Arch Linux

sheeblou

Member

Registered: 2022-08-30

Posts: 1

Can't use desktop while playing minecraft

While playing minecraft, (but not the newest version) the mouse doesnt work in anything else other than minecraft. I can switch applications using alt+tab and use keyboard in other applications, but mouse does not work. It appears to still be in minecraft, even though its not the app that is open. The mouse doesn't work on the gnome desktop either. It's just stuck in minecraft. Any help would be appreciated.

seth

Member

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 51,073

Re: Can't use desktop while playing minecraft

Don't play minecraft.

The game will most likely just grab the mouse, so "not the newest version" would better the "this particular version of that particular mincraft client" to investigate why and whether there's an option to avoid that.
On X11 you can enable

Section "ServerFlags"
       Option             "AllowDeactivateGrabs" "true"
EndSection

and also run "setxkbmap -option grab:break_actions" to use Ctrl+Alt+Keypad-Divide to break any active grab.
nb that this is a debugging options and disabled by default because it has severe security implications because screen lockers grab the input to secure the access to the system. You can effectively no longer lock the screen.

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gkun

Member

Registered: 2016-06-11

Posts: 91

Re: Can't use desktop while playing minecraft

Minecraft grabs the mouse (every version), but the mouse is released with the Esc key (with the game being left in a paused state).

If you find it problematic that the mouse is grabbed there are ways to avoid it from the system (but not an option inside Minecraft) as pointed out by the previous poster, but the behavior (ungrabbing the mouse only when you pause the game) is not without reason as it is easy to die in Minecraft while the game is left unchecked.

If Esc does not release the mouse, you have some problem with your Minecraft install: ow, to people who don't know the game... Minecraft has a launcher software - usually kept updated - which is designed to launch every version of the (java) game released including of course older versions which some players prefer for several reasons. I believe this is what OP means when he writes he's not using the current version, but I may be wrong, OP if you are using an outdated version of the launcher please... by all means upgrade.

Last edited by gkun (2022-09-04 10:13:41)