> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.glesys.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.glesys.com/products/compute/kvm-virtual-machines/how-tos/connect-to-the-vm-console.md).

# Connect to the VM console

***

## Connect to a VM console using the control panel

If you accidentally lock yourself out of SSH or Remote Desktop, for example, due to a firewall rule, you can still access the virtual machine through the console. This is equivalent to having physical access to a server's screen and keyboard.

To locate the console, navigate to **Virtual machines** in the left-hand menu under **Compute**. Here, select the virtual machine you locked yourself out of. In the VM overview, select **Actions** in the top-right corner. From there, click **Console**.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/tJQZkqlC4EOhenh1nrkv" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

The console starts automatically. If it does not, click **Open console manually** in the following dialog box.

Most of the time, you need to use an English keyboard layout in Linux to align with the system's keyboard configuration. This is also the default setting in the console. To find special characters, you can use the virtual keyboard. If you need to change the keyboard layout, click the dropdown menu for the language and select a different option.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/z8qp75xEkE8B4z2SzpkW" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

In Microsoft Windows, you can always log in through the console because all users have a password assigned to them. Click the Send **Ctrl-Alt-Del** button to unlock the login screen if it is not displayed.

If you have set a password for your user in Linux, you can log in with that user in the console. However, if none of your users have a password, you cannot log in directly via the console. In that case, you need to restart the server in *single-user mode*.

## Log in to single-user mode

To start your VM in single-user mode, for example, to reset your password, see [Reset your password in Linux](/products/compute/guides-for-server-management/reset-your-password-in-linux.md).

## Connect to a VM console using the API

It's also possible to get a URL for the console window by making an [API](/platform/control-panel/api.md) call to the endpoint [server/console](https://github.com/GleSYS/API-docs/wiki/API-Documentation#serverconsole).