I'm a Windows user with a Windows-oriented keyboard, and I switched the Command and Ctrl keys in OSX, because I want to use the same keyboard shortcuts whether in Windows or OSX. This came back to haunt me though when I installed a Windows VM in Parallels, and it broke the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combo to login to Windows in the VM (since the Ctrl key is mapped to Command). I would like to create a shortcut mapping Command+Option+Del to the Parallels menu item Devices -> Keyboard -> Ctrl+Alt+Delete, but the shortcuts section of System Preferences -> Keyboard does not allow me to use the Del key.
Active10 months ago
I tried following the instructions in this answer, adding this:
Chris has a great blog post up about how he’s using VMware Fusion 2’s keyboard mapping functionality to access the “generate” Resharper shortcut—which requires “Alt + Insert,” two keys which don’t exist on the Mac.
to each of
but the key combo is not activating the menu item to send Ctrl+Alt+Del when adding the XML to any of those.
What am I doing wrong here? Do I need something special to activate the options in the 'keyboard' submenu of 'Device'? Do I have the wrong code for the Del key? Am I putting the XML in the wrong plist file(s)?
[Edit]
The problem is worse than I thought, because the keys stay switched in Windows. Is there a way to set the modifier key behavior on a per-application basis? It would be great if I could swap the Command and Ctrl keys generally, and swap them back in Parallels.
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asgallantasgallant
3 Answers![]()
I did not find an answer to the base question, but I did locate a sufficiently good workaround. Karabiner offers finer-grained control of keys than OSX's keyboard settings, including the ability to add exceptions to key switching. I used these settings:
Now all of the Ctrl keyboard shortcuts I am accustomed to work in both OSX and my VMs.
asgallantasgallant
I have always been able to perform the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combo functionality in Parallels using Command+Ctrl+Option+Del. As far as I know this is default functionality (based on the fact that I did not play around with the key mappings in Parallels, and this key combo has always worked for me).
However, I don't know if remapping the keys or playing around with Parallels' settings has broken that functionality for you...
Currently, I am using Mac OSX Mavericks with Parallels Desktop 8 (haven't bothered upgrading to 9 yet, though I doubt they would have changed this functionality).
[Edit]
To address your edit: The Command key seems to have a double functionality of both being the Ctrl and ⊞ Win keys in Parallels (or at least on my Mac it does... This may be an option I turned on in Parallels' options). However, it has a preference for being the ⊞ Win key.
Therefore, in Parallels using Command+C and Ctrl+C will both copy, and Command+V and Ctrl+V will both paste.
Alternatively, using Command+D will show the desktop in Parallels, the way that pressing ⊞ Win+D does on a regular Windows PC.
However, keep in mind that, as mentioned above, Command has a preference for being the ⊞ Win key.
Here is an example of where that may come into play:
On a regular Windows PC, Ctrl+F can be used to search in a program, while ⊞ Win+F is the shortcut key to find in files.Therefore, in Parallels, Ctrl+F can be used to search in a program, and Command+F is the shortcut key to find in files.
Chris MukherjeeChris Mukherjee
Actually with the new Karabiner Elements version (Sierra upwards) it would be easiest to temporarily 'Quit K E' via its menu bar icon or to create a second 'Profile' (K-E tab) which contains only rules/modifications you need in Parallels.Can be toggled in menu bar.
No tweaking, twitching or honky-tonky … ;-)
clemsam langclemsam lang
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Mac keyboards have Option and Command keys where standard PC keyboards have Alt and Windows keys. The keyboards are otherwise pretty similar, but new Mac users will need to understand these different keys.
Apple’s Mac keyboards actually do have a Control (Ctrl) key, but the Control key doesn’t function like the Control key on Windows. Keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+C to copy text won’t work.
The Command Key
The Command key doesn’t do anything on its own. It’s a modifier key you can press to issue keyboard shortcuts to applications. For example, while you press Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, and Ctrl+V to copy, cut, and paste on Windows, you press Command+C, Command+X, and Command+V to do the same on a Mac.
This key has the ⌘ symbol on it. This symbol appears throughout the Mac’s menus to indicate when you can press the Command key along with another key to issue a keyboard shortcut. The Command key originally had an Apple logo on it, but Steve Jobs thought displaying the Apple logo throughout the original Macintosh’s menu would be overusing the logo. A designer chose the ⌘ symbol to replace it. It’s an old symbol used in Nordic countries to indicate places of interest — in Sweden, it’s the official sign for a tourist attraction.
In summary, on a Mac, you’ll probably be pressing the Command key to issue keyboard shortcuts. The Control (Ctrl) key is also present, but it isn’t used for as many things.
The Option Key
The Option key functions similarly to the AltGr key on many PC keyboards, which explains why it also has “Alt” printed on it. Holding it and pressing another key allows you to type a special character that doesn’t normally appear on the keyboard. For example, pressing Option+4 with the US keyboard layout will produce ¢, the cent sign which normally doesn’t appear on your keyboard. Like other modifier keys, it’s also used as part of some keyboard shortcuts.
This key has the ⌥ symbol on it. This symbol is used throughout the Mac’s menus to indicate when you can press the Option key, the same way the Command key’s symbol is. Unlike for the Command key, we don’t have any history that indicates why this symbol was chosen.
Control Alt Delete Mac Parallels Desktop
For example, when you click the Apple menu you’ll see the keyboard shortcut assigned to Force Quit. if you’re not used to a Mac’s keyboard, these symbols may look like hieroglyphics — but they’re really saying you should press Option+Command+Escape to open the dialog where you can force-quit applications. It’s like the Task Manager on Windows.
Modifier Key Symbols
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To perform the keyboard shortcuts shown throughout Mac OS X, you’ll need to know the symbols. Aside from ⌘ representing Command and ⌥ representing Option, ^ represents Control while ⇧ represents the Shift key.
If you’d like to change which key does what, you can customize this by clicking the Apple menu, opening System Preferences, selecting the Keyboard icon, and clicking Modifier Keys. You can also set the Caps Lock key to “No Action” here, effectively disabling the Caps Lock key on your Mac.
Option and Command Keys in Windows
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When running Windows on your Mac via Boot Camp, the keyboard mappings are changed so they make more sense in Windows. The Option key functions as Alt and the Command key functions as the Windows key.
This can be a bit confusing when going back and forth between OS X and Windows. For example, you’ll have to press Command+C to copy text in OS X, but you’ll have to press Ctrl+C to copy text in Windows. These keys are in different places, so it can interfere with your muscle memory. To solve this problem, you can use SharpKeys to remap the Command and Ctrl keys in Windows.
Ctrl Alt Delete For Macbook
In Mac OS X, you could also use the Modifier keys dialog to swap the functions of the Ctrl and Command keys, if you like. This would make your Mac’s keyboard shortcuts work more like the keyboard shortcuts on a Windows PC.
The Command and Option keys may seem a bit foreign, but everything works fairly similarly on a Mac. The ⌘ and ⌥ symbols are printed on the keyboard so you can more easily understand the keyboard shortcuts shown throughout Mac OS X.
Ctrl Alt Del Mac Parallels Desktop
Image Credit: Wesley Fryer on Flickr
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