I have recently gone through this issue. I am running Lubuntu 13.04 in VirtualBox .So when I have maximized and if I would like switch to next window of main system usually we all do ALT+TAB but thats not getting for main system and going for Vbox's Lubuntu .
So how can i get activated main system ALT+TAB functionality even i have a maximized VirtaulBox operating system .
Thank you .
My solution: VirtualBox: File -> Preferences -> Input -> uncheck "Auto Capture Keyboard"
Enter into VirtualBox
Press the Host key.
NowALT + TABshould work.
Regarding the Host key from VirtualBox Manual Ch. 1
To return ownership of keyboard and mouse to your host operating system, VirtualBox reserves a special key on your keyboard for itself: the "host key". By default, this is the right Control key on your keyboard; on a Mac host, the default host key is the left Command key. You can change this default in the VirtualBox Global Settings, see Section 1.15, “Global Settings”. In any case, the current setting for the host key is always displayed at the bottom right of your VM window, should you have forgotten about it
Two part solution:
(1) My solution: VirtualBox: File -> Preferences -> Input -> uncheck Auto Capture Keyboard (taken from @baronbaleron above)
(2) Remap Cycle through open windows to ctrl+tab. In Linux Mint (a derivative of Ubuntu): Start menu -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> General -> Cycle through open windows -> change binding to ctrl + tab
Pressing the Host key once before pressing the Alt + Tab combination seems to work for many. In case it doesn't work for you, try pressing it twice instead.
On MacOS: (Control + ALT) then Tab
In the VM I'm using, I also have to hit Enter after this..which is slightly annoying.
This allows you to use Win+Tab on the Guest Machine, while Alt+Tab will be passed to the host. I really miss this functionality when I don't have it.
It also works with Windows Remote Desktop Connection.
Under VitualBox's menu, goto File > Preferences > Input and make sure [ ] Auto Capture Keyboard is unchecked. This can't work with it checked.
It requires AutoHotKey (or a similar scripting platform, you'll have to research syntax for that) to be ran on the Host and Guest system. You can do a similar script on just the Host, but you'd have to press Alt after each use of Win+Tab on the Guest machine to release the key-state.
This was written for a Windows 10 Host to a Windows 10 Guest, but I see no reason this can't work with other Guests. There are programs like AutoHotKey that may allow other Host OSs to do something like this.
Both scripts be run in Administrator to be able to monitor processes that are also run as Administrator.
Install this on the host machine as, for instance, WinTabHost.ahk.
#SingleInstance, Force
hostkey = RCTRL ; set this to your VirtualBox HOSTKEY
boxMode := ""
Hotkey, <#Tab, WinTabbing
Hotkey, >#Tab, WinTabbing
Return
TabFinish:
Send, {ALT UP}
RDCKeysState("Off")
Return
Tabbing:
Send, {Right}
Return
WinTabbing:
WinGetTitle, Title, A
StringRight, TitleEnd, Title, 25
RDCKeysState("On")
If (InStr(Title, "[Running] - Oracle VM VirtualBox")) { ; Guest mode
Send, {%hostkey%} ; Trigger capture-state
Sleep, 200 ; Sleep to give the machine time to process, just in case
Send, #{TAB} ; Send Win+Tab
Send, {%hostkey%} ; Release capture-state
} Else If (TitleEnd = "Remote Desktop Connection") and (not Title = "Remote Desktop Connection") { ; RDC mode
Send, {Alt down}{PgDn} ; Press and hold alt, and press pgdn
} Else { ; Host mode
Send, {ALT Down}{TAB}
Sleep, 200 ; Sleep to wait a split-second for Alt-Tab window to appear
iter := 0 ; loop tracker
Loop {
iter := iter+1
if (!WinExist("Task Switching") Or iter > 60) { ; If Alt+tab is gone, or it's been 30 seconds
Send, {ALT UP}
Break
}
Sleep, 500
}
}
Return
RDCKeysState(toggle) {
; This function maps all the ways that a user might end the alt-tab box.
Hotkey, Enter, TabFinish, %toggle% ; Map Enter, Click, and their alt-counterparts to TabFinish()
Hotkey, !Enter, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, LButton, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, !LButton, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, LWIN UP, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, RWIN UP, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, *Tab, Tabbing, %toggle%
}
; if you get the error 'could not close the previous instance of the script,`
; while ever trying to reload the script, you need to right click it and select
; 'Run As Administrator'
Install this on the guest machine as, for instance, WinTabGuest.ahk.
#SingleInstance, Force
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%
if (not A_IsAdmin) {
Run *RunAs "%A_ScriptFullPath%" ; Run as administrator to detect keystrokes focued on Elevated Programs
}
Hotkey, <#Tab, WinTabbing
Return
TabFinish:
Tooltip, TabOut
Send, {ALT UP}
RDCKeysState("Off")
Return
Tabbing:
Send, {Right}
Return
WinTabbing:
Send {Alt DOWN}{TAB}
RDCKeysState("On")
Sleep, 200
iter := 0
Loop
{
iter := iter+1
Sleep, 200
if (!WinExist("Task Switching") Or iter >= 60) {
Send, {ALT UP}
Break
}
Sleep, 500
}
Return
RDCKeysState(toggle) {
Hotkey, Enter, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, !Enter, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, LButton, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, !LButton, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, LWIN UP, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, RWIN UP, TabFinish, %toggle%
Hotkey, *Tab, Tabbing, %toggle%
}
If you are a keyboard shortcut buff like me, go with other methods given above. I don't like using the trackpad either but I thought this is worth a shot. On Windows 11, you can use the three finger horizontal swipe on your trackpad. It's actually a great work around that I didn't see here.
