devnulled is a blog which caters to software development related issues with a pro-unix and open standards slant. Over the years devnulled has been featured on Slashdot, Digg, the Indeed Blog, O’Reilly Hacks, and del.icio.us/popular.
Brandon Harper, the author behind devnulled, is a Software Engineer primarily working with JVM languages and some occasional Javascript. He’s been programming since age eight, professionally for over 14 years, and has been been published in various industry publications and popular websites. Brandon also enjoys music, photography, command prompts, and things with wheels and turbos a wee bit much.
By TapaGeuR June 29, 2006 - 7:17 pm
You better use CTRL + ALT + Escape, it works locally or remotely throught Windows Remote Desktop.
TapaGeuR
By TapaGeuR June 29, 2006 - 7:22 pm
… works only in ful-screen.
By Nat Papovich June 30, 2006 - 11:23 am
You can also use the On-Screen Keyboard (Accessories -> Accessibility).
NAT
By Rob Easton August 9, 2012 - 11:34 am
Thanks for the onscreen keyboard tip! ctrl+alt+end was still activating my vm. I’m using a pc, with a vm to VPN and then RDC to a remote server.
By Ryan Guill August 6, 2006 - 11:29 am
If you are just after the task manager, you can just right click on the taskbar and choose task manager…
By s golden June 12, 2007 - 8:30 pm
I am a new user on a sonic firewall. I can remote to my computer at work. However, how do I use the Control-alt-delete to logon to that computer.
By Pietie May 16, 2008 - 12:09 am
you can use the Ctrl + Alt + End.
And to those who is looking for Task Manager try and use the Ctrl + Shirft + Esc.
By Dabeastro August 8, 2008 - 8:15 am
This is a great tip if remote desktop has stopped responding and has gone blank screen. Good stuff.
By Tigercom August 20, 2008 - 8:40 am
Thanks for the help. Been CTRL+ALT+DEL’ing with no avail. Glad this sheds me some light.
By Amanda August 26, 2008 - 10:49 pm
Right Click on the Blue Banner at the top of the screen and the VNC Viewer will display menu to allow you to Send Ctrl-Alt-Del.
By alphaversa September 17, 2008 - 7:23 am
Ctrl + Shirft + Esc. – WORKED – Thanks – Pietie
By padam October 2, 2008 - 7:29 pm
Best to use that will work for every remote desktop is to window the remote view and right click on the window tab->click on the option send-ctrl-alt-del
For example:
In vnc remote desktop ctrl-alt-ins, ctrl-alt-end doesn’t work but the above does or below.
ctrl-shift-esc did seem to work for every remote I tested.
By Vampireks October 16, 2008 - 9:00 am
Really, in RDP of Microsoft u can use Ctrl-Shift-Esc and you enter in the task manager. I tested that.
Sorry for my english
Vampireks.
By Conic December 16, 2008 - 7:37 am
Ctrl-Alt-Del in MS remote desktop (RDP). Thanks! I’ve been trying to figure that out for quite some time now. I’ll add it to my collection.
Ctrl-Shift-Esc brings up the Task Manager but does not perform the same function as Ctrl-Alt-Del in MS Windows Remote Desktop.
On VNC you can press F8 to bring up a menu, then select ‘Send Ctrl-Alt-Delete’.
For VMWare, while in the VMWare Infrastructure client and ‘console-ing’ into servers, you can press Ctrl-Alt-Insert and it will act as a Ctrl-Alt-Delete.
By bekris December 30, 2008 - 6:26 pm
control pannel >> window security
By iceman February 2, 2009 - 5:35 am
To invoke task manager for nested terminal services sessions use :
Ctrl+alt+shift+home
By Pete February 4, 2009 - 8:12 pm
Awesomely helpful. Cheers.
By APRATIM April 6, 2009 - 9:58 pm
PRESS WINDOWS KEY + U
THIS WILL GIVE U THE OPTION OF ON SCREEN KEYBORD. NOW USE IT TO GO AHEAD….
By mtolives April 10, 2009 - 8:44 pm
If I remote desktop to an xp machine on my network, there is Start->Disconnect when I want to terminate the session. However, when I connect to a windows 2003 server, the disconnect functionality is missing. How do I successfully disconnect from a 2003 server without keeping the session active? At the moment, I simply click that little “x” at the top of the screen which is not what I want to do. Thanks.
By Junaid April 13, 2009 - 12:17 am
Both Ctrl+Alt+End & Ctrl+shift+Esc Works, thanks to Brandon Harper & Piete.:)
By sipiptel April 22, 2009 - 5:40 pm
Awesome hint. Have never known how to do this before, and really needed it today. Thanks!
By techpilot007 April 27, 2009 - 2:13 pm
“windows 2003 server, the disconnect functionality is missing. How do I successfully disconnect from a 2003 server without keeping the session active?”
On Windows Server 2003 select Start->Log Off. This will end the current session and close your Remote Desktop Connection.
By Justin Lockwood May 26, 2009 - 2:51 pm
Start-> windows Security-> logoff
By jean mcgoldrick May 26, 2009 - 3:45 pm
why does my text disappear whilst typing when i mistakenly
press some keys that may include caps lock -shift arrow-ctrl
Alt – I can never retrieve this when it happens even though it is a saved file -it is so frustraing as yesterday i lost an 18 page
typed document by pressing some – which are the keys when fast typing makes everything delete – and not recoverable
By Jeremy Williams May 29, 2009 - 1:37 pm
The first time I had to log onto a Windows server I finished work and did Start / Shut Down (in the Remote Desktop window), packed up and went home. The next day I had some explaining to do. Well, I didn’t know …
By Neil D July 30, 2009 - 12:53 am
Hey – thanks very much for this – helped get me unstuck – am running VMWare in a Terminal Services session, so the Ctrl-Alt-End worked okay and prompted the inner session to advise to use Ctrl-Alt-Insert if in a session within a session.
By Collin Ticer September 2, 2009 - 11:25 am
Thanks. This helped so much. I was in a web server of mine, and (accidently) shutdown the explorer.exe process. I had no access to the start menu or my the desktop. Once I did this (pressed crtl+alt+end), I was able to relaunch explorer.exe through the process manager.
By anonymous February 23, 2010 - 4:14 pm
YOU ROCK
Thanks for hosting this page
By Filipe April 12, 2010 - 11:40 am
Ctrl + Alt + End
By dutch June 5, 2010 - 2:04 pm
Create a new shortcut.
Enter the following for the location:
%windir%\system32\Rundll32.exe User32.dll,LockWorkStation
By Guille August 9, 2010 - 9:54 am
Men you saved my life!! thanks.
By Rob Easton August 23, 2010 - 9:38 am
gotta try that… was at home last night and vpn/rdp for an important project and my pc, at work would not finish logon.
By zillah September 8, 2010 - 12:45 pm
Create that is worked for on windows 2008 server
By Kashif October 12, 2010 - 9:57 pm
ctrl+alt+shift+del
By Ganesan November 28, 2010 - 9:04 pm
ctrl+alt+shift+del worked for me
Thanks
By Jerry February 14, 2011 - 11:36 am
Many Thanks!
ctrl+alt+shift+end worked for me
By dutch February 27, 2011 - 8:57 pm
I almost kick my screen before I find this answer lol
By saloom March 30, 2011 - 1:09 pm
U saved my life, THAAAAAANKS
By lesha May 16, 2011 - 12:48 pm
Perfect.
I needed to change my password on the different domain and I could do that on the Remote Desktop
By ojomu paul May 18, 2011 - 1:04 am
simply use ctrl + del + end
By ojomu psul May 18, 2011 - 1:06 am
sorry i meant simply use ctrl + alt + end
By ojomupaul May 18, 2011 - 1:07 am
sorry i meant
simply use ctrl + alt + end
By Rushi June 22, 2011 - 7:51 am
Thx
By Raghu July 28, 2011 - 11:29 am
This was very useful
By Paulo August 1, 2011 - 3:04 am
thanks
By edshel August 2, 2011 - 5:41 am
Great… thanks
By e August 24, 2011 - 10:45 pm
Thanks
By Rajesh December 16, 2011 - 10:14 pm
Ctrl + Alt + End is a simple one… by using this u can change your password or you can start task manager in rempter Desktop…….
By Dizeez January 4, 2012 - 3:52 pm
Thanks, had forgotten how to do this. Big help.
Diz