Karabiner Elements breaks Media Keys on Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard

[dljsjr]

I recently purchased the new Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/accessories/surface-ergonomic-keyboard), I'm using Karabiner Elements to map Alt to Cmd and Win to Option, as for some reason this keyboard doesn't show up in Apple's keyboard pref pane as configurable.

Instead of an "Fn" modifier key that you hold down to switch between Fn and Media keys, the Surface has a toggle-able "Fn" mode key, similar to a Caps Lock sort of key.

When the "Fn" mode is activated then they register as Fn keys just fine but when the "Fn" mode is turned off, the media key functionality no longer works. They did work before installing Karabiner Elements, though.

2016 15" MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar macOS Sierra 10.12.2 Karabiner-Elements version 0.90.83

[mteodoro]

I'm having the same issue with this keyboard. I also noticed that the "calculator" key on the keyboard doesn't register in Karabiner-EventViewer.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) macOS Sierra 10.12.3 Karabiner-Elements version 0.90.84

[artemgordinskiy]

Having the exact same issue on Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.

[evanhammer]

same

[philschoefer]

This also happens for me. I wonder if there is a way to have some sort of fallback where whatever gets returned from the keyboard can be used for mappings. Even if its some sort of bit like "0x45"

[mattstauffer]

Yah--it's not just that it doesn't work, but that it also cannot be mapped.

Here are the results I get from the EventViewer after I do the following:

(with Karabiner Elements turned off)

1. (function off) F1: code 0x7 name mute
2. (function on) F1: code 0x7a name f1 flags Fn

(with Karabiner Elements turned on)

3. (function off) F1: doesn't even show up in the EventViewer
4. (function on) F1: code 0x3 name display_brightness_decrement

(with Karabiner Elements turned on, with the "Use all f1" toggle selected)

5. (function off) F1: doesn't even show up in the EventViewer
6. (function on) F1: code 0x7a name f1 flags Fn

So, as we're all saying here, the issue is that once you turn on KE for the keyboard, it entirely ignores the un-Functioned input from the function row. The toggle for "Use all" just changes what behavior it enables when you use the function modifier.

[matthewdias]

I have a similar issue with a Pok3r keyboard. None of the commands from the function layer are recognized by KE, and they do not function when KE is enabled.

[anandman]

I'm seeing this issue on the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard also.

[kman0]

I am seeing the same issue. One of the earlier version, 34 or 55 used to work properly

[al1947]

Same issue with Microsoft Surface Ergonomic keyboard: unlocked function keys mostly work when KE is disabled, but result in no input whatsoever when KE is running. (Locked, the F1, F2, etc keys perform the standard F1, F2, etc functions regardless of whether KE is running.)

Swapping the ALT and Windows keys on a Microsoft keyboard to Mac Command and Option respectively are the priority annoyance-saver, of course. But it would be good to have the brightness, media play, and other such functions work also.

[dljsjr]

Quick update on this, I'm not sure when it happened but this seems to be fixed. Unfortunately I wasn't actively trying to reproduce this issue, I just noticed a day or two ago.

I'm not sure if this was fixed in KE or if it was fixed in High Sierra.

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[offbyone]

I'm having the same issue as this, on much newer versions of the software in question:

• Microsoft Natural Ergonomic 4000 Keyboard
• 15" MBP, 2018 vintage
• macOS Mojave 10.14.6
• Karabiner Elements 12.9.0

The media bar keys do not register in Karabiner Event viewer, even when they work; the play/pause button for example, does what it's supposed to but doesn't generate an event in the event viewer.

[hmeine]

Same here. (Natural Ergonomic 4000 as well)

• There are a lot of extra keys that have no effect
  • nearly all of the gray/silver top row of keys, the "favorite"/star key centered below, and the the backward/forward keys at the bottom,
  • the function keys when not in function key mode (i.e. F1-F12 work, but help/undo/redo/new/open… do not),
  • and the black up/down scrolling rocker in the very center.
• "Have no effect" includes these keys not producing keycodes in the eventviewer.
• Interestingly (as others have reported as well), the media keys work (mute/vol-/vol+/play-pause), but still do not produce events. I wonder how that can be the case at all. I am quite puzzled by that.

That being said, I should stress that I also tried the experiment reported by @mattstaufer and quit Karabiner Elements, but I could not get any keycode from the function keys when not in function mode. Maybe that's because he seems to be referring to the Surface Ergonomic Keyboard; mine does not have "mute" on the F1 key (the label is "help").

[dioxide]

Same here. (Natural Ergonomic 4000 as well)