AutoType to FullScreen RDP window fails silently
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#2079 AutoType to FullScreen RDP window fails silently
Hi all,
Recently noticed that AutoType to a full screen RDP session consistently fails with nothing happening.
Symptoms:
RDP is launched via KeePass entry URL string:
cmd://mstsc /v:<computername>
What happens is that nothing appears to happen when attempting to AutoType into a full screen RDP session. This occurs at the logon screen challenge and into an application (e.g. Notepad) running inside of the full screen RDP session.</computername>
AutoType works as expected in RDP sessions that are not full screen. If the RDP session is not full screen then AutoType works at the Windows logon screen challenge and into an application running inside of the RDP session that is not full screen.
AutoType works as expected in other applications (e.g. Notepad) running on the local machine in full screen and in normal windows.
KeePass information:
KeePass: 2.48.1 (64 bit)
XSL Stylesheets for KDBX XML: Installed
KeePassLibC (1.x File Support): 1.39 - 0x01B9
Windows information:
Edition: Windows 10 Enterprise
Version: 1909
OS Build: 18363.1621
Application information:
C:\Windows\System32\mstsc.exe
File version: 10.0.18362.1316
Date modified: 9/02/2021 5:16 p.m.
MD5 hash: 1BBBD429B9BE098254D08A0046621ABB
How do you initiate Auto-Type if RDP is full screen?
How do you return focus to the RDP session?
cheers, Paul
Hi Paul,
Good questions...
Using two monitors in Extended Desktop mode. KeePass is open in the left monitor, the RDP session is open in the right monitor.
Focus is handled by normal KeePass handling where KeePass drops to background and outputs keystrokes to the now (previously) in focus window.
Cheers,
Alan
I suspect a focus issue.
Add a delay of several seconds to the KeePass Auto-Type and during the delay click on the part of the full screen where you need the focus.
cheers, Paul
Hi Paul,
No joy.
Normally use this as my default Auto-Type string:
For the suggested test I modified it to this:
Same results as before, with or without the mouse clicks.
I also note that if it were a focus delay problem, at least some of the username or password should show up, but I'm seeing no activity when the RDP session is in full screen.
The test case has a username and password length of 31 characters plus the 2x "tabs" and 1 "return", for a total of 33 characters. With an inter-character delay of 50ms plus the 3500ms start delay, that's just over 5 seconds from start to finish.
Open the RDP session, then KeePass.
Type something in KeePass then click the KeePass minimize button.
Can you now type into the RDP session?
cheers, Paul
Hi Paul,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this. Work and stuff...
You ask another good question.
I open the RDP session in full screen and focus on it. Also type some characters to verify that typing works, then delete the typed characters.
Change focus to KeePass to create and then delete a new entry, just to prove that I have focus.
Change focus back to RDP either by clicking the KeePass minimize button or or by pressing Alt-Tab.
Auto-type appears to do nothing.
Manual typing sends characters to the RDP session as expected.
"Normalizing" the RDP screen causes Auto-type to send characters to the RDP session as expected.
Add Alt Tab to the front of the Auto-Type to see if that fixes it.
cheers, Paul
Hi,
Tried this sequence:
%{TAB}{DELAY 500}{DELAY=50}{UserName}{VKEY 9}{Password}{VKEY 9}{VKEY 13}
And tried this sequence:
{APPACTIVATE SomeServer - Remote Desktop Connection}{DELAY 500}{DELAY=50}{UserName}{VKEY 9}{Password}{VKEY 9}{VKEY 13}
Neither helped.
This is really odd, and rather annoying. I'm sure it worked reliably for many years up until some weeks or a very few months ago.
Not sure what changed. Could have been a KeePass version change or a Windows 10 Pro version change.
I'm working on a corporate SOE device so am limited as to what I can do. I'll see if I can get another device and maybe another person to reproduce it.
Cheers,
Alan
Same here. On my corporate PC, autotype on a full screen RDP does not work.
Just to confirm, this is still still impacting.
As it works when not in full screen it's hard to work out what may be causing the issue. It's possible the screen driver is at fault.
What machine / video card / driver are both of you using?
cheers, Paul
I've had this issue as well. To resolve it requires some minor configuration changes. Open Remote Desktop Connection and expand Show Options in the bottom left. Click the Local Resources tab and change Apply Windows key combinations to "On this computer" and now connect to the remote computer. At the top of the RDP session click "Unpin the connection bar". After these steps you should be able to use auto type on the remote PC.
You can also edit KeePass entries to auto-type with specific remote PCs by editing the Auto-Type tab of the entry and adding a target window that you currently have opened. If you want the entry to work on all Remote Desktop Connections edit the Target Window name on the Auto-Type tab to *Remote Desktop Connection
This allows you to press an auto-type keyboard shortcut and be able to select which entry you'd like to autotype within the window without having to click back to the KeePass main window.
See if this helps.
Can confirm that Glen's method above works.
Thank you, Glen.