I use eye-tracking software together with a physical switch to control clicks. The switch sends F12, and the software interprets that key press as a click. Unfortunately, Chrome also treats F12 as the shortcut for opening Developer Tools, which shifts the page and can cause form fields to lose focus. I would normally use another browser, but my university's proctoring software requires Google Chrome specifically and will not accept other Chromium-based browsers. I have already tried changing Chrome's configuration files, command-line options, and browser extensions. I also cannot reassign the switch to another key because the software supports very few alternatives, and the other available keys are needed too often. Is there a reliable way to prevent Chrome from responding to F12 while still allowing the key press to reach my accessibility software?
3 Answers
A Windows automation tool such as AutoHotkey might help. You could create a rule that intercepts F12 only while Chrome is active, preventing the browser shortcut from firing while preserving whatever behavior your switch software needs. The exact setup depends on whether the click software receives the key before or after AutoHotkey.
There are browser extensions that claim to block or remap the F12 shortcut, but support is inconsistent and at least one commonly suggested extension may not work in this situation. A policy setting or system-level key interception is likely to be more dependable.
If you are using Windows and have administrative control over Chrome’s policy settings, you can disable Developer Tools through the registry. For example, setting the Chrome policy `DeveloperToolsAvailability` to `2` under `HKCUSOFTWAREPoliciesGoogleChrome` disables access to Developer Tools, including the F12 shortcut. This is more reliable than an extension, but it may be blocked or reversed on a university-managed computer.
I already checked the available extensions and tried the one that seemed relevant, but it did not prevent Developer Tools from opening.