How to change host key of virtualbox on mac?

Solution 1:

The confusion here is that in OS X, the available items in the menus change depending on whether the main VirtualBox window is up or the guest OS's window is up.

To see the preferences menu, you need to click on the VirtualBox window first, then click on the VirtualBox application menu, then Preferences. You'll find the Input dialog box to make changes after that. (I'm using VirtualBox 4.3)

1. Open VirtualBox
2. Open Preferences (by clicking Command + ,)
3. Go to Input / Virtual Machine
4. Setup "Host Key Combination" attribute

Following screenshot is taken from VirtualBox 5.0.10:

Solution 2:

On my Mac, I can go to VirtualBox -> Preferences -> Input -> Virtual Machine and "Host Key Combination" is the first one on the list.

Solution 3:

There several issues melt into my current one that made me sweat for a while.

Here it is:

• I unfortunately activated Scaled view mode in the guest: the menu disappears from the UI surrounding the guest's window.
• Impact #1: no way to make the top menu appear again (so: no way to deactivate Scale mode)
• Impact #2: forums point out you can always do it via keys Host+Home to make the menu appear (this does not work in my case, host has always been strange in behaviour)
• Impact #2bis: idem for Host+C to toggle back to no Scale mode (this does not work in my case)
• Idem : tried via editing .vbox file. But no success (I restarted the guest each time, even once the VBox manager too)

I tried to change the Host key in Vbox Manager's preference:

• it was indeed impossible, only some keys could be set as Host key. Anyway it does not work in guest even thought. Above all the difficulties, I could not set Right-Ctrl as Host again !!

So I progressed in my struggle like this :

• why right ctrl cannot be set as origin ? ==> the answer is : uncheck the function at Gnome/Compiz/Cinnamon that emphasizes the position of the mouse cursor pointer on pressing Ctrl.
• then I could set Right-Ctrl back as Host key
• then I could use (but not clearly stable) : Host+Home to make the menu appear and to disable the Scaled Mode via the menu. This is my salvation.
• Host+C (exit Scaled) does not work although set as key shortcut.
• Host+F worked to leave Full screen mode (this is a trap too: no menu too)

So in the end :

• NEVER lose access to the top guest menu
• NEVER activate Scaled in order not to loose the menu
• NEVER use Fullscreen for the guest in order not to loose the menu
• verify Host key works fine after installation of the guest
• verify Host+Home works
• verify Host+F works
• verify Host+C works if you are confident with Host+Home

Please Vbox dev team :

• Make sure that user has always a NATURAL way to access to the menu once in the guest. Provide multiples effective way to access to those tricky functions
• Enhance or double check why some Host combination keys are no effect ?

For Gnome/Cinnamon dev :

• for the function of the mouse pointer emphasis : Maybe restrict this to Left Ctrl key ?? Maybe after take into account this stroke, repeat it so other applications can catch it ??