Ctrl+Tab not working in any programs

Question

Visual Studio, Sublime Text, Chrome, Firefox, you name it. All the apps with tab-cycling on Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab are no longer working on my Windows PC - that is, Ctrl+Shift+Tab still works, but Ctrl+Tab does not.

I tried using TeamViewer to a friend's PC to see if it was a keyboard issue (I know, I'm smart like that), and it worked fine. I have not installed any programs lately, and it just started happening. Restarting does not work.

When attempting to assign a key to a shortcut in Visual Studio, the Ctrl+Tab combination does not validate, but Ctrl+Shift+Tab does. However, in my Logitech G-Series profile manager, I can assign that command to one of the extra keys, and it validates, but it still does not work!

What could be the reason behind this?

I am using Windows 8.1.

Running Windows in Safe Mode makes the problem go away, but not when running with a clean boot (as suggested by @Ramhound). Malwarebytes and Windows Defender report 0 threats.

Solution

If you have NVidia Geforce Experience installed, a recent update is breaking the use of the ctrl+tab key. I had the same issue and fixed it by reinstalling Geforce Experience.

Here's a thread on NVidia's forums with others reporting the same issue: https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/776837/?comment=4316352

Comments

[CharlieRB]

Would be helpful to know which Windows you are using. Helping with Windows 98 is quite different than with Windows 8.

[Ramhound]

It sounds you have software installed that is capturing these shortcuts and ignoring them. Does this behavior surface if start your system in a minimal boot configuration?

[Jeff]

@Ramhound that's the theory. I tried restarting and immediately start Chrome to test, didn't work. How would I start with minimal boot config?

[Ramhound]

How to perform a clean boot

[Jeff]

@Ramhound clean boot didn't help either.

[Jeff]

@Ramhound booting into Safe Mode helps, but obviously not a solution.

[Ramhound]

What applications are started during a minimal boot that was not launched in Safe Mode?

[Jeff]

@Ramhound I guess just a few Windows services + processes, nothing else.

[Jeff]

@Ramhound I am sure something is hogging the Ctrl+Tab combination, as I attempted to write a program to register Ctrl+Tab as a global hotkey, which failed (due to it being registered already). This is getting really annoying.

[Ramhound]

You should be able to provide more information than a guess.

[Jeff]

@Ramhound the only thing the task manager shows that is NOT from Microsoft, is Chrome, which I was testing on.

[Ramhound]

So there zero differences between the applications that start upon the login event of the user while in a minimal configuration and safe mode? I find that hard to believe.

[Jeff]

@Ramhound like I said, while I did not exactly compare each process, I did not spot any difference, as all processes were Windows processes, except Chrome. I find it hard to believe that a Windows process would do this.

[Ramhound]

Why would you find it hard to believe. I could write an application within 20 lines of code that prevents this shortcut. Additionally, I have seen dozens of malware samples, that blocks this shortcut. I am trying to help navigate you to determine if its something malicious or just an application that isn't behaving itself.

[Jeff]

@Ramhound also, I tried running a program called Windows Hotkey Commander, to disable the Ctrl+Tab hotkey, and it "sort of" fixes it (works in Chrome, not in Sublime Text and Visual Studio).

[Jeff]

Malwarebytes reports 0 threats.

[Jeff]

I googled and I googled and I googled and I did not find that thread. Thank you, I will try this when I get home. Funny, as I disabled all NVidia stuff on my minimal boot attempt, so how is this possible?

[Jeff]

This did it, thank you! You just postponed my Windows re-install for another 6 months. ;) Thank you!