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Power Platform Community / Forums / Power Automate / Using Send Keys to sen...
Power Automate
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Using Send Keys to send global system-wide keyboard actions?

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Posted on by 2

Hi all, I hope the title is self-explanatory enough. I am attempting to set up Power Automate with a flow to take specific inputs from an external HID device (numpad) to return a global shortcut key/macro keypress. I've been able to set it up to this point, only reading input from a specific HID device and returning a shortcut keypress. I'm doing this for streaming and I need multiple programs (sometimes at the same time) to read these inputs and execute certain functions while I'm in the throes of another program such as a game or web browser.

Unfortunately it is to my understanding that the Send Keys command can ONLY send keys to the currently active window and because of that it makes it functionally useless for what I want to do.

Is there any possible workaround or way to make the keys get sent globally, system wide? Regardless of active window? 

I have the same question (0)
  • MichaelAnnis Profile Picture
    5,727 Moderator on at

    What does the shortcut key do?  I only ask because, I don't know of any Send Keys type programs that wouldn't work on the active window.  However, there is a Populate Text Field action, a Write to Text file, you can run CMD; any of these might help with what you are trying to accomplish.

  • Caser Profile Picture
    2 on at

    Mostly I use it for OBS, sometimes they switch scenes, sometimes they turn filters on/off, but sometimes they work in tandem with vseeface to switch camera angles on my vtuber model. I currently use numpad (alt+numpad 5,6,7,8,9,etc) to activate such hotkeys globally across my system and communicate with multiple programs at once. 

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