Best Way To Use Computer Keyboard With Emulator

In this post, we want to discuss how to use computer keyboard with emulator. Before we get started, if you want to know about how to solve vm_web2 installation error, please go through the following article: Launch error from installation ‘vm_web2.exe’.

This topic describes how to use the keyboard with Windows Phone Emulator. The emulator supports the mapping of the hardware keyboard on your development computer to the keyboard on a Windows Phone. The behavior of the keys is the same as on a Windows Phone device.

By default, the hardware keyboard is not enabled. This implementation is equivalent to a sliding keyboard that must be deployed before you can use it. Before you enable the hardware keyboard, the emulator accepts key input only from the control keys.

Special characters on the keyboard of a localized version of a Windows development computer are not supported by the emulator. To enter special characters that are present on a localized keyboard, use the Software Input Panel (SIP) instead. This topic contains the following sections: Enabling and disabling the hardware keyboard, Keyboard mapping.

Enabling and disabling the hardware keyboard

To enable the hardware keyboard in the emulator

Press the PAGE UP key.
Press the PAUSE/BREAK key.

To disable the hardware keyboard in the emulator

Press the PAGE DOWN key.
Press the PAUSE/BREAK key.

Keyboard Mapping

The following table lists the keys on a hardware keyboard that you can use to emulate the buttons and other controls on a Windows Phone device.

Computer hardware key	Windows Phone hardware button	Notes
F1	BACK	Long presses work as expected.
F2	START	Long presses work as expected.
F3	SEARCH
F4	Not applicable.
F5	Not applicable.
F6	CAMERA HALF	A dedicated camera button is pressed halfway.
F7	CAMERA FULL	A dedicated camera button.
F8	Not applicable.
F9	VOLUME UP
F10	VOLUME DOWN
F11	Not applicable.
F12	POWER	Press the F12 key twice to enable the lock screen. Long presses work as expected.
ESC	BACK	Long presses work as expected.
PAUSE/BREAK	Toggle Keyboard	Toggles the hardware keyboard.
PAGE UP	Keyboard Up	Enables the hardware keyboard.
PAGE DOWN	Keyboard Down	Disables the hardware keyboard.