Safety and Recovery

Restore typing and stay in control

CatX temporarily suppresses ordinary keyboard input. It keeps the mouse available and provides several ways to restore typing.

Choose and test a shortcut

Select one combination before enabling the guard:

Shortcut	Practical note
Ctrl + Alt + K	Convenient on most keyboards.
Ctrl + Shift + F12	Some laptop keyboards also require Fn for F12.
Alt + Shift + Pause	Requires a keyboard with an accessible Pause key.

Hold the modifier keys, then press the final key. Test your choice immediately after enabling the guard, especially after changing it.

If you cannot type

1. Use the exact shortcut displayed in CatX.
2. Click Disable guard with mouse.
3. If CatX is minimized, right-click its notification-area icon and select Disable keyboard guard.
4. Close CatX with the mouse to remove its hook.
5. If the interface is unavailable, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, open Task Manager, and end CatX.exe.

Windows handles Ctrl + Alt + Delete outside ordinary applications; CatX cannot suppress that secure screen.

What protection covers

CatX protects the current interactive desktop session from accidental keyboard input. It is not a Windows account lock or a substitute for locking your computer when leaving it unattended.

The hook exists only while the CatX process owns it. CatX does not run as a service or keep a lock after it exits. It never blocks the mouse.

If automatic protection returns after unlocking, set Auto-lock after no activity to Off.

Next: Troubleshooting