Ctrl key "stuck" after paste

Question

Hi, I'm using the "modern" UWP version of OneNote on Windows 10.

I frequently run into an issue where the "Ctrl" key seems to be stuck after I paste some content with Ctrl+V.  It doesn't always happen but I'd say that it does at least half of the time.  After hitting Ctrl+V, the program acts like the Ctrl key is still being held down.  It doesn't allow me to click where I want to move the cursor, clicking a page on the left-hand side starts selecting multiple pages, etc.  I have to press the Ctrl key again to "release" it.

Now, I am aware that this sometimes just happens in Windows.  However, what I'm running into is very OneNote-specific.  I don't have this issue consistently in any apps other than OneNote.  When the Ctrl key is "stuck" in OneNote, I can switch to a different program (without hitting the key again to "release" it) and find that everything is working fine, the Ctrl key doesn't seem to be stuck.

I was wondering if anyone else has run into this behavior.

Answer 1

When I said that I noted that the same issue occurs in Windows, I was referring to a similar-but-different issue.  I have seen Windows in the past get "confused" about the state of a modifier key (like Ctrl or Alt), thinking that the key was being held down, and require that the key be pressed again for Windows to realize that it has been released.  This is a rare occurrence, and when this happens, it is system-wide.  The issue that I am complaining about right now is very specific to UWP OneNote.  I don't have it in other apps.  I have also tested, when OneNote is "confused" about the Ctrl key, I can switch to another program and find things working fine.

I do not have the issue with OneNote 2016.  I know that this app has been sunset though so I would like to find a resolution for UWP OneNote.

I'll reiterate that I am experiencing this issue on two different PCs.

I did some more testing and found that if I close my main "large" notebook, then the issue goes away.  (Just creating a new notebook is not sufficient since OneNote can have many notebooks "open" at once; I had to close the large one.)  When I opened my large notebook back up (and waited for several minutes for everything to get back in sync), I was easily able to reproduce the problem again.

My large notebook has well over a thousand pages and subpages.  Maybe its size is partly responsible for this issue?  I make heavy use of this notebook from my home PC, work PC, and my phone.  I'm not willing to change the way I keep things organized so I'd love to find a proper fix for this or somehow get it logged to the dev team so that they could take a look.  I just found that it looks like there is an area in "Feedback hub" for this so I'll post there as well.

Answer 2

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for your feedback.

The point is the issue still happen in a new notebook, so it is associated with whole client but not a specific notebook. You can tryrepair OneNote for Windows 10 in Apps and Features and see if there is any improvement.

I noticed you said same behavior happen in Windows. If it is a Windows issue and affect OneNote mostly?

Create a new Windows user with admin permission, then test OneNote in the new account and see if there is any difference.

Additionally, if the issue always happen in OneNote UWP, you can download OneNote 2016 and check if the issue also happen frequently. In my experience, there are a lot of issue disappear in OneNote 2016 because of compatibility. 

Regards,

Eric

Answer 3

1. I have the latest version.
2. There is no safe mode for UWP OneNote as far as I can tell.  This is just for Office (Win32) apps.

The issue is random but it is easy to reproduce for me, it doesn't take many attempts.  I tested some and I was able to reproduce it with Ctrl+N (new page) in addition to Ctrl+V.  I have quite a large notebook, I'm not sure if that matters.  I was able to reproduce it in a smaller notebook but it seemed to take more attempts?  This is not very scientific, just my perception after trying it for a minute.

Answer 4

Hi Aaron,

There some basic methods for you to try:

1. Update to latest version of OneNote for Windows 10 IN Microsoft Store app.
2. Try OneNote in the Safe Mode(Hold Ctrl when open app) to determine whether background programs are interfering with OneNote.

If the issue persists, as the issue happen randomly, it is difficult to find root cause, I suggest you creating a new note book and test Ctrl + V in the new one and see if there is any difference. (test other shortcuts at same time like: Ctrl+1, Ctrl+Shift+1)

Regards,

Eric