Moneydance periodically stops accepting keyboard input
Periodically, maybe ever 45 minutes or so, Moneydance stops accepting keyboard input. I'm working along, editing imported transactions. Maybe I go to Chrome to go to the financial institution to double check something. Or maybe I go to another application. I go back to Moneydance and the keyboard does nothing. The mouse still works but I can't edit a transaction. I have to close Moneydance and reopen it.
Version: 2024.4
Linux Mint 22.3 Zena
Output from Dev console:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the interactive development console for Moneydance 2024.4(5253)
Java version: 21.0.5, Jython version: 2.7.2(final), running on Linux(6.8.0-94-generic) amd64(intel64)
Use the variable 'moneydance' to access Moneydance's API...
example: 'moneydance.getUI()' for the GUI, and 'moneydance.getCurrentAccountBook()' for the dataset
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Keyboard shortcuts
Generic
| ? | Show this help |
|---|---|
| ESC | Blurs the current field |
Comment Form
| r | Focus the comment reply box |
|---|---|
| ^ + ↩ | Submit the comment |
You can use Command ⌘ instead of Control ^ on Mac
1 Posted by jason on 08 Feb, 2026 12:41 AM
Just happened no more than 5 minutes after my last restart. I edited the description of two different transactions. Then I hit Ctl-Enter a few times to confirm the next couple of transactions. I hit Ctl-Enter again and nothing. No keyboard input accepted.
2 Posted by jason on 08 Feb, 2026 12:44 AM
And again. After restarting I hit Ctl-Enter twice in a row and no keyboard input. Nothing in the dev console.
3 Posted by jason on 08 Feb, 2026 12:47 AM
I confirmed the remaining transactions with the mouse. No issues. Keyboard is still working. Seems to be Ctl-Enter two times in a row is the problem.
4 Posted by jason on 08 Feb, 2026 01:00 AM
Maybe not just Ctl-Enter twice. Happened after I entered a transaction in a securities account.
5 Posted by dwg on 08 Feb, 2026 01:03 AM
The Dev console is not what we are usually after, it is the Moneydance error log which is the Moneydance menu item Help => Console Log. You were in the Window menu item, completely different console.
6 Posted by jason on 08 Feb, 2026 01:05 AM
Thank you. The next time it happens I'll get the logs from there.
7 Posted by Bob Englert on 13 Feb, 2026 01:24 PM
I have occasionally ran into the same problem on an older laptop running Linux Mint 22.3. Keyboard works fine outside of MD. I use the mouse to cancel any transaction I cannot finish entering and close and restart MD to get it working again.
I would be interested in any advice on ho to resolve this.
8 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 20 Feb, 2026 02:42 AM
This started happening to me repeatedly just in the past couple weeks. Today, it happened so often I couldn't use Moneydance for more than 2 minutes before having to restart the program due to the program losing keyboard input. This is strange - I've been using Moneydance for several years and never had this issue before. See log.
Linux LMDE v7 (Cinnamon desktop)
Moneydance 2024.4
9 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 03 Mar, 2026 12:51 AM
Any comments/suggestions from the devs? This is a considerable problem. If I need to forward the issue to someone/somewhere else, please advise and I'll do so. FYI only - I am a paid/registered user.
10 Posted by Bob Englert on 03 Mar, 2026 01:27 AM
From what I can determine, I am only seeing this on my Linux Mint secondary laptops.
11 Posted by ryan on 23 Mar, 2026 04:26 PM
Just adding that I experience this issue pretty routinely these days. Same versions as OP/jason (Linux Mint 22.3, Moneydance 2024.4). In my case it's my primary computer and is reasonably powerful. I don't experience anything like it outside of this application.
12 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 24 Mar, 2026 12:16 AM
Agreed. I have been in contact with the support Email address for over a couple weeks now and I'm not getting a feel that they are actively engaging this issue. The last I heard from them was on 3/11 and I have followed-up a couple times since then, but crickets...
13 Posted by Dave on 24 Mar, 2026 05:49 PM
I have the same bug (v. 2024.4 Build 5253). I run it on a Linux Mint machine. Pretty much the same behavior as the OP. I'll be using the program for dozens and dozens of entries, entering / editing series of ledger entries when suddenly all keyboard inputs stop! There is no specific trigger in terms of time or field I'm editing. Once the keyboard stops working, I can still manipulate the fields and interface with a mouse, but no joy at all with the keyboard. Closing and re-opening Moneydance solves the problem immediately.
14 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 24 Mar, 2026 06:26 PM
One thing someone could try is to launch MD using java25 as a test and see if the bug goes away.
15 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 24 Mar, 2026 10:25 PM
Just for history/logging of this issue, this is the last suggestion I heard from MD support. I let them know this didn't resolve it. As mentioned, I have followed up a couple times since but I'm not hearing anything additional on this topic from them:
--- From MD Support on 3/11/26 ---
Please try the following:
Launch Moneydance and navigate to Extensions->Manage Extensions
Install the Toolbox (v.1070)
Launch the Toolbox and select Update Mode
Finally choose Menu: General Tools. Update Functions-> Reset Window Display Settings
select the option relevant to you from the dropdown menu
Finally restart Moneydance!
16 Posted by dwg on 24 Mar, 2026 11:59 PM
The only time that off screen rendering of Windows would "appear" to be causing keyboard problems is when that Window is waiting for input and because you cannot see it you don't do what is required, in that case though your previous action would have been to use a function that needs to render a new window.
17 Posted by Bob Englert on 25 Mar, 2026 11:04 AM
This seems to have cleared up on my Linux Mint 22.3 system I use most often. I did uninstall the ibus app, which was installed on my system. I removed it using synaptic, where I had a chance to see if it would remove anything important before I confirmed the removal.
18 Posted by dwg on 25 Mar, 2026 11:29 AM
If I recall correctly another user reported some time ago that keyboard issues appear to be resolved by removing ibus.
19 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 26 Mar, 2026 05:54 PM
Thanks for the suggestion - I'll give that a try!
20 Posted by Jens on 27 Mar, 2026 11:00 PM
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=1112639
I need to go back at some point with a vanilla Debian install in a VM and test
if that is still all true. In my case installing the Zoom client pulls in various ibus
packages that cause the issue, so I stay with using Zoom via the browser if necessary.
If installed, I had luck with getting rid of the MD keyboard issues with
(use at your own peril). Then reboot.
Jens
21 Posted by dwg on 28 Mar, 2026 12:47 AM
I came across this information relating to ibus and Java:
The Linux IBus framework is compatible with Java applications, but historical issues have sometimes led to problems like lost keyboard input or issues with dead keys. These issues often relate to how older Java Swing applications handle the X Window System input method protocol (XIM) used by IBus.
Potential Issues and Workarounds
The primary issue encountered with IBus and Java applications (such as JetBrains IDEs or other Swing apps) has been the occasional "swallowing" of keyboard events.
• Keyboard Input Loss: Users of Java applications have reported the keyboard input stopping entirely after a period of use while IBus is running in the background.
• Dead Keys/Accented Characters: Typing accented characters (e.g., using a French keyboard layout's dead keys) sometimes does not work correctly in Java apps when IBus is the active input method system.
Solutions
Most modern Linux distributions and recent IBus versions have addressed these problems, often by changing default settings.
• Update IBus: Ensure you are using a recent version of IBus (version 1.5.11 or later has been cited as resolving many problems).
• Set IBUS_ENABLE_SYNC_MODE=1: Many issues were linked to IBus running in asynchronous mode (IBUS_ENABLE_SYNC_MODE=0). Setting this environment variable to 1 before launching the Java application often fixes the input problems. More recent versions of IBus use this mode by default.
• Use fcitx as an Alternative: If IBus continues to cause problems, some users recommend switching to an alternative input method framework like Fcitx (or Fcitx5), which may have better compatibility with certain Java environments.
• Check Java Version: Ensure your Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or OpenJDK installation is up-to-date.
By ensuring both your IBus and Java environments are reasonably current and correctly configured, IBus should work seamlessly to provide complex language input (like Japanese, Chinese, etc.) within Java applications.
22 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 28 Mar, 2026 10:59 AM
+1 👍
23 Posted by jason on 05 Apr, 2026 10:28 PM
This just happened to me again. I do have ibus installed. It's
1.5.29-2. I did not haveIBUS_ENABLE_SYNC_MODE=1. I just added it to my.bashrc. We'll see if it helps.@dwg: Here are the lines in the console window around the time it happened:
24 Posted by dwg on 05 Apr, 2026 11:32 PM
I would not be expecting the Moneydance logs to show anything of use, the key presses are being swallowed outside of Moneydance.
25 Posted by ryan on 06 Apr, 2026 02:36 PM
Something I've noticed, both times it happened to me today I was in the process of confirming/merging/editing downloaded transactions.I think that might be true of past incidents but can only be sure about today's.
26 Posted by jason on 02 May, 2026 04:57 PM
I have
ibus/noble,now 1.5.29-2 amd64 [installed,automatic].I added export
IBUS_ENABLE_SYNC_MODE=1to my.bashrc.I'm using the Moneydance installed JRE:
Moneydance is still periodically losing the ability to enter data via the keyboard. Happnened twice today in about an hour of work in Moneydance.
27 Posted by scott.geiger on 02 May, 2026 09:09 PM
I run Linux Mint 21.3 and had the KB lockup issue. For me the problem was Zoom and ibus. I removed Zoom and MD began working with no lockups. I need Zoom for work, so I installed the Flatpak version and have had no KB lockups since.
28 Posted by rentable.spelle... on 02 May, 2026 09:57 PM
FYI - I'll kick-in that I removed ibus on 3/26/26 and haven't had the KB lockups since. I don't use Zoom so that was never a factor for me.
29 Posted by Jens on 02 May, 2026 10:32 PM
See my comment about Zoom earlier up this thread. It does pull in ibus packages as dependencies (for me on Debian).
Jens
30 Posted by dwg on 02 May, 2026 11:29 PM
Given the way Flatpak packages work it would not be a great surprise that could be the solution for those that need Zoom. As I understand it Flatpak keeps all dependencies local to the program and includes them in it, much like how Moneydance bundles Java and does not use system Java installations.