Hot Keys Tab

Choose: Edit > Preferences > Hot Keys

You can use hot-key sequences to interact with virtual machines. Hot-key sequences can be used to:

•	Switch between virtual machines

•	Enter and leave full screen mode

•	Ungrab input

•	Send Ctrl+Alt+Del to the virtual machine only (and not to the host machine)

•	Send commands to the virtual machine only (and not to the host machine)

By using the hot keys editor in the Preferences dialog box (choose Edit > Preferences > Hot Keys), you can specify the key combination that is used with hot-key sequences for all of your virtual machines. For example, you can require that all hot-key sequences use Ctrl+Shift+Alt. This is useful if you want to prevent certain key combinations (such as Ctrl+Alt+Del) from being intercepted by Workstation instead of being sent to the guest operating system.

Custom key combinations involve using a combination of the Ctrl, Shift, Alt, and Windows keys. The Windows key is the key between the Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard. The modifiers for the custom combination are:

•	Down — The key must be pressed to use the hot-key sequence.

•	Up — The key must not be pressed to use the hot-key sequence.

•	Either — The key can be up or down. This modifier is useful to allow users a variety of keystrokes to leave full screen mode. For example, selecting Either for the Shift key means that both Ctrl+Alt+Enter and Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Enter cause Workstation to leave full screen mode.

 

Note If you select Either for all of the keys (Ctrl, Alt, Shift, and Win) in the custom combination, you can use the Esc key to release the cursor.

The hot-key settings apply to all of your virtual machines.

To use hot-key sequences

1	Click or type in the virtual machine window to direct keyboard and mouse input to the virtual machine.

2	Once Workstation has grabbed the keyboard and mouse input, you can begin using hot-key sequences. Refer to the following table for descriptions of the hot-key sequences you can use.

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Table 1 2. Hot-Key Sequences for Virtual Machines

Hot-Key Sequence	Description
Alt+Tab	Changes between applications within the virtual machine.
Alt+Esc	Shifts between application windows within the virtual machine.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete	Shuts down or (depending upon the operating system) logs off the guest operating system.
Ctrl+Alt+Insert	Shuts down or (depending upon the guest operating system) logs off the guest. This command is received solely by the virtual machine. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use. For instance, if you change the hot-key combination to Ctrl+Shift+Alt, you must press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Insert to end the guest operating system session.
Ctrl+Alt	If the virtual machine is in exclusive full screen mode, takes the virtual machine out of exclusive mode and back to regular full screen mode. If the virtual machine is not in exclusive mode, this hot-key combination releases the mouse and keyboard from the virtual machine Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use. For instance, if you change the hot-key combination to Ctrl+Shift+Alt, you must press Ctrl+Shift+Alt to release the mouse and keyboard.
Ctrl+Alt+Enter	Toggles the current virtual machine between full screen mode and windowed mode. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use. For instance, if you change the hot-key combination to Ctrl+Shift+Alt, you must press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Enter to enter full screen mode. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use.
Ctrl+Alt+right arrow	When in full screen mode, switches to the next powered-on virtual machine.
Ctrl+Alt+left arrow	When in full screen mode, switches to the previous powered-on virtual machine. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use.
Ctrl+Alt+<space>	Sends any command into the virtual machine so that Workstation does not process it. Hold down Ctrl+Alt as you press the space bar and continue to hold those keys down as you press the next key in the sequence. For example, follow these steps to send Ctrl+Alt+Esc to the virtual machine, bypassing Workstation: 1 Press Ctrl+Alt. 2 Press and release the space bar. 3 Press and release Esc. 4 Release Ctrl+Alt. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use. For instance, if you change the hot-key combination to Ctrl+Shift+Alt, you must press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+<space> to have Workstation not process a command.
Ctrl+Alt+F8 Ctrl+Alt+F9	On most Linux hosts, the first virtual machine is Ctrl+Alt+F8, the second Ctrl+Alt+F9, and so on. Note: Changing the hot-key combination changes the sequence you need to use. For instance, if you change the hot-key combination to Ctrl+Shift+Alt, you must press Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F8 to switch to the first virtual machine, Ctrl+Shift+Alt+F9 to switch to the third virtual machine and so forth.