Bug: ESC key not registered/displayed while pressed within a Parsec window #350

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1. doggy8088 commented on Sep 28, 2026

   

   doggy8088

   on Sep 28, 2026

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   Thanks for the report, and apologies for the very late reply. This repository has not been actively maintained for a long time, so I am maintaining a fork here: https://github.com/doggy8088/carnac (latest release: https://github.com/doggy8088/carnac/releases/latest).

   I cannot tell yet why Esc is missing in Parsec, so a few questions to narrow it down:

   1. Which Carnac version (Preferences → About) and which Windows version?
   2. Carnac only sees keys typed on the machine it is running on. Is Carnac running on the same PC as the Parsec window you are typing into?
   3. Do other non-character keys (Enter, Backspace, Tab, arrows) show while Parsec is focused, or is it only Esc? Does Esc show in other apps such as Notepad?
   4. Are "Shortcuts Only" or "Only keys with Modifiers" ticked on the Appearance tab, and is a Process Filter set?
   5. Is Parsec running as administrator? If so, please also try starting Carnac as administrator.

   If you can still reproduce this, please open a new issue in the fork with those details: https://github.com/doggy8088/carnac/issues/new — I will gladly take a look. Thank you!
2. doggy8088 commented on Oct 10, 2026

   

   doggy8088

   on Oct 10, 2026

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   Hi there! 👋

   I (@doggy8088 / Will Huang) have stepped in to take over active maintenance of Carnac at doggy8088/carnac (project website: https://carnac.gh.miniasp.com/).

   This issue where Carnac stops displaying keystrokes when certain applications are focused has been addressed in my fork!

   Context & Root Cause

   • Why this happens: Carnac uses a standard Windows low-level keyboard hook (WH_KEYBOARD_LL). Due to Windows User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI), a non-elevated process is blocked by the OS kernel from receiving keyboard hook events whenever the active foreground window is running with Administrator (elevated) privileges (such as an elevated IDE like IntelliJ IDEA / Visual Studio, AutoCAD, Total Commander, Emacs, Android Emulator, Abaqus, Avid Pro Tools, or Parsec). Previously, Carnac gave no indication why keystrokes stopped appearing, and old Squirrel builds also had issues when launched directly as Administrator.
   • The Fix (Detect elevated foreground apps and offer to restart as administrator doggy8088/carnac#58):
     1. Automatic Elevated App Detection (ElevatedAppDetector): When Carnac is running un-elevated and you focus an Administrator window, Carnac automatically detects the elevation mismatch via Win32 token inspection and displays a one-time system tray balloon notification explaining that the active app is running as Administrator.
     2. One-Click "Restart as Administrator": You can click the tray notification balloon—or right-click the Carnac tray icon and select "Restart as administrator"—to immediately relaunch Carnac with Administrator privileges so it can capture keystrokes inside elevated applications seamlessly.
   • Related Issue & PR:
     • Tracking Issue: Keys are not shown for elevated ("Run as administrator") apps – detect it and offer "Restart Carnac as administrator" doggy8088/carnac#29
     • Pull Request: Detect elevated foreground apps and offer to restart as administrator doggy8088/carnac#58

   Availability

   • Source Code: Available now on the dev branch of doggy8088/carnac.
   • Upcoming Release: This will be included in the next official release, which will be published to GitHub Releases (both installer and portable .zip), WinGet (winget install doggy8088.Carnac), and Chocolatey.