How to Resolve VMware Workstation 17.5 Keyboard and Mouse Problems

Problem Overview

After updating to VMware Workstation 17.5, many users experience loss of keyboard and mouse control inside the virtual machine. The input devices become unresponsive, preventing interaction with the guest OS.

Root Cause

The issue is caused by the way the virtual machine handles hardware interrupts (IRQs) combined with the virtual USB (VUSB) driver. Simultaneous IRQ processing interferes with the VUSB driver, leading to the input devices hanging.

Configuration Fix

Modify the virtual machine’s configuration file ( .vmx) to change the IRQ handling behavior and explicitly enable the virtual USB controller.

Power off the virtual machine.

Open the .vmx file with a text editor.

Add the following two lines (or ensure they are present):

keyboard.allowBothIRQs = "FALSE"
keyboard.vusb.enable = "TRUE"

Save the file and start the VM again. The settings disable concurrent IRQ handling ( keyboard.allowBothIRQs = "FALSE") and force the VUSB driver to be active ( keyboard.vusb.enable = "TRUE"), which restores keyboard and mouse responsiveness.

Alternative: Downgrade Workstation

If the configuration change does not resolve the problem, revert to VMware Workstation version 17.0.2, which does not exhibit the IRQ‑related input loss.

Obtaining a Verified Installer

The official VMware download page requires a logged‑in account. A publicly accessible mirror that provides the same installer is:

https://www.salanghe.com/safe/1792.html

After downloading, compute the SHA‑256 hash of the installer and compare it with the hash published on VMware’s official download page to ensure integrity.

References

GitHub issue discussing the problem: https://github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools/issues/696

VMware Community forum thread: https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Workstation-Pro/VMWare-17-5-0-update-causes-workstation-keyboard-and-mouse/td-p/2995237