How to Exit Fullscreen Mode in Hyper-V Guest VM When Nested in RDP Session


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When working with Hyper-V virtual machines accessed through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), you might encounter a scenario where fullscreen modes stack on top of each other. The standard keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+Break) doesn't work as expected because it gets intercepted by the host RDP session rather than the guest VM.

Here's what happens in the input hierarchy:

Physical Keyboard → RDP Client → Hyper-V Connection → VM OS

The key combinations get consumed at different levels, which explains why Ctrl+Alt+Break affects the RDP session instead of the VM.

Method 1: Using Hyper-V Specific Shortcut

The most straightforward solution is to use Hyper-V's dedicated fullscreen toggle combination:

Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow

This works even when nested inside an RDP session.

Method 2: Alternative Key Combination

If the above doesn't work, try this sequence:

Ctrl+Alt+Space → F

This is Hyper-V's alternative fullscreen toggle command.

Method 3: Through the Connection Bar

Move your mouse to the top center of the screen to reveal the connection bar, then click the fullscreen toggle button. This works even in nested scenarios.

For power users who frequently encounter this situation, you can create a PowerShell script to manage the connection:

# PowerShell script to reconnect to VM with proper screen settings
$vmName = "YourVMName"
Stop-VMConnection -VMName $vmName
Start-VM -VMName $vmName
Connect-VM -VMName $vmName -Fullscreen:$false

To avoid getting stuck in this situation:

  • Configure your RDP session to use windowed mode by default
  • Modify the Hyper-V connection settings to not start in fullscreen
  • Use the following registry tweak for persistent settings: 
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest]
"FullScreenOnConnect"=dword:00000000

If standard methods fail:

  1. Try the key combinations with a brief pause between Ctrl+Alt and the final key
  2. Check if your keyboard has a function lock that might modify special keys
  3. Verify Hyper-V Integration Services are up to date in the guest VM

Working with nested virtualization environments creates unique UI challenges. When you're:

  • Connected to a Hyper-V host via RDP in full screen
  • Then launch a VM in full screen mode within that session

The standard Hyper-V full screen exit shortcut (Ctrl+Alt+Break) gets intercepted by the RDP client instead of reaching the VM connection.

Try these alternative methods before resorting to task manager:

Method 1: Hyper-V Connection Key Combo

The actual sequence for Hyper-V console is Ctrl+Alt+Left Arrow (not Break):

// This sends the command to the VM connection instead of RDP
Press: Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow

Method 2: RDP Shortcut Forwarding

Configure your RDP client to pass through special key combinations:

  1. Open Remote Desktop Connection
  2. Click Show Options → Local Resources tab
  3. Under Keyboard, select "On the remote computer"
  4. Check "Apply Windows key combinations"

For administrators managing multiple systems, these PowerShell commands can help:

Check VM Connection Mode

Get-VMConnectAccess -VMName "YourVMName" | 
Select-Object VMName, UserName, ConnectionMode

Reset VM Connection Session

# Gracefully reset the VM console session
Stop-VMConnectSession -VMName "ProblemVM" -Force
Start-VM -Name "ProblemVM" -ComputerName "HyperVHost"

When keyboard shortcuts fail completely:

  • Use Hyper-V Manager's "View" menu → "Exit Full Screen"
  • Right-click the VM window's title bar (visible during mouse hover at top)
  • Connect via VMConnect directly instead of through RDP: 
    vmconnect.exe HyperVHost "VMName" /fullscreen

To prevent this scenario:

  1. Set default connection preference in Hyper-V settings: 
    Set-VMHost -VirtualMachineConnectionType Single
  2. Configure RDP session resolution to match host monitor
  3. Disable full screen mode for frequent VM access