qm-sendkey
Send key events to a Proxmox VM
TLDR
SYNOPSIS
qm sendkey [options] vmid key
DESCRIPTION
qm sendkey sends a QEMU monitor encoding key event to a running virtual machine. This is useful for sending keyboard input such as `ctrl-alt-delete` or function keys directly to the VM console without needing graphical access.Key names follow QEMU monitor encoding: alphanumeric characters are written literally, special keys use names like `ret`, `esc`, `tab`, `spc`, `f1`–`f12`, `up`, `down`, `left`, `right`, and modifier combinations use hyphens (e.g. `ctrl-alt-delete`, `meta_l-r`).
PARAMETERS
vmid
The unique VM ID (integer between 100 and 999999999).key
Key name in QEMU monitor encoding format (e.g. `ctrl-alt-delete`, `ret`, `esc`, `f1`, `meta_l-r`).--skiplock boolean
Ignore VM locks and force key send. Requires root privileges.
INSTALL
CAVEATS
Key encoding follows QEMU monitor format, not standard key names. The --skiplock option requires root privileges.
HISTORY
Part of Proxmox VE QEMU/KVM management tools for virtual machine administration.
SEE ALSO
qm(1), qm-monitor(1), qm-start(1), qm-stop(1), qm-terminal(1)
