Hi,

I'm using GNU Emacs from Debian package emacs-lucid version 1:30.1+1-6
on xorg version 1:7.7+24+deb13u1 with xkb-data version 2.42-1.

My keyboard is a Microsoft branded one, with menu, left and right
"Microsoft Windows logo" keys and emoji key, along with a top bar of "multimedia" keys that are physically distinct from the F1-F12 keys.

My /etc/default/keyboard contains

XKBMODEL="microsoft4000"
XKBLAYOUT="us"
XKBVARIANT="euro"
XKBOPTIONS="altwin:left_meta_win,compose:menu"
BACKSPACE="guess"

I've been using altwin:left_meta_win since "forever", certainly since
I've had keyboard with "Microsoft Windows logo" keys, which might be
as long as I've been using GNU/Linux and X11, a few decades ago. Its
effect is to put the meta key on the left "Microsoft Windows logo"
key, so that I have separate Meta key (useful in Emacs) and Alt key
(that I use mainly for window manager bindings).

But now Emacs has started to treat the left Microsoft Windows logo key
as meta _and_ super at the same time, so that any binding in emacs
that uses Meta is unusable, because emacs will say I pressed M-s-FOO
when I pressed left Microsoft Windows logo key + FOO, which used to be
just M-FOO. For example, left Microsoft Windows logo key + d, instead
of being understood as M-d (bound to kill-word) is being understood as
M-s-d and emacs says "M-s-d is undefined".

I don't know if the change comes from an upgrade of emacs or of
xkb/xorg, as I rarely close my emacs (daemon) or my X11 session (I
rebooted for the latest high impact Linux security holes, my uptime
before that was > 300 days).

When I press and depress the left Microsoft Windows logo key with xev
having focus, the events are:

KeyPress event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60567700, (116,80), root:(1826,1536),
state 0x10, keycode 133 (keysym 0xffe7, Meta_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60567892, (116,80), root:(1826,1536),
state 0x50, keycode 133 (keysym 0xffe7, Meta_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

When I press left Microsoft Windows logo key + d with xev having
focus, the events are:

KeyPress event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60643492, (89,77), root:(1786,1513),
state 0x10, keycode 133 (keysym 0xffe7, Meta_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XmbLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyPress event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60645396, (89,77), root:(1786,1513),
state 0x50, keycode 40 (keysym 0x64, d), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (64) "d"
XmbLookupString gives 1 bytes: (64) "d"
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60645580, (89,77), root:(1786,1513),
state 0x50, keycode 40 (keysym 0x64, d), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 1 bytes: (64) "d"
XFilterEvent returns: False

KeyRelease event, serial 37, synthetic NO, window 0x5c00001,
root 0x3cb, subw 0x0, time 60645756, (89,77), root:(1786,1513),
state 0x50, keycode 133 (keysym 0xffe7, Meta_L), same_screen YES,
XLookupString gives 0 bytes:
XFilterEvent returns: False

showing that state bit 0x40 gets set on the "d" press.

"xmodmodmap" output:

shift Shift_L (0x32), Shift_R (0x3e)
lock Caps_Lock (0x42)
control Control_L (0x25), Control_R (0x69)
mod1 Alt_L (0x40), Alt_L (0xcc)
mod2 Num_Lock (0x4d)
mod3 ISO_Level5_Shift (0xcb)
mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Super_R (0x86), Meta_L (0xcd), Super_L (0xce), Hyper_L (0xcf)
mod5 ISO_Level3_Shift (0x5c)

I tried "xmodmap -e 'remove mod4 = Super_R Super_L Hyper_L'" to get

mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Meta_L (0xcd)

+ start a new emacs, but it did not change anything.

I would really really appreciate any hint on how to fix this.

Thanks!

--
Lionel

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Thu, May 21, 2026 at 12:19:01PM +0200, Lionel ?lie Mamane wrote:

My /etc/default/keyboard contains

XKBMODEL="microsoft4000"
XKBLAYOUT="us"
XKBVARIANT="euro"
XKBOPTIONS="altwin:left_meta_win,compose:menu"
BACKSPACE="guess"

But now Emacs has started to treat the left Microsoft Windows logo
key as meta _and_ super at the same time, so that any binding in
emacs that uses Meta is unusable, because emacs will say I pressed
M-s-FOO when I pressed left Microsoft Windows logo key + FOO, which
used to be just M-FOO.

"xmodmodmap" output:

shift Shift_L (0x32), Shift_R (0x3e)
lock Caps_Lock (0x42)
control Control_L (0x25), Control_R (0x69)
mod1 Alt_L (0x40), Alt_L (0xcc)
mod2 Num_Lock (0x4d)
mod3 ISO_Level5_Shift (0xcb)
mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Super_R (0x86), Meta_L (0xcd), Super_L (0xce), Hyper_L (0xcf)
mod5 ISO_Level3_Shift (0x5c)

I tried "xmodmap -e 'remove mod4 = Super_R Super_L Hyper_L'" to get

mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Meta_L (0xcd)

+ start a new emacs, but it did not change anything.

I've had more success with

$ xmodmap -e 'remove mod4 = Meta_L'
$ xmodmap -e 'add mod1 = Meta_L'

which gives

mod1 Alt_L (0x40), Meta_L (0x85), Alt_L (0xcc), Meta_L (0xcd)
mod4 Super_R (0x86), Super_L (0xce), Hyper_L (0xcf)

(where from did Alt_L suddenly get into mod1 again???)
but now emacs treat both Alt_L and Meta_L (Microsoft Windows logo key)
as Meta; I tried "xmodmap -e 'remove mod1 = Alt_L'" which gives

mod1 Meta_L (0x85), Meta_L (0xcd)
mod4 Super_R (0x86), Super_L (0xce), Hyper_L (0xcf)

but emacs still wrongly treats the Alt_L key as Meta.

But this in turns breaks using the Alt key for the window manager, the
Window manager now uses Meta_L (Microsoft Windows logo key) for Alt

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Hi Lionel,

"xmodmodmap" output:

shift Shift_L (0x32), Shift_R (0x3e)
lock Caps_Lock (0x42)
control Control_L (0x25), Control_R (0x69)
mod1 Alt_L (0x40), Alt_L (0xcc)
mod2 Num_Lock (0x4d)
mod3 ISO_Level5_Shift (0xcb)
mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Super_R (0x86), Meta_L (0xcd), Super_L (0xce), Hyper_L (0xcf)
mod5 ISO_Level3_Shift (0x5c)

Given my vague knowledge of how Emacs recognized modifiers, the above
weird `mod4` setup would indeed sound like a likely culprit (it doesn't
sound like a "sane" setup to me), tho I can't see why you'd get
`M-s-FOO` rather than `H-M-s-FOO`.

I tried "xmodmap -e 'remove mod4 = Super_R Super_L Hyper_L'" to get

mod4 Meta_L (0x85), Meta_L (0xcd)

That's also what I'd have done.

+ start a new Emacs, but it did not change anything.

Hmm... yeah, that's not what I would have expected either.
It's possible that Emacs changed how it recognizes which key is which
modifier, but even if it doesn't the behavior you describe (after the
`xmodmap` made the setup sane) sounds like a bug, so I'd `M-x report-emacs-bug`.


=== Stefan

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 21/05/2026 5:19 pm, Lionel �lie Mamane wrote:

My /etc/default/keyboard contains

I recommend to check

setxkbmap -print

output to get actual state of keyboard configuration.

that uses Meta is unusable, because emacs will say I pressed M-s-FOO
when I pressed left Microsoft Windows logo key + FOO, which used to be
just M-FOO.

Just to be sure, I would try "showkey" from a VT. I have seen that at
least some additional keys may send modifiers even when the
corresponding key is not pressed.

"xmodmodmap" output:

Just a notice: you may need to run xmodmap again after disconnecting and reconnecting a keyboard. Native XKB tools should not suffer from this issue.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.14
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)