Don't send Command-Tab, etc. in ARD and screen sharing

Dec 24, '09 07:30:04AM

Contributed by: MacNoggin

In Apple Remote Desktop 3.3, Apple changed the behavior of key commands during screen sharing. In this knowledge-base article, one of the listed "improvements" is this:

When controlling a remote client, function keys and key combinations for actions such as Force Quit, Log Out, and the Application Switcher are now all sent to the remote computer.
While this feature has its benefits in some scenarios, some people may prefer the old functionality. Here's how to make Remote Desktop not send the special function keys to the remote computer. Quit Remote Desktop, then open Terminal and enter this command:
defaults write com.apple.RemoteDesktop DoNotSendSystemKeys -bool YES
If you decide you want to have the special function keys sent to the remote machine, just quit Remote Desktop and repeat the above command, but change YES to NO.

[robg adds: Screen sharing in 10.6 gained this same "improvement," and I know some people are annoyed by it there as well. I tried applying the DoNotSendKeys key to screen sharing, and it worked! So, if you'd rather not have special keys sent to the remote Mac via screen sharing, just use this Terminal command (without an active screen sharing session):
defaults write com.apple.ScreenSharing DoNotSendSystemKeys -bool YES
Revert the behavior by repeating the command, but change YES to NO.]

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