This browser is no longer supported.
Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(128, 8%, 22%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EA%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hello,
I am using a Surface Pro with Type Cover.
When I am selecting multiple items e.g. in Outlook or Windows Explorer I apparently hold down the Ctrl-key and left-click the items with my mouse.
When I select many items it takes certainly a while to select -- if that time span is let's say 10 seconds (may be it's just 5 sec) then my CTRL key locks, meaning, I do not have to hold it down in order to select multiple items. Problem is that you e.g. can't even hit the Windows button on the keyboard and not even the hardware Windows button on the Surface. If your machine falls into Sleep mode you cannot type the password any more. You have to reboot.
It took a while to find out that the Ctrl key was the trouble maker -- then after identifying it as such I tried to unlock it by hitting it 1 more time which works.
So, that is a remedy, however, if you do not notice that the Ctrl key gets locked then your machine also slows down, even the Task Manager (e.g. Performance tab) doesn't update any more. That looks like an overload -- may be because Thousands of 'key down' messages are processed, even if the key is not pushed any more? Just a speculation.
One more thing: the Ctrl key gets only locked when I make the selections with the mouse -- if I select them with the Surface Pen the Ctrl key gets NOT locked.
BTW, I tried two mice: bluetooth and wi-fi -- both deliver the same result, it doesn't matter.
Anyway, I am not aware that something like a 'sticky key' would exist for the Ctrl key? Does it? At least I have not turned on or seen such access feature activated. Also, no, my keyboard is not filled with crumbs. And it is unlikely that it would lock when I use the mouse but not if I use the Pen...
And the Ctrl Lock-down seems wrong -- is it?
Type cover bug? or am I unaware of the 'sticky key' feature?
Frank
The Surface family includes Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, and other Surface products. Surface is designed to help organizations, students, and consumers be more productive.
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Greetings all,
New update: 5/21/14
We are still investigating this issue and hope to make progress soon.
Just a quick update (2/10/14).
We are actively investigating this issue and will work on a resolution to ensure our customers have the best possible experience on their Surface devices.
Hello Frank-S1
Sorry to hear you are having issues with the Type Cover on your Surface Pro. Remove the Type Cover and reattach. Do a full shut down and start. Check for updates. Let us know if that helps.
Best regards
Hey John,
no, that doesn't work.
It must be a type cover issue -- either just mine is faulty or it is a general issue.
Interesting is that the key gets only locked when I use a mouse to select items -- when I use the pen instead there's no problem. So, the interaction between key and mouse click triggers the issue.
Regards
i'm also having this issue.
Hello Thefellenidol,
Sorry to hear about that. Please seeSteven_B suggestion above.
Keep us posted.
Thank you.