Invalid Keyboard Mapping for UK MacBook Pro Keyboard

Discussion in 'Windows Virtual Machine' started by KevinW15, Oct 21, 2017.

  1. KevinW15

    KevinW15 Bit poster

    Messages:
    3
    The UK keyboard in my Windows 10 VM does not match the keyboard layout on my MacBook Pro (Retina 15", 2013). The § and ` keys are swapped. This is not a problem in my Ubuntu 16.04 VM. I've included some more details below

    macOS keyboard input source - British
    Ubuntu 16.04 VM text entry input source - English (UK, Macintosh)
    Window 10 Pro VM input method - United Kingdom (Apple) - Parallels

    Can someone confirm what the correct input method or VM settings are to get the correct mapping for the UK MacBook keyboard in Windows 10?
     
  2. RobH6

    RobH6 Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    I too have this issue
     
  3. GawainE

    GawainE Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    I also had this problem and (more importantly for me) the @ and " were also reversed.
    The opening poster may already have done this but this did fix it for me and it works on both the laptop keyboard and also on an external keyboard (with numberpad).
    1) Open the Windows Settings tool by clicking the cog on the Windows 10 start menu.
    2) Search for region and language
    3) Under the Preferred Languages section of the page you should see "English (United Kingdom)" (if not then try adding it as a new language).
    4) Click on the English (United Kingdom) and then on Options
    5) Click Add a Keyboard and find "United Kingdom (Apple) - Parallels" in the list. The list is NOT sorted properly so you need to hunt for it. I found it near the top.
    6) Remove the existing keyboard that was there.
    7) You may also need to remove any other languages that are defined so that it starts using this one everytime.
    Fingers crossed it will all work correctly after that. The tricky bit was realising that clicking on the preferred language in step 4 has anything whatsoever to do with the keyboard type.
     
  4. FrancisM5

    FrancisM5 Bit poster

    Messages:
    3
    I have the same exact problem on my MacBook 13" (Retina, 2015), but macOS -> macOS. My setup is as follows:

    Parallels Desktop Version: 15
    Host: macOS High Sierra
    Guest: macOS Catalina
    Host Keyboard Layout: British
    Guest Keyboard Layout: British

    With this setup, the § and ` keys are swapped. I tried switching the keyboard in the Guest OS to the default (U.S.), but it didn't make any difference. It seems Parallels is not respecting the Host OS keyboard language - maybe it is assuming the Host has a U.S. keyboard?
     
  5. FrancisM5

    FrancisM5 Bit poster

    Messages:
    3
    Update: the main frustration I was facing was that the keystroke to cycle through macOS application windows (Cmd + `) was not working at all in the Guest OS (i.e. Catalina). It turns out there's an easy fix:

    1. Open Parallels Desktop Preferences
    2. Select Shortcuts -> Application Shortcuts
    3. Uncheck the "Switch Windows" shortcut in the list

    This got it working for me. Interestingly, I found that in Keyboard Viewer in the Guest OS, when I press the ' key, the Keyboard Viewer app's rendered keyboard puts highlighting around the § key; and when I press the § key, again the ` key is highlighted in the display. However, at the same time, the correct keys are actually being recognized by the Guest OS, e.g. in Terminal the ` and § characters are outputted correctly when I press those keys. So it seems the Guest OS's Keyboard Viewer may have a display issue with Parallels, but in reality the keystrokes are going through correctly.

    I'm pleased it's working now for me, and maybe this will help someone else with the same problem!
     
  6. VazquezW

    VazquezW Bit poster

    Messages:
    1
    I also had this issue earlier but i tried to re-map the keyboard, you'll get the info on a simple google search. Just use the tool and the issue is solved.
     
    Maria@Parallels likes this.

Share This Page