Remote Desktop Keyboard Not Working? Enable it Right Now!

Windows 10 Remote Desktop keyboard not working

Why the keyboard is not working on Remote Desktop?

Keyboarding is an initial part of our daily use with computers and it's very frustrating to find Remote Desktop keyboard not working, especially when you need to help others to fix computer issues. Generally speaking, the issue RDP keyboard not working is related to inappropriate Remote Desktop Connection Settings on the client computer. If only some keyboard shortcuts like "Ctrl + Alt +Del don't work in Remote Desktop, it's mainly because the local PC captures the Del command.

7 tested ways to fix Remote Desktop keyboard not working in Windows 10/11/8.1/8/7

To make the keyboard on Remote Desktop work normally, you can restart the remote computer and then connect it first. If RDP keyboard still isn't  working, you can try one or more of the following 7 ways or use a third-party remote desktop software. 

Way 1. Change Remote Desktop Connection settings

If all keys on keyboard are not working over RDP, it means that there is something wrong with RDC configuration. Close the Remote Desktop session and follow these steps to fix the issue. 

Step 1. On your local PC, press Windows and R to open Run box, and type “mstsc” to open Remote Desktop Connection.

Step 2. Click "Show Options" and go to "Local Resources" tab. Under "Keyboard", choose "On this computer" in "Apply Windows key combination list".

Way 2. Restart RDP clipboard monitor

If the key combinations "Ctrl+ C" and  "Ctrl +V"  aren't working while other keys on the keyboard are well in the Remote Desktop session, RDP clipboard not working can be the cause and you can try ways from way 2 to way 6. 

Step 1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ Esc at the same time to open "Task Manager" window. 

Step 2. Go to "Processes" tab, find "RDP Clipboard Monitor", right-click this item and choose "End task".

Step 3. Go into the "Details" tab and find the task named “rdpclip.exe”.  Right-click “rdpclip.exe” task and then click “End task”.

Click "File" which is on the top of the Task Manager, choose "Run new task". Enter ”rdpclip.exe” in the new window and click "OK". Then the RDP clipboard monitor is successfully restarted.

Way 3. Restart Windows Explorer

Step 1. Open the Task Manager first, go to "Processes" tab and find Windows Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click it and choose "Restart".

Way 4. Change RDP client settings

Step 1. Press Windows key and R to open Run box, and type “mstsc” to open Remote Desktop Connection.

Step 2. Click "Show Options" and go to "Local Resources" tab. Make sure Clipboard is checked. Click "More…", make sure "Drives" checkbox is also checked.

Step 3. Click "OK" and see if RDP keyboard can work normally. 

Way 5. Enable clipboard redirection and drive redirection via Local Group Policy Editor

Step 1. Press Windows key and R to open Run Box, and type “gpedit.msc” in the entry bar to open Local Group Policy Editor

Step 2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Device and Resource Redirection. Find “Do not allow Clipboard redirection” and “Do not allow drive redirection” in Device and Resource Redirection window.

Step 3. Double-click those two items respectively, check "Enabled" and click "Apply".

Method 6. Change file value via Registry Editor

Step 1. Hold Windows key and press R to open Run box, and type“regedit” to open Registry Editor.

Step 2. Follow this path:

Computer>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Control>Terminal Server>WinStations>RDP-Tcp and double-click fDisbleClip.

Step 3. In Edit DWORD(32-bit) Value window set the Value data to 0 and click "OK".

Way 7. Use on-screen keyboard 

If you can send keys to the remote PC normally and there are only some key combinations like Ctrl+Alt+Del not working on Remote Desktop, you can use an on-screen keyboard to replace the physical keyboard. 

Step 1. Press Windows key and R to open the Run box, type “osk” in the entry bar, and press ENTER.

Step 2. After you press Enter, an on-screen keyboard will appear. Press Ctrl and Alt on your subsistent keyboard and click Del with your mouse on an on-screen keyboard.

Remote Desktop alternative for Windows [with shortcuts to vital apps]

If you cannot fix the Remote Desktop keyboard not working issue in Windows, why not switch to a third-party remote access software? Here AnyViewr, a free and secure one is recommended. With it, you can control Windows computer from Windows computer, iPhone, iPad, or Android device smoothly and quickly. 

In the remote session over AnyViewer, you can send key commands to the remote PC from your current physical keyboards without any effort. Besides, it offers shortcuts to many useful options, including opening Task Manager,  restarting the remote computer, and so on.  Now, see how to use it to start the remote session from one Windows computer to another. 

First of all, you need to download AnyViewer on the two computers. Click the button to download it directly. 

▶ Important: To start remote control from an iOS device/Android, you need to download AnyViewer for iOS from Apple Store or download AnyViewer for Android from Google Play. 

Step 1. Install and run AnyViewer on the two computers you want to connect. Create an AnyViewer account and log in to the account on the two devices. Once logged into the account, the PC will be assigned to the account automatically. 

Step 2. After that, click "Device" button and you can find the remote computer in the "My devices" list. Click it and you can see all operations that you can take on the remote computer, including taking full control of it, only viewing the screen of it. 

✍ Note: If you want to access the remote PC without its screen being seen by others, you can upgrade to Professional or Enterprise plan to access it in privacy mode. After that, you can enjoy other privileges, including high-quality image, fast file transfer, more devices assignment for one-click secure unattended remote access, etc.

Wrap things up 

This post tells you the causes and the fixes of the Remote Desktop keyboard not working in Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7. You can try one or more solutions based on your own need. Or you can use the great remote control software, AnyViewer to replace Remote Desktop for starting a remote session.