Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete inside Remote Desktop

Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete during a Remote Desktop session and your own PC responds, not the server. Windows reserves that combination for the local machine, so Remote Desktop gives you Ctrl + Alt + End instead. This guide shows how to reach the server's security screen and, for each thing you might want from it, a direct alternative. The examples use a server at IP:3389.

Before you start

• An open Remote Desktop session to your server, for example 203.0.113.10:3389. Connection details are in your VPS provider's control panel.
• Click inside the session window first so it has keyboard focus.

Use Ctrl+Alt+End

Inside the session, press Ctrl + Alt + End. The server shows its security screen with these options:

• Lock: locks the session. Your apps keep running.
• Switch user: returns to the sign-in screen without signing out. On a server this mostly behaves like disconnecting.
• Sign out: closes your apps and ends the session.
• Change a password: changes the password of the account you are signed in with.
• Task Manager: opens Task Manager on the server.

Click Cancel to go back to the desktop.

On laptops where End shares a key with another function, add Fn: Ctrl + Alt + Fn + End. On a Mac with Windows App, End is usually Fn + Right Arrow, so try Ctrl + Option + Fn + Right Arrow. Fix Mac keyboard shortcuts in Remote Desktop covers the Mac side in more detail.

Use the on-screen keyboard

When your keyboard cannot send the right keys, the on-screen keyboard in the session can help.

1. On the server, open Start, type osk and press Enter.
2. Hold Ctrl and Alt on your physical keyboard and click Del on the on-screen keyboard.

If the security screen does not open this way on your setup, use the direct methods in the next section. They reach every option without the key combination.

Reach each option directly

You rarely need the security screen itself. Each option has a quicker route.

Open Task Manager

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (works when key combinations go to the server, which is the default in full screen).
• Or right-click the server's taskbar and choose Task Manager.
• Or open Start, type taskmgr and press Enter.

Sign out

Open Start, click your user icon or the power icon, and choose Sign out. From a PowerShell or Command Prompt window in the session, this also works:

logoff

Disconnect but keep apps running

Close the Remote Desktop window with the X on the connection bar, or run this in the session:

tsdiscon

Your apps keep running on the server and you can reconnect later.

Lock the session

Open Start, click your user icon and choose Lock. Win + L locks your own PC, not the session, unless Windows key combinations are set to go to the remote computer.

Change your password

The security screen is the simplest route: Ctrl + Alt + End → Change a password. Enter the old password once and the new one twice. Alternatively, open Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options → Password in the session.

After changing it, update any saved credentials on your PC, or the next connection will fail. Change your Windows server password safely walks through the full process.

Check it works

Press Ctrl + Alt + End in the session. You should see the server's blue security screen, not your own PC's. A quick way to tell: the server's screen shows the server's user name. Click Cancel to return.

Troubleshooting

• Ctrl + Alt + Delete opens my own PC's screen: expected. Press Esc to return to the session and use Ctrl + Alt + End instead.
• Ctrl + Alt + End does nothing: the session may not have focus, or your keyboard needs Fn for End. Click inside the session and try Ctrl + Alt + Fn + End, or use the direct methods above.
• Black screen after connecting: press Ctrl + Alt + End, then Cancel. That often wakes the session. Fix a black screen in Remote Desktop has further steps.
• Session is frozen and nothing responds: disconnect, then reconnect. If it is still stuck, see Sign out a stuck or disconnected RDP session.

Next steps

• Every RDP shortcut in one place: Keyboard shortcuts inside a Remote Desktop session.
• Questions about your server? Ask MdmHost AI at any time.