VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver: What Is It and Do You Need It?

Most of us hypervisor managers are used to the idea of needing to install additional guest OS drivers for basic functionality, like networking support. But a keyboard is a keyboard. So why do you need the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver? What does it even do? 

What is VMware ESXi?

There’s a good chance that if you know about the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver, you already know what ESXi is. If this is a new concept, keep reading for some background information about ESXi.

ESXi is a hypervisor. It is one of the most broadly used hypervisors in the enterprise environment. A hypervisor is an application that allows a single computer to function as if it had multiple “virtual” computers inside it. The hypervisor handles tasks, such as dividing available PC resources between virtual computers running inside of it or translating hardware calls that an application or OS needs that may not be native to the computer the hypervisor is running on. 

What is the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver? 

The VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver handles integration and support for keyboards for different languages or HID devices with additional functionality. An example of such a keyboard might be a Chinese keyboard that has additional or special characters. Or it may be useful for keyboards that include shortcut keys, such as play and pause buttons or volume knobs. 

The VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver is only available for Windows-based guest operating systems. If you need this additional functionality for other operating systems, such as Linux or Mac OS, you may be out of luck. 

Do I need the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver?

If your guest OS is anything other than Windows, you can’t use it, so Linux and Mac OS users can pass. Of course, if the hypervisor is hosting the Linux or Mac OS operating systems, there’s a good chance that they are being used for server duties, so the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver probably isn’t needed anyway. If you are running the Windows OS in ESXi, the Enhanced Keyboard Driver may be useful, but only if the hypervisor is used for remote workstation-like functions. End-users may want the additional keyboard functionalities to work. 

Many IT systems administrators prefer to avoid the Enhanced Keyboard Driver, because it can be just one more thing on their list that requires maintenance and attention to ensure it works. Given that Microsoft's Windows update cycle is on an annual cadence, there's more of a chance that new updates could break the driver's functionality. After all, the Enhanced Keyboard Driver hooks into the kernel itself like all other drivers. 

A guest OS running on the VMware hypervisor does not need the VMware Enhanced Keyboard Driver to operate correctly. The standard HID drivers included with most operating systems work perfectly. As such, most IT pros don’t install it unless necessary. 

Overall, you probably don’t need to install the Enhanced Keyboard Driver unless you specifically need it for some reason. Otherwise, you may end up inadvertently adding more support tickets to your schedule. 

Would you like to learn more?

CBT Nuggets offers a variety of VMware installation tutorials and ESXi management guides. They cover everything from basic installations for home labs and small businesses to managing remote virtual machines in an enterprise environment. Not a CBT Nuggets subscriber? Test out the training for free.