The following table lists shortcuts to use in Windows.
Keystroke
Result
Windows key
Opens the Start
menu.
Windows key
+ E
Opens Windows Explorer
to My Computer.
Windows key
+ F
Searches for a file or folder.
Windows key
+ Ctrl
+ F
Searches for computers.
Windows key
+ L
Locks the computer.
Windows key
+ M
Minimizes all windows.
Windows key
+ Shift
+ M
Restores all minimized windows.
Windows key
+ R
Opens the Run
dialog box.
Windows key
+ F1
Opens Help
.
Windows key
+ Ctrl
+ F
Finds a computer.
Windows key
+ Ctrl
+ Tab
Moves focus from Start
, to the Quick Launch
toolbar, to the system tray. Use right arrow or left arrow keys to select items on the Quick Launch
toolbar or system tray.
Windows key
+ Tab
Cycles through taskbar buttons.
Windows key
+ Break
Views the System Properties
dialog box.
F1
Opens Help
.
F10
Activates Menu Bar
options.
Shift
+ F10
Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item. This is the same thing that happens when you right-click the mouse.
Ctrl
+ Esc
Opens the Start
menu. From here, use the arrow keys to select an item, or press Tab
to select the taskbar, or press Shift
+F10
for a context menu (equivalent to right-clicking the mouse).
Ctrl
+ Shift
+ Esc
Opens Task Manager
.
Ctrl
+ Tab
Switches to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program.
Alt
+ F4
Closes the current window.
Alt
+ Esc
Switches between open items.
Alt
+ Tab
Switches to another open software program. Press and hold the Alt
key and then press the Tab
key to view the task-switching window. With the task switching window open, press Shift
+ Tab
to cycle through the open programs in reverse order.
Alt
+ Space
Views the main window's System
menu (from the System
menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window).
You can set up the remote computer to recognize Windows keyboard shortcuts that you type (for example, Alt
+ Tab
), or you can use Terminal Server keyboard shortcuts.
To use Windows keyboard shortcuts, follow these steps:
Click to open Remote Desktop Connection
.
Click Options
, and then click Local Resources
.
Under Keyboard
, select On the remote computer
to make the remote computer recognize the Windows keyboard shortcuts that you type.
NOTE:If you use Remote Desktop Connection
in full-screen mode, you can choose In full screen mode only
to get the same result. This is the default setting.
Figure 2: Remote Desktop Connection - Local Resources tab
To use Terminal Server shortcuts, refer to the following table:
Keystroke
Result
Alt
+ Page Up
Switches between programs from left to right.
Alt
+ Page Down
Switches between programs from right to left.
Alt
+ Insert
Cycles through programs in the order that they were opened.
Alt
+ Home
Displays the Start menu.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Break
Switches between a window and full screen.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ End
Displays the Windows Security dialog box.
Alt
+ Delete
Displays the Windows menu.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Minus sign
(-
) on the numeric keypad
Places a copy of the active window, within the client, on the Terminal Server clipboard. This key combination provides the same functionality as pressing Alt
+ Print Screen
on a local computer.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Plus sign
(+
) on the numeric keypad
Places a copy of the entire client window area on the Terminal Server clipboard. This key combination provides the same functionality as pressing Print Screen
on a local computer.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Right arrow
"Tabs" out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program such as a button or a text box. This is useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.
Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Left arrow
"Tabs" out of the Remote Desktop controls to a control in the host program such as a button or a text box. This is useful when the Remote Desktop controls are embedded in another (host) program.
NOTE:Ctrl
+ Alt
+ Break
and Ctrl
+ Alt
+ End
are available in all Remote Desktop sessions, even when you have set up the remote computer to recognize Windows keyboard shortcuts.