Chrome Remote Desktop Keyboard Shortcut Needed

Question

I'm using Chrome Remote Desktop on a Windows Desktop to access an Apple iMac. I cannot figure out how to invoke the Apple Command key function from my Windows keyboard. I would think that the Windows key would work but it doesn't. Is there a way to map the Windows key to the Apple Command key? I really want to be able to invoke copy and paste from the keyboard, which are Command-C and Command-V on the iMac, so I'm stuck because I don't have a "Command" key.

score 47 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 23 '19 at 08:54

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My solution to this problem is to leverage the handy "Configure Key Mapping" command provided by the latest version of Chrome Remote Desktop (v. 77.0 at the time of writing). The option is available in the sidebar as shown below.

Clicking the link opens the "Configure Key Mapping" dialog, from which you can create your own mapping. An important thing to note is that the keycodes supported by Chrome Remote Desktop are not the usual "ASCII" codes to which every developer is used to (I did this error myself the first time); rather, the codes should be taken from the "UI Events KeyboardEvent code Values" W3C standard. If you go through the standard you'll find the useful "List of code values for functional keys in the Alphanumeric section" table, which I also replicate below.

Concretely, let's say you want to map your local (Windows) Ctrl key to the remote (Mac) Cmd key. From the table above we see that the code for the (left) Ctrl key is "ControlLeft", while the code for the Cmd key is "MetaLeft", so from the "Configure Key Mappings" dialog:

click "New Mapping"
enter "ControlLeft" in the "from" field
enter "MetaLeft" in the "to" field
if needed, click [New Mapping] to enter more key mappings
the configuration should now look like in the image below. Click [Done] to close the dialog window.

At this point you should be able to use Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V etc. on your local PC to trigger the corresponding Cmd-C, Cmd-V etc. commands in the remote Mac. The solution works quite well for me and it resolves a perennial problem of how to use the Cmd button while on a Windows PC without having to rely on external apps or plugins.

answered Jul 23 '19 at 08:54

Sal Borrelli

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This seems to resolve the issue, and more importantly, you can use the intuitive Ctrl key instead of the Windows key. – Rob Merrick Aug 15 '19 at 17:59
For those coming from google THIS is the best answer. Also if you're remoting from Windows 10 into macOS the one you want to map is: `AltLeft` -> `MetaLeft`. This will restore alt tab ability and make your windows 10 hotkeys work a lot more like mac hotkeys. – fIwJlxSzApHEZIl Sep 19 '19 at 17:29
This is an excellent solution, but I use the left Ctrl too often, so I mapped ShiftRight to MetaLeft and that seems to work just fine. Right shift is now my Command key in Chrome Remote Desktop. – falux Feb 28 '20 at 05:02
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I I don't know where to ask this question so ... Is it possible to map a key combination. For example: Shift + ControlLeft + P to PrintScreen ? – coutier eric Mar 23 '20 at 10:25
yes, I also want to know how to pass 'left Alt + space' to the remote machine. – Chan Kim Mar 24 '20 at 11:18
I let this bug me for far too long before googling it and finding this answer. Thank you! – Dave Anderson May 08 '20 at 15:02
what is the keyboard shortcut to go full screen. that is why i came here to this post. – ihightower Nov 02 '21 at 08:06
found it. select keyboard shortcut. enable. then choose `Alt` for example. i choose `Right Alt.` so `RightAlt` +`F` will toggle full screen. – ihightower Nov 02 '21 at 08:43

score 8 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 09 '18 at 21:41

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I'm on a Windows 10 machine remoting into an El Capitan Mac (yes, it's an old OS, but it's a 2009 model that can't be upgraded any higher). If the other solutions don't work for you (they didn't for me), you can try adding Mac keyboard shortcuts in Keyboard settings. I use this mac as a home server and only use it via Chrome Remote Desktop, so I am not worried about messing up keyboard shortcuts when using the computer's keyboard directly.

Go to Settings > Keyboard > Shortcuts > App Shortcuts and add new shortcut mappings for Copy and Paste to the Ctrl key.

answered Jul 09 '18 at 21:41

Matt Scully

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This works! From `Windows 10` to `VSCode` on `Mac OSX High Sierra` – Thach Lockevn Nov 26 '18 at 07:10
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Pasting in the terminal isn't working though. Would be better to have a general solution which mapped ctrl to cmd from CRD – Christopher Elliott Dec 19 '18 at 14:46
Wow, you are a genius! Can't believe this actually worked! My problem was: using a windows keyboard on a mac laptop. To use the control I switch the modifiers key cmd <-> ctrl. The problem was that when I'd Chrome Remote Desktop to a Linux machine, that was double reversed back. And CRD remapping did not actually remap the MetaLeft char to ControlLeft, for whatever reason (probably bug, because the remapping from ControlLeft to MetaLeft did work). Anyways, I now have my keyboard working consistently everywhere! – alexsalo Mar 25 '20 at 23:38

score 6 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 29 '16 at 00:43

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On Windows 10

Alt + Window + C

Alt + Window + V

edited Apr 29 '16 at 00:43

Claudius

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answered Apr 28 '16 at 23:08

Kenneth

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The OP specifically mentions being on a Mac. – Sнаđошƒаӽ Apr 29 '16 at 09:21
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This does answer the question. It is the best answer here. When connecting to a Mac, Alt + Window seems to behave as Cmd on the remote Mac. – Peter Crotty Aug 11 '16 at 22:21
@PeterCrotty I think that is partially true. For example I was not able to save a document having shortcut cmd + S or undo an action with cmd + Z – Ruben Rizzi Nov 24 '17 at 16:25

Robert Tupelo-Schneck · Answer 4 · 2012-12-13T21:28:38.347

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On an Acer C7, the right control key maps to command. In fact, the Search key maps to command too, which is far more helpful, but available on fewer keyboards.

edited Dec 13 '12 at 21:28

answered Dec 13 '12 at 21:23

Robert Tupelo-Schneck

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Thanks for the reply. However, that's not working on my Microsoft wireless keyboard. I still haven't found a key that will map to the Apple Command key under Chrome Remote Desktop. If I connect directly to the iMac instead of using Chrome Remote Desktop the Windows key on this keyboard DOES map to the Apple Command Key. What I need is a way to specify/configure the keyboard mapping that Chrome Remote Desktop is using for this session. – user1467544 Dec 14 '12 at 20:50

score 4 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 05 '13 at 22:14

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Well, it seems I can use the Windows Key to send the CMD Key straight away to the Mac machine. I have tried:

Windows + C: copy
Windows + V: paste
Windows + X: Cut
Windows + W: close window
Windows + Q: close application

All work nice! However you can't use this:

Windows + Tab:  switch between applications, 
                it is already used by Windows for the same function.

But you can still use "holding the mouse middle wheel and moving the mouse up" to see all open applications. It is a little bit painful, but does most jobs.

answered Jun 05 '13 at 22:14

bigbearzhu

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Doesn't work for me - on Win10 Windows + C opens cortana while Windows + X opens the shut down menu... – OpherV Dec 17 '15 at 20:34
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Same to me (Windows 10 again) – nsimeonov Feb 01 '16 at 23:02

score 3 · Answer 6 · answered Mar 25 '20 at 23:53

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If things don't work - try map MetaRight to ControlLeft

I have windows keyboard connected to a mapbook. I had to swap the modifier keys: Command <-> Control.

The problem was that when connecting with the Chrome Remote Desktop to a Linux machine, the remapping MetaLeft to ControlLeft did not work. Turned out it's because the macbook remapped the left key to the MetaRight what whatever reason.

answered Mar 25 '20 at 23:53

alexsalo

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This also helped me when remoting from a MacBook to a Windows machine. – Dan Jan 07 '22 at 13:37
+100 Solved my issue remoting from MacOS into Ubuntu. – regeter Nov 01 '22 at 23:31

Michael Hathi · Answer 7 · 2021-09-03T06:53:25.090

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Go Full-Screen first

In order to use all shortcut keys, you need to go full screen from the Windows PC that is accessing the Mac. This option can be found in the side menu on the right.

Then use the ⊞ Win key for all the ⌘ Cmd key shortcut keys on Mac

edited Sep 03 '21 at 06:53

answered Sep 03 '21 at 06:48

Michael Hathi

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what is the keyboard shortcut to go full screen. that is why i came here to this post. – ihightower Nov 02 '21 at 08:05
found it. select keyboard shortcut. enable. then choose `Alt` for example. i choose Right Alt. so RightAlt + F will toggle full screen. – ihightower Nov 02 '21 at 08:43

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Jun 02 '15 at 19:01

I have confirmed, using chrome remote desktop, that search+another_key does the same as CMD+another_key while remote-connected to my mac-book pro over home WiFi. I also noted that if I want to enter two search+another_key presses sequentially, I must release and repress the search key after each instance

score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Jan 15 '19 at 16:22

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You can map keybindings, just not that im on a mac remoting to a windows PC (with a windows keyboard) and I noticed that MetaRight is the windows key (as oppose to Meta left).

answered Jan 15 '19 at 16:22

Brad

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score 0 · Answer 10 · answered Jul 31 '20 at 07:22

If you want to use e.g. WIN-key + C to represent Cmd + C on mac, other than "Configure key mappings" (WIN-key seems mean Cmd on mac by default?), you need to go to full-screen checkbox by the right-side's blue-sliding bar (F11 doesn't work for me).

Only in that full-screen mode, WIN-key + something is not occupied by the Windows OS.

Chrome Remote Desktop Keyboard Shortcut Needed

10 Answers10

Go Full-Screen first