Mac shortcut guide
Ctrl+Alt+Delete on a Mac: what to press instead
A Mac has no Ctrl+Alt+Delete. The closest thing is Force Quit, which you open with Option+Command+Esc. If you also run Windows in a virtual machine on your Mac, here is how to reach the real thing inside it.
What people reach for Ctrl+Alt+Delete to do
Close a frozen app
Press Option+Command+Esc to open the Force Quit Applications window, pick the app that is not responding, and click Force Quit.
See what is using your CPU or memory
Activity Monitor is the Mac’s task manager. Open Spotlight with Command+Space, type Activity Monitor, and sort by CPU or memory.
Lock the screen or sign out
Control+Command+Q locks the screen. Shift+Command+Q signs you out of your macOS account after a confirmation prompt.
On your Mac vs inside a Kyvenza Windows VM
The Mac keeps its own shortcuts. Inside a Windows VM, Kyvenza passes Control, Option, and Command through as Ctrl, Alt, and the Windows key, so the Windows shortcuts work there instead.
| Feature | Kyvenza | On your Mac |
|---|---|---|
| Force quit a frozen app | Control+Shift+Esc opens Task Manager | Option+Command+Esc |
| Open the task manager | Control+Shift+Esc | Activity Monitor, found with Spotlight |
| Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen | Control+Option+forward delete (fn+Delete on a laptop) | No equivalent |
| Lock the screen | From the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen, choose Lock | Control+Command+Q |
| Sign out | From the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen, choose Sign out | Shift+Command+Q |
| Force restart | Use the VM’s restart control in Kyvenza | Hold Control and Command, then press the power button |
| The Alt key | Option | Option (⌥) |
What Kyvenza supports today
A short, honest list — so you know what to expect before you download.
Supported today
- Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5)
- Windows 11 on ARM (bring your own Microsoft image and licence)
- Ubuntu ARM (LTS releases)
- Debian ARM
- Fedora ARM
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later as host
- Native Apple Virtualization framework backend
- Control, Option, and Command passed to Windows as Ctrl, Alt, and the Windows key
Not supported yet
- GPU / 3D acceleration in Windows guests
- USB passthrough and microphone input in Windows guests
- x86 / Intel guest operating systems
- Nested virtualization
- GPU passthrough
We list what we cannot deliver today so you can plan accordingly.
How it works
On the Mac, press Option+Command+Esc
This opens the Force Quit Applications window. Select the app that has stopped responding and click Force Quit.
For tasks and memory, open Activity Monitor
Press Command+Space, type Activity Monitor, and press Return. It lists every process with its CPU, memory, disk, and network use, and can quit one.
In a Windows VM, click in and use Windows keys
Click inside the VM window, then press Control+Option+forward delete for the Ctrl+Alt+Delete screen, or Control+Shift+Esc to go straight to Task Manager.
Frequently asked questions
Not exactly. The closest match is Force Quit Applications, opened with Option+Command+Esc, which closes an app that has stopped responding. For a list of running processes, use Activity Monitor.
Run Windows on your Mac and keep your shortcuts
Download Kyvenza and try Windows 11 on ARM on your Apple Silicon Mac. It needs macOS 26 or later and has no 3D acceleration. Free for 7 days with every feature unlocked, then $49 once.
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