Fix GSPro losing focus on Windows
GSPro stops responding to shortcuts the moment another window takes focus. That is normal Windows behavior, not a bug. Here is why it happens, how to fix it in seconds, and how Course Control keeps a stray tap off your desktop while you play.
Why GSPro stops responding
Windows sends every keystroke to one window at a time: the active, foreground window. GSPro reads its shortcuts only while it holds that focus. Click a browser to watch a match, open a recording tool, or tab to the desktop, and your key presses go there instead. Nothing reaches GSPro until you click back onto it.
This is not specific to Course Control, or even to remotes. Your own physical keyboard does the same thing: press a GSPro shortcut while a browser is focused and the key goes to the browser. JoyToKey, AutoHotkey, a wireless numpad, any keyboard-based input hits this wall, because they all rely on Windows routing keys to the focused window. The fix is the same for all of them, and Course Control adds a guardrail so a dropped command is never silent.
How to fix it
Four checks, in order. The first one solves it most of the time.
- STEP 1
Click the GSPro window first
GSPro only reads keyboard shortcuts when it is the active window. If you alt-tabbed to a browser, a recording tool, or the desktop, click back onto GSPro. Your inputs land again right away.
- STEP 2
Keep GSPro on top, even across monitors
A second monitor is fine. GSPro can run fullscreen on one screen while a video plays on the other. What matters is that GSPro is the focused window, not which monitor it sits on. Click it to give it focus before you swing.
- STEP 3
Use Safety Mode the way it is meant to work
Course Control ships with Safety Mode on. It drops input unless GSPro is in the foreground, so a stray tap never reaches your desktop. Click away and the remote goes quiet on its own. It turns back on the moment GSPro is active again.
- STEP 4
Turn Safety Mode off if you switch windows on purpose
Streaming or recording and you need controls to fire while another window is up? Flip Safety Mode off in the phone Settings tab. Controls then fire whether GSPro is focused or not. Handy if you switch a lot, risky if you forget the phone in your pocket.
How Course Control handles focus
Safety Mode watches whether GSPro is the active window. While it is, every control fires. When it is not, Course Control drops the input instead of sending it to whatever window is in front, and the phone shows a clear “GSPro isn’t in focus” note. Click GSPro and the controls come back on their own. There is no button to press and no stray keystroke on your desktop.
Want controls to fire while another window is up? Turn Safety Mode off in the phone Settings tab. For the full list of controls and keys, see the GSPro keyboard shortcuts cheat sheet, or the guide to controlling GSPro from your phone.
Quiet when GSPro is not active
Safety Mode drops input unless GSPro is the foreground window, so a stray tap never reaches your desktop.
Tells you what happened
A dropped command is never silent. The phone shows a focus note and re-enables the moment GSPro is active again.
No phone app
The controller is a web page. Scan the QR code and play. Works on iPhone, Android, and tablets.
GSPro focus problems: FAQ
Why does GSPro stop responding when I click away from it?
GSPro reads keyboard shortcuts only while it is the active window on Windows. The moment another window takes focus, a browser, a recording tool, or the desktop, those key presses go to that window instead. Any keyboard-based controller hits this, because Windows sends keystrokes to whichever window is in the foreground. Click GSPro to give it focus and controls work again.
Does Course Control work if GSPro loses focus?
Course Control has a Safety Mode that is on by default. While GSPro is the active window, every control fires. When you click away, Safety Mode quietly drops input so a stray tap never reaches your desktop, and the phone shows a "GSPro isn't in focus" note. It re-enables on its own once GSPro is the active window again. No button to press, just click back onto GSPro.
Can I turn Safety Mode off?
Yes. The phone Settings tab has a Safety Mode toggle. With it off, controls fire whether GSPro is focused or not, which is useful if you keep a browser or recording tool up and switch windows on purpose. Leave it on for normal play so the remote never sends a stray keystroke to your desktop.
Does the phone remote work with GSPro on a second monitor or in fullscreen?
Yes. Multiple monitors and fullscreen GSPro both work. Safety Mode checks whether GSPro is the focused window, not which monitor it is on, so you can run GSPro fullscreen on one screen and keep a video or scorecard on the other. Click the GSPro window to give it focus and your controls land there.
Why do JoyToKey and AutoHotkey have the same focus problem?
JoyToKey, AutoHotkey, and any other key-emulation setup send keystrokes to whatever window is in the foreground. They cannot force GSPro to receive a key while another window is active, because that is how Windows routes keyboard input. Course Control works the same way at the input level, but it adds a Safety Mode and an on-screen notice so a dropped command is never silent and never lands somewhere you did not expect.
Controls that never reach the wrong window
Course Control keeps input on GSPro when it is active and quiet when it is not. Scan a QR code and play. $30 one-time after the free trial, no subscription.