry I don't have a solution.
RE: Arrow keys keep moving after releasing them in Kali Linux VM on VMware Workstation - D4vidrax - Aug 7, 2026
(Aug 6, 2026 08:34 AM)D4vidrax Wrote: Hello everyone,
I’m having a very strange keyboard issue with my Kali Linux virtual machine running on VMware Workstation 16.2.5 on Windows 11.
The problem only happens with the arrow keys (Left/Right, and also Up/Down). When I hold an arrow key for a short time and then release it, the cursor keeps moving for a moment instead of stopping immediately. Because of this, it is very difficult to place the cursor exactly where I want in a text editor.
It feels like VMware or Kali is buffering the key presses, because after releasing the key I still receive many repeated key events.
Things I have already tested:
The physical keyboard works correctly on the Windows host.
Other keys like Backspace work normally.
The issue only happens inside the Kali VM.
Changing the keyboard repeat rate with xset r rate only changes the speed, but the problem remains.
Running xset r off completely fixes the issue, but obviously disables key repetition.
Using xev, I can see that the arrow keys continue generating repeated KeyPress events even after releasing the key.
Example:
Has anyone experienced this issue before? Could this be related to VMware keyboard input handling, VMware Tools, X11/XFCE, or a Kali Linux configuration problem?Codekeycode 113 (keysym 0xff51, Left)
keycode 114 (keysym 0xff53, Right)
Any help would be appreciated.
I found the solution just in case someone have the same problem:
Enable Virtualize IOMMU: Go to VM Settings > Processors and check the box for Virtualize IOMMU (IO memory management unit). This resolves lag for many users on Windows 11 hosts.
Edit .vmx File: If IOMMU is unavailable, add the following line to the virtual machine's .vmx configuration file:
Code
keyboard.vusb.enable = "TRUE"