I finally figured one of lifes paradoxes– how to use CTRL + ALT + DELETE while using Windows Remote Desktop / Terminal Services in windowed mode (not full-screen).
Use CTRL + ALT + END. It’s that simple!
Please leave a comment if you have any other advice about how to use Control + Alt + Delete, thanks!
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