Just recently I came across some threads where people were discussing how to most easily shutdown/restart their Windows PCs quickly in the remote desktop session. For instance in Windows 8 we see there’s no option to shutdown when right-clicking on Start:
UPDATE: 2016 October
As of Windows 10 Anniversary Update, shutdown options can be accessed by right-clicking on the Start button or pressing Win+X.
The trick: Pressing ALT+F4, after focusing on the taskbar / desktop
Using Mouse+Keyboard
Method 1 (All windows versions): Click on an empty space on the Taskbar and then press ALT-F4:
Using Mouse+Keyboard Method 1 (All windows versions): Click on an empty space on the Taskbar and then press ALT-F4 Method 2 (All windows versions): Click on an empty space on Desktop and then press ALT-F4:
Using Mouse+Keyboard Method 2 (All windows versions): Click on an empty space on Desktop and then press ALT-F4 Method 3 (Windows 7 and up): Click Show Desktop button then ALT+F4:
Using Mouse+Keyboard Method 3 (Windows 7 and up): Click Show Desktop button then ALT+F4
Using Keyboard only (NOTE: might not work on some Windows versions)
- Method 1: WIN+D then ALT+F4
- Method 2: WIN+M then ALT+F4
Conclusion
The most important thing to get right is the focus on Desktop / Taskbar. With that gotten right, shutting down is easy as pressing ALT+F4.
Happy RDP-ing to you power-users!
p.s. Honestly, i only realized my tricks (Method 1+2 with mouse/keyboard) were the quickest and most compatible while i was googling for an even faster solution, but realizing that everybody else’s workarounds were slower than mine. So i shared it on MS forums, and then decided to share it here.