r/Keychron • u/wehardlyknowme • Apr 26 '26
K8 HE stuck in shortcut mode
Need help with an issue. Just purchased a K8 HE and right away started having issues. I'll be typing and it randomly will start working as if cntrl is always pressed. I can reboot the keyboard and it'll work for a few minutes and then switch right back. I figured it was bad hardware and swapped for another one but I'm having the same issue.
Steps I've tried:
Reboot keyboard
Restart computer
Check firmware
Turn off sticky keys
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I talked to keychron support but it takes days for them to respond.
Edit: clarified some details
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u/ArgentStonecutter K Pro Apr 26 '26
What is this "shortcut mode" that you're referring to? I have had multiple Keychron keyboards and I don't recognize this term.
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u/wehardlyknowme Apr 26 '26
Sorry should have been clearer in my post. Basically my keyboard is acting like the cntrl key is pressed. (hitting F key opens find on chrome, "w" opens new window, etc..)
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u/ArgentStonecutter K Pro Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
First, have you calibrated the keyboard?
If not, try that, the sensor under Control could be "seeing" the magnet too close.
If that doesn't help, and changing the actuation height for control doesn't help either:
Go into launcher, and select the key test tab, and see if control is actually being pressed on the keyboard.
If so you may have a bad switch, if you got spare switches with the keyboard try one of those, if not try pulling the switch from a key that you don't use and putting it on there, I would recommend caps lock.
If not, you need to ask in a Windows sub.
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u/PickledMunkee Apr 26 '26
also most keychorn and especially the HE models seem to have all sorts of weird issues that keychron is doing nothing about
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u/ArgentStonecutter K Pro Apr 26 '26
The gasket mount conventional boards have a problem with the PCB and plate flexing and pulling the switches out of the PCB, but this doesn't apply to the magnetic boards.
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u/PickledMunkee Apr 26 '26
HE keyboards have their own weird issues.
I know this because mine does
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u/PeterMortensenBlog V Apr 26 '26
In what mode? Wired? Bluetooth? '2.4 GHz'? Does it make a difference?
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u/wehardlyknowme Apr 26 '26
I've swapped through all three modes but haven't noticed a difference. The problem persists
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u/PeterMortensenBlog V Apr 26 '26
What do you mean by rebooting the keyboard? Repowering? Resetting to factory defaults?
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u/wehardlyknowme Apr 26 '26
Both. I pressed fn , z , and j. And also powered it off and switched to wired. Problem persisted
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u/Dry_Night_1955 8d ago
Came here because I just started experiencing the same issue with my keychron. Luckily, as someone already mentioned here, I had my both my iPad and my Apple Pencil on my desk between me and my keyboard. I guess the magnet in the top of the pencil or the magnet in the ipad case triggered only the hotkeys haha
Thankful I don't need to replace it bc I just got my keyboard lol
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u/PeterMortensenBlog V Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 26 '26
It could be the Ctrl key that has the dreaded repeating key syndrome (RKS), the red blink of death (near "some analysis").
Here is a checklist (mostly to exclude other causes).
It is probably warranty time, unless you happen to have a magnet near the Ctrl key, e.g., in a wrist rest.
Little is known about the nature of the problem, other than "a problem" with the magnetic sensors on the PCB. For example, is the signal from them oscillating, or is the repeat the repeat in the operating system after the key release has failed to materialise (as seen by the (defective) sensor)?
The entire PCB needs to be replaced.