How to: Remap Apple Keyboard Command Keys to Control Keys
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I do lots of development using Visual Studio in Windows 7 running in Parallels on a Mac.
I use an apple extended keyboard and find the key remapping feature built into parallels next to useless.
Here is how to swap (or remap) the apple command key with the control key on the apple keyboard.
This will allow you use CMD+Key in Windows instead of CTRL+Key
It unifies your environment so that the CMD (apple key) works the same in Windows as it does on the Mac.
First I explain how to unify the F Keys (I use these extensively in windows for VS development).
You can skip these steps if you don't want to unify the F keys between windows and Mac.
Enable Function Keys on MAC:
1) Open system preferences.
2) Click Keyboard.
3) Tick the option "Use all F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys"
4) Close preferences.
Note: you will now need to use Fn+FKey to change volume etc on the mac.
Change Function Key overrides on MAC:
1) Open system preferences.
2) Click Expose.
3) Change the function key options to:
All windows: F16
App windows: F17
Show Desktop: F18
Dashboard: F19
Note: If you are not using an extended keyboard then remove the mappings from the function keys.
Disable Parallels Re-mapping:
1) Open Parallels and go to Preferences.
2) Click Keyboard and disable the Virtual machine shortcuts.
3) I also disable F6 command.
4) Close Preferences.
Remap Windows CTRL and CMD Keys:
1) Boot your windows virtual machine.
2) From the start menu, open Notepad.exe
3) Copy and paste the following text into notepad:
4) Save the file to your desktop with the name and extension: Update.reg
5) Run the Update.reg file to update your registry.
6) Shutdown/Restart your Windows VM.
Thats it, your left and right side CMD and CTRL keys will be swapped in windows and you can now use windows shortcuts just like on the mac.
Usual warnings:
Backup your windows registry before making any changes.
If you don't know what you are doing, get somebody technical to help.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do lots of development using Visual Studio in Windows 7 running in Parallels on a Mac.
I use an apple extended keyboard and find the key remapping feature built into parallels next to useless.
Here is how to swap (or remap) the apple command key with the control key on the apple keyboard.
This will allow you use CMD+Key in Windows instead of CTRL+Key
It unifies your environment so that the CMD (apple key) works the same in Windows as it does on the Mac.
First I explain how to unify the F Keys (I use these extensively in windows for VS development).
You can skip these steps if you don't want to unify the F keys between windows and Mac.
Enable Function Keys on MAC:
1) Open system preferences.
2) Click Keyboard.
3) Tick the option "Use all F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys"
4) Close preferences.
Note: you will now need to use Fn+FKey to change volume etc on the mac.
Change Function Key overrides on MAC:
1) Open system preferences.
2) Click Expose.
3) Change the function key options to:
All windows: F16
App windows: F17
Show Desktop: F18
Dashboard: F19
Note: If you are not using an extended keyboard then remove the mappings from the function keys.
Disable Parallels Re-mapping:
1) Open Parallels and go to Preferences.
2) Click Keyboard and disable the Virtual machine shortcuts.
3) I also disable F6 command.
4) Close Preferences.
Remap Windows CTRL and CMD Keys:
1) Boot your windows virtual machine.
2) From the start menu, open Notepad.exe
3) Copy and paste the following text into notepad:
4) Save the file to your desktop with the name and extension: Update.reg
5) Run the Update.reg file to update your registry.
6) Shutdown/Restart your Windows VM.
Thats it, your left and right side CMD and CTRL keys will be swapped in windows and you can now use windows shortcuts just like on the mac.
Usual warnings:
Backup your windows registry before making any changes.
If you don't know what you are doing, get somebody technical to help.
Last edited:
