[GH-ISSUE #1183] Feature Request: Drop focus on inactive screens #952

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opened 2026-05-05 07:19:26 -06:00 by gitea-mirror · 1 comment

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 07:19:26 -06:00

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Originally created by @umisef on GitHub (Jun 3, 2021).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier/issues/1183

This request is to deal with a particular setup, so let me start by introducing the scenario I am trying to improve:

I have two separate Macs, both with multiple monitors. One of the Macs (the Barrier server) also runs a full-screen Linux VM on one of its monitors, using Parallels.

Parallels will synchronise the clipboard from the VM guest (linux) to the host (MacOS) whenever the VM "window" loses the keyboard focus, but NOT before then. This works well enough under MacOS, because any interactive way of pasting outside the VM will make the VM lose the keyboard focus.

However, Barrier moving the mouse from the Mac hosting the VM to the other Mac, then interacting with the other Mac, does not result in Parallels losing focus. Consequently, the server Mac's clipboard is not synchronised with the VM one's, and obviously, neither is the Barrier client's, so copying in the VM and pasting into the Barrier client doesn't work, unless one clicks outside the VM window first on the Barrier server.

It would be great if there was an option to remove the focus from the active window whenever the mouse leaves the screen(s) of one computer, and moves to another. Given that keypresses would not be delivered to the supposedly-in-focus window at that point, that seems like a semantically justifiable functionality. I understand that it is different from what a hardware KVM would do --- but so is the tremendously useful clipboard synchronization.

Originally created by @umisef on GitHub (Jun 3, 2021). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier/issues/1183 This request is to deal with a particular setup, so let me start by introducing the scenario I am trying to improve: I have two separate Macs, both with multiple monitors. One of the Macs (the Barrier server) also runs a full-screen Linux VM on one of its monitors, using Parallels. Parallels will synchronise the clipboard from the VM guest (linux) to the host (MacOS) whenever the VM "window" loses the keyboard focus, but NOT before then. This works well enough under MacOS, because any interactive way of pasting outside the VM will make the VM lose the keyboard focus. However, Barrier moving the mouse from the Mac hosting the VM to the other Mac, then interacting with the other Mac, does not result in Parallels losing focus. Consequently, the server Mac's clipboard is **not** synchronised with the VM one's, and obviously, neither is the Barrier client's, so copying in the VM and pasting into the Barrier client doesn't work, **unless** one clicks outside the VM window first on the Barrier server. It would be great if there was an option to remove the focus from the active window whenever the mouse leaves the screen(s) of one computer, and moves to another. Given that keypresses would not be delivered to the supposedly-in-focus window at that point, that seems like a semantically justifiable functionality. I understand that it is different from what a hardware KVM would do --- but so is the tremendously useful clipboard synchronization.

gitea-mirror commented

2026-05-05 07:19:29 -06:00

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@umisef commented on GitHub (Jun 3, 2021):

It appears that Barrier itself only synchronises clipboards on screen changes, so the "simple" idea given above ("just" drop focus on screen change) would result in a bit of a race between the various clipboard synchronizations...

@umisef commented on GitHub (Jun 3, 2021): It appears that Barrier itself only synchronises clipboards on screen changes, so the "simple" idea given above ("just" drop focus on screen change) would result in a bit of a race between the various clipboard synchronizations...

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