Moonlight mouse and keyboard problems: cursor, capture and wrong keys

Checked October 30, 2026 against Moonlight PC v6.2.0 and Sunshine v2026.914.233613 (latest stable releases) and their documentation. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

Moonlight PC shortcuts worth knowing

On Windows, macOS and Linux (including Steam Deck desktop), Moonlight PC uses Ctrl+Alt+Shift plus a letter:

Problem by problem

No cursor on the stream

Windows may hide the pointer when no mouse is attached to the host. Moonlight’s fix is to connect a mouse to the PC, or turn on Mouse Keys on the host (search “Mouse key” in the Start menu), which makes Windows show a cursor. Sunshine also suggests attaching a physical mouse if the mouse behaves oddly.

The mouse feels wrong on the desktop, or won’t leave the window

Moonlight PC’s Optimize mouse for remote desktop instead of games gives seamless control without capturing your cursor. It’s ideal for desktop work but won’t work in most games, so switch back with Ctrl+Alt+Shift+M before playing. Moonlight for Android has the same idea as “Remote desktop mouse mode”, which it warns is incompatible with many games.

Alt+Tab or the Windows key goes to the client, not the host

• Turn on Capture system keyboard shortcuts in Moonlight PC (off by default). Moonlight notes that some shortcuts, like Ctrl+Alt+Del on Windows, can’t be intercepted by any app.
• If you still can’t send the Windows key, Sunshine’s key_rightalt_to_key_win option (off by default) makes Right Alt act as the Windows key.

Wrong characters on a non-US keyboard

Sunshine’s always_send_scancodes (Windows hosts, on by default) improves game compatibility but can produce wrong input from clients that don’t use a US English layout. The docs say: disable it if keys produce the wrong input; enable it if keyboard input doesn’t work at all in certain apps.

Scrolling is far too fast in an older app

Turn off Sunshine’s high_resolution_scrolling (on by default). The docs suggest this for older apps that scroll too fast with high-resolution scroll events.

A game ignores the keyboard or mouse completely

Some games read raw input only. Sunshine’s docs say that with its paid Virtual HID Driver and an active licence, keys and relative mouse movement go through a real HID device so those games can receive them. Without it, Sunshine uses Windows input injection, which those games may ignore.

Apollo: a second device can’t use the mouse or keyboard

Apollo gives full permissions only to the first paired client. Grant input permissions to the others in its web UI.

Phones, tablets and TV boxes

• Touchscreens: trackpad mode moves the cursor like a laptop trackpad; tap with one finger to click, or hold one finger down and tap a second to right-click. Tap with three fingers to bring up the keyboard on Android and iOS.
• Android mouse capture: NVIDIA SHIELD and Android 8.0 or later support proper mouse capture without root.
• iPad: iPadOS 14 or later supports mice in games that capture the pointer. Moonlight’s docs found non-Apple mice work best over USB rather than Bluetooth.
• No mouse at all: hold Start on a controller to toggle mouse emulation (Moonlight PC and Android).